The Japanese Twins [11]
this because they loved the blossoms so much. Children were playing all about. Near by was a pretty little tea-house. Grannie saw it first. "I am thirsty," she said. "So am I," said Take. "So am I," said Taro. "We're all thirsty," the Father said. Outside the tea-house, under the trees there were wooden benches. They sat down on these, and soon little maids from the tea-house brought them trays with tea and sweet rice-cakes. They sat on the benches and sipped their tea, and watched the people moving about, and looked up at the cherry blossoms against the blue sky, and were very happy, indeed. The Mother had carried Bot'Chan all the way on her back, so maybe she was a little tired. Anyway, she said to the Father:-- "If you and the Twins want to go farther, let Grannie and me stay here and rest. You can come back for us." "Would you like to see the animals?" the Father asked the Twins. Taro and Take jumped right up, and took their Father's hands, one on each side, and then they all walked away together under the blossoming trees to another part of the park. In this part of the park there were cages, and in the cages were lions, and tigers, and monkeys, and zebras, and elephants, and all kinds of animals! There were birds, too, with red and blue plumage and beautiful golden tails. There were parrots and cockatoos and pheasants. Wild ducks were swimming in the ponds; and two swans sailed, like lovely white ships, to the place where the Twins stood, and opened their bills to be fed. In the Father's sleeve was something for each one. Taro and Take took turns. Take fed the swans, and Taro fed the great fish that swam up beside them and looked at them with round eyes. When they saw the food the fish leaped in the water and fought each other to get it, and when they ate it they made curious noises like pigs. "I don't think they have very good manners," said Take. By and by they came to a queer little street. This little street must have been made on purpose for little boys and girls to have fun in, for there were all sorts of astonishing things there. There were jugglers doing strange tricks with tops and swords. There were acrobats, and candy-sellers and toy-sellers going about with baskets hung from long poles over their shoulders. It was almost like a circus. The street was full of people, and every one was gay. The Twins and their Father had gone only a little way up the street when an old woman met them. She had a pole on her shoulder, and from it swung a little fire of coals in a brazier. She had a little pot of batter and a little jar of sweet sauce, a ladle, a griddle, and a cake-turner! "Would you like to make some cakes?" she said to Take. Take clasped her hands. "Oh, Father, may I?" she said. The Father gave the old woman some money out of his sleeve. She set the brazier on the ground. Then Tale tucked her sleeves back, put the griddle on the coals, poured out some batter, and cooked a little cake on one side until it was brown. Then she turned it over with the cake- turner, and browned it on the other side. Then she put it on a plate and put the sauce on it. My, my! but it was fun! The first cake she made she gave to her Father. He ate it all up. Then he said, "Honorable daughter, the cake is the very best I ever had of the kind. I am sure your honorable brother would like one too." The Japanese are so very polite that they often call each other "honorable" in that way. They even call things that they use "honorable," too! So Take said very politely, "Honorable Brother, would you like one of my poor cakes?" It would be impolite in Japan to call anything good that you had made yourself. It would seem like praising your own work. That was why Take called them "my poor cakes." "I should like a cake very much," Taro said. Take poured out the batter. She watched it carefully, to be sure it did not burn. When it was just brown enough she gave it to Taro. Taro ate it all up. Then he said to Take, "Honorable Sister, I should like to eat six." The Father laughed. "If you stay here to eat six cakes, we shall not see the dolls'