Mr. Bamboo and the Honorable Little God

A free download from http://www.dertz.in


Mr. Bamboo and the Honorable
Little God, by

Fannie C. Macaulay
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net

Title: Mr. Bamboo and the Honorable Little God A Christmas Story
Author: Fannie C. Macaulay

Release Date: December 25, 2005 [eBook #17387]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MR.
BAMBOO AND THE HONORABLE LITTLE GOD***
This eBook was produced by David Garcia and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced
from images generously made available by The Kentuckiana Digital

Library).

Mr. Bamboo and the Honorable Little God
A Christmas Story

_Fannie C. Macaulay_ _Author of "The Lady of The Decoration"_

By Courtesy of The Century Publishing Company to Louisville
Kindergarten Alumnae Club

MR. BAMBOO AND THE HONORABLE LITTLE GOD
During sundry long and lonely evenings in a Japanese mission school, a
young native teacher sought to while away the hours for a homesick
exile. She was girlish and fair, with the soft voice and gentle,
indescribable charm characteristic of the women of her race. Her tales
were of the kindergarten, happenings in her life and the lives of others,
and I have sought to set them down as she told them to me in her quaint,
broken English. But they miss the earnest eyes and dramatic gestures of
the little story-teller as she sat in the glow of the hibachi fire, with a
background of paper doors, with shadow pictures of pine-trees and
bamboo etched by the moonlight, the far-off song of a nightingale, and
the air sweet with incense from nearby shrines.
He wear name of Tãke Nishimura, which in English say' Mr. Bamboo
of the West Village. He most funny little boy in my kindergarten class.
But he have such sweet heart. It all time speaking out nice thoughtfuls
through his big round eyes, which no seem like Japanese eyes of long
and narrow.
His so much slim of body make him look like baby. But his mama say'
he been here four years. She nice lady and loving mother. One more

thing why that child's most funny small enfant. He have papa who is
great general of war, with big spirit. Tãke Chan fixed idea in his head
he's just same kind big warrior man. He use same walk and the same
command of speak.
This time I relate you about was most Christmas-time. I tell story to
children of long time ago, when big star say to all worlds Christ baby
lay in manger, and I say soon we celebrate joyful day in kindergarten.
That little Tãke Chan never hear 'bout it before, and he get look in his
face same as John boy in picture what always have crooked stick in his
hand, and he speak this word: "A new God? Will He be our guest on
feast-day?"
We learn song 'bout star and cradle and 'gain he speak his thought. He
say: "What is cradle, Sensei? I know 'bout star. Every night at my
honorable home I open shoji to see old priest strike bell and make him
sing. Then I see big star hang out light over topmost of mountain." One
more time he say, like thinking to himself: "Cradle. Maybe him shrine
for new God of foreign country."
I know English for long time, but Japanese childs never know cradle. It
have not come to this land.
Christmas-story was telled many times, for children like to hear about it.
When I say this time, on that day we get pine-tree and dress him up
with many gifts, Tãke Chan clap his hands and say: "Banzai! We make
offering of tree to new God."
Sometimes many troubles press my mind how I make childs know
much difference of real God, which he never see, and those
wooden-stones we see all time with burning of lights before them and
leaves of bamboo and pine.
We work very hard all days before morning of Christmas-tree, but not
one child in whole class could make things such fast as Tãke Chan. His
hands so small they look 'most like bird-foots hopping round quick in
flower garden when he construct ornaments of bright color. Sometimes
he have look of tired in his face, and bad coughs take his throat. For

which, if I did not know 'bout Christmas-story and all other many
things like that, I would have a thought that fox spirit was industrious
to enter his body.
Then I mention, "Go play in