The boy travellers in the Far East : adventures of two youths ... - Library

260
THE BOY TKAVELLEHS.
expensive material tliat tlie wearer can afford ; and sometimes it costs a
great deal of money. Generally it is of silk, and tliey have it of all colors,
aTid occasionally it is heavily embroidered. It is several yards long, and the
work of winding it into place is no
LA1>ILS H \1U 1)1 Ls^l I
but I have not yet learned
small affair. I shall enclose some pict-
ures of Jiipanese women in this let-
ter, and you can see fi'om them wliat
the dress of the women looks like,
and understand mneli better than you
will by what I wi'ite. 1 tliink the
women look yeiT pivtty in their dress-'
es—much better, in fact, tlian Mdien
they put on European garments.
Their hair is always black, and they
dress it witli more gi'ease than I wish
they would. It fairly makes the hair
WW shine, it is laid on so thick. Eut they
liave some very pretty ornaments for
^^ tlieir hair, which they stick in with
large pins, something like the hair-
pins you use at home. I am told that
you can distinguish the social position
by the number and style of the hair-
ornaments worn on a woman's head
low to do it. I sup])ose I shall find out if I
stay long enough in Japan.
"Of course, you will want to know if the Japanese women arc j)retty.
!Now, you mustn't be jealous when I say they are. Fi'ed thinks so too, and
you know it won't do for me to have a quarrel with Fred wlien we are
travelling together, and especially when I think he's ]-iglit. They are all
brunettes, and have sharp, bright eyes, full of smiles, and theii' skins are
clear and healthy. They look vei'y pleasant and happy ; and they have
such sweet, soft voices that nobody could help liking them even if he didn't
want to. They have such nice manners, too, that you feel quite at your
ease in their company. They may be wishing you ten thousand miles away,
and saying to themselves that they hate the sight of a foreigner; but if
they do, they manage to conceal their thoughts so completely that you can
never know them. You may say this is all deception, and jierhapis it is;
but it is more agreeaUe than to have them treat you rudely, and tell yon
to get out of the way.
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