“Mike,” said the man, “see if you can’t find something for these hungry young fellows to eat. They were caught in the storm and their boat was wrecked down here in the cove.”
The Japanese laughed loudly at the explanation and then quickly turning about departed from the house.
“What do you say his name is?” inquired Fred.
“We call him Mike.”
“I never heard of a Japanese with that name.”
“Well, I don’t suppose that is his full name. That’s a mouthful and I don’t often speak it. He has been with me for several years and when he first came some one named him Mikado, that was shortened to Mik, and of late that’s been gradually changing to Mike.”
“Then he wasn’t born in Ireland?” laughed John.
“No, he belongs to the Sunrise Kingdom. He will have something for you to eat very soon. I have been coming here for several years now every summer.”
“Where is your home?” inquired John.
“That’s hard to say. I was born on the ocean when my father and mother were coming from England. My father was French and my mother was Russian. We lived in the States two years after I was born and then we went to Bermuda a year or two and finally we wound up in Brazil. From Brazil we moved to Sweden and then went to Constantinople. After my father and mother died I came to England and then moved to Montreal. Now, if you can tell me where I belong and what I am you’ll do better than I have been able to do for myself.”