Marion had seven dollars; two dollars she had saved, and five dollars an aunt had sent her “to buy a pretty kimono with.”
“But I have lots of kimonos,” said Marion, “so I’ll buy Christmas presents instead, as it’s more blessed to give than to receive,” she added, piously.
“All right,” grinned Billy. “You must not expect to receive much, sis.”
XVIII
WHEN the little Kurukawa family started for the shopping district the streets were bathed in the beautiful early winter sun. In a city where the distances are very great, where large parks and actual stretches of bare country exist in seemingly the centre of the town and where the streets zigzag in every direction, it is a matter often of hours to reach certain points. But the children enjoyed the long ride. They would have laughed aloud at the average foreigner’s complaint against the “jerking jinrikisha.” What child does not prefer a vehicle that bumps up and down a bit to one that runs inanely and smoothly?
Taro and Billy occupied one jinrikisha, Marion and Plum Blossom another, while Iris rode with her mother. They called across merrily to each other. When one runner, swifter-footed for the moment than his fellows, sped on ahead, the pair in advance would cheer in delight.
The speed with which the jinriki-men ran, Billy thought wonderful.