Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 10.pdf/316

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By John H. Wigmorf.. III. A BRAGGART'S NARROW ESCAPE. AMONG the many difficult cases which are said to have been satisfactorily settled by the penetration and sagacity of the great judge, Oka Tadasuke, * Lord of Echizen, town magistrate of Yedo, is one which has been handed down to the present century under the name of " A Braggart's Narrow Escape." I. In the district of Yedo (now Tokyo) known as Shitaya, there lived in the middle of the last century, an old furniture-dealer named Yaichi.* He was a good-natured fel low and clever enough in his business; but he bore the unfortunate reputation of being an inveterate liar; and like most liars he was also a coward. He had always a tale to tell of his own wonderful acuteness or in genuity or good luck; but his powers of in vention had been so often proved that no one believed his stories any longer. But such persons are never cured by rebuffs, and Yaichi went on spinning his yarns, year after year, until at last his characteristic fail ing brought him into a peck of trouble. He was returning late one night from a call on a friend in the Honcha ward, not par ticularly pleased with the journey before him, when suddenly he heard a rush from behind, and felt a sharp pain in his leg. With a con vulsive jump of fear, he drew his sword, turned and made a sweep in the air, and there fell dead at his feet a wandering dog, which had darted out at him from behind a neighboring tree. Yaichi was immensely re lieved at discovering the nature of the assail ant, and started again for home. His teeth chattered from his terrible fright, but as it wore off he thought he saw a good chance
 * Pronounced Tah-dali'-skeh.

f Pronounced Yah'-itch-y.

at last to make his friends believe in his physical powers. There was a great outcry when he arrived at the house; for his legs were covered with the blood of the dog, and his sword and belt bore similar stains. Some of the neighbors were roused, and soon Yaichi had the supreme satisfaction of re counting to the awe-struck group a tale of astonishing valor, — how a robber of ex traordinary stature came upon him in a dark passage, how he first trembled, then grew bold, and withstood the villain manfully, how he parried every attack of the robber, and finally killed him with a single blow. The proofs he offered were more than enough to convince the usually doubting friends; his pale face, his blood-stained garments, and above all, the reddened sword was clear evi dence of a severe struggle, and Yaichi's bodily presence was proof enough that he was not the defeated one. This time he had admiration enough to eradicate for the pres ent all memory of the incredulous sneers of the past; Yaichi's happiness was complete. II. The sun was high when he woke the next day; but it was a rough waking and it put an end to his brief happiness. Two police men were binding him with cords, and his wife sat by in tears. His entreaties for an explanation were made to deaf cars, and he found himself without much ado on his way to the Town Magistrate's Court, and kneeling before Oka, Lord of Echizen, the famous judge, the terror of evil-doers and the sup port of all good citizens. " So you are the fellow," said Oka, " that murdered Sannosuke * last night in the Honcho ward, and
 * Pronounced Sin-mis' -ke.