e and let me cut those
roses. There's a thousand of them, if there's one."

The protest came high and shrill. "Decapitate heads! You sha'n't not!
All of ones convey soul of great ancestors."

"Do they?"--in high glee--"all right, I'll make the souls of your
blessed ancestors serve as a decoration for America's glorious festival
day."

The outraged Ishi fairly shrieked. "Ishi's ancestors! America! You have
blasphemeness. I perish to recover!"

Hostilities were suspended for a minute.

Then Zura's fresh young voice called out from below my window: "Ursula,
please instruct this bow-legged image of an honorable monkey to let me
cut the roses. Hurry, else my hand may get loose and 'swat' him."

What the child meant by "swat" I had no idea; neither did I care. She
had called me "Ursula!" Since childhood I had not heard the name. Coming
from her lips it went through me like a sharp, sweet pain. Had she
beheaded every rose and old Ishi in the bargain I would have smiled, for
something in me was being satisfied.

I gave orders to Ishi, to which Zura added, "You are to take your
dishonorable old body to the furthermost shrine, and repent of your
rudeness to your young mistress." As he turned his angry back upon her,
she inquired in honeyed tones, "Mercy, Ishi! How did you ever teach
your face to look that way? Take it to a circus! It will make a
fortune!"

Very soon after she came into the room so laden with roses that I could
just see her face. "Aren't they darlings?" she exclaimed. "Poor old
Ishi, I can't blame him much!" Then to me, "Say, beautifulest, tell you
what: I'll arrange these flowers and I promise, if I find a sign of an
ancestor, I'll go at once and apologize to his mighty madness--if you
will write a note to Mr. Hanaford and bid him to the Thanksgiving
feast."

I agreed, and she went her busy way. In addressing the note to Page, I
was reminded that a few days before his servant had called for a package
of his master's clothing which Jane and I kept in repair. To my surprise
the servant said that Hanaford San had gone away on business.

Possibly my look of astonishment at the news invited confidence. After
glancing around to make sure we were alone, he approached and in mixed
Japanese and broken English told me how his heart was weighed "with
anxious" for his employer. He said his master was very kind. Therefore,
Master's trouble was his. Sometimes the young man was happy and sang
tunes through whistle