"i-ro-ha Bunko."

The last part of this name has a fa miliir look, but it belongs to Japan instead of Chicago, for"I-ro-haBunko,' literally, "The ABC Writing-desk, "is the original iitle of the story of "The Love Ronins," which was written b; the Japanese author, Tamenaga, and translated by a native Japanese and a native American, for publication in ïïew York, with illustrations by an artist of Yeddo. It has numerous little domestic scènes and glimpses o Japanese love-making, by the way though the thread of the narrative is spun out of the deterinination of the ronin of Ako to avenge the death o their Lord Morning-fleld, who had been compelled fo perform uponhimself the "honorable cereinony" of hara kiri in the year 1608. "My honorable masters you will flnd your fifteen-cash worth of horrors in this sheet," cries the bal lad-monger on almost the flrst page o the book, but the bailad must have been more gory still that described the death of the offending Sir Kira, a about the hour of the tiger, on the morningof the 14thof December, 1701 when he was stabed with the ideuti cal dirk used by Lord Morning-üeld in lus "happy despatch." The odd-sounding names of persons, such as Heaveu-secure, Foitune-perpetual, Reedy-plain, Big-rock, Fairfaee, Straight-grove, and Sir Unconquerable remends one of John Bunan's Obstinate, Worldly-wiseman, Good-wiil, Hate-good, Pick-thanka and Bliud-mati,High-mind,and Fairspeech, and it is perhaps no more strange that people should have such names in Japan than it is that Bunyan should have been able to piek them up among the men and women of his acquaintance. The cloek-faee in Japan ought to look like a menagerie, for when time is mentioned in this volume it is by such names as the hour oí the tiger (4 a. m.) ; of the dragen (8 a. m.) ; of the snake (10 a. m.); of the horse (mid-daj) of the ape (4 p. m.) ; of the rooster (ö p. m.); of the hog (8 p. m.); of the fox (10 p. m.1. and of the rat (midnight). The use of ihe word which istranslated "honorable" seeras to be almost as comically frequent as our use of the same ward abbreviated to "Hon.," ;hough not with the same meaning. The honorable Sir Arrow-stand told -he honorable Sir Wisteria-lake that he ;uought the best thing they two could do would be to perform the honorable ceiemony of harakiri, but Mrs. Whitestocking, the honorable wife of the ïonorable Sir Arrow-stand, "uttered a peculiar sound, indicative of dissent, and, restiug the palms of her hands upon her knees, gave her husband a significant look, wagging her head as sbe did so, af'ter the manner of young women niated to old husbands wliom they have tatned to wear petticoats." "Tour cough is again tronbling you?" said the honorabie husband, "I do not cough," tartly replied the honorable wif'e; "I said pewgh!" "Honorable wifV," said the husband, "what are you ondemning Y" " Your determination," he said. "You always forget me. If rou commit self despatch, what atn I o do ?" "Sir Wisteria-lake bent forward and murmured, as though thinkHg aloud, 'Folio w his honorable example.' " Quacks are fouiid in Japan, and one of them was Dr. Butterfly-cottage, who ived on Gold-mountain street, in the ity of Yeddo. To give an idea of the magnitude of his business, he had this ign stuck up iu his yard: "Xhose who require to be examined are required to come bef ore the hour of the Snake.and not later. And another: "We refuse to visit patients living at a great distance." When Dr. Butterfly-cottage came into his house one day by the back way, lugging a huge horse-mackerel for his own dinner.hisservant told him there was a merchant from the Blue-hill district waiting to see him. "Tel! him," said the magnifleent quack, "I am very busy studying a case, and will see him presently. i must smoke a few pipes bef ore I can receive patients. People should not expect a doctor to wait on them at once like a storekeeper." The Blue-hill man, however, fooled the quack, by getting him to prescribe for h well person.and in the end cheated him out of a good many rio in ready cash besides. Dr. Butterfly did not like to be victimized in this way, and did not like to be laughed at ; but, although he did his utmost to keep the affair quiet, it gradually leaked out,and soon the song-sellers on the streets were heard chanting a poem that made flushes of shame glow through tlie thick skin of the doctor's face. Two Japanese Dromios appear, Original-help by name, and so exactly alike that nobody can teil one from the other. No. 1 remained with the lady Bamboo in Ako, while No. 2, personating No. 1, took good care of her husband, Sir Cliff-side, as he lay "suffering from a disease called bird's eye," being "unable to see anything in the twilight," "in the part of Yeddo called Preaching-court, in the district of Made-land." But Sir Cliff-side "constantly and fervently prayed to the god of medicine" and got better, and then carne Madam Bamboo with her two children, New-six and of-six, accompanied by the real Original-help No. 1. Of course, things became a good deal mixed as far as the two servants were concerned, and Sir. Cliffside and Bamboo weregreatly puzzled. I am very much perplexed," said Bamboo, "by the resemblance between those men. Did you not teil me that your servant was our Original-help?" "So he is, Bamboo," was the reply ; "he came from Ako in February." "But, my honorable husband, Original-help bas never left me. Your man must be my servant's twin brother." "l'hat is impossible," replied Sir Cliff-side; "they are evideutly strangers to one another. I am as much puzzled as youraelf." The lady thought for awhile then said in alow, terrified tone: "My honorable husband, now 1 understand the mystery. It is a case of the souldividing disease." This singular disease, called ri-konliio in the original perpendicular text, is thus deüned: "If any person suddeiily becomes two beings, exactly resembliug eachother.it is a case of souldividing disease. You may know this by the fact of the duplícate person being unable to speak." It is added that "this disease is a very rare one," and Sir Cliff-side declares that he does not believe there is any such disease at all Original-help No. 1 declared that all the disease he had was the one commonly known as "dry-throat," which sometimes led him to take too much sake. -