Enter the house. Seeing very few people leave, she got the idea
that her husband was attending a meeting or a party.
40 So she was more curious than furious the first time when
Mr. Hattori got around to returning to her and the children. To
Her repaid question Mr. Hattori replied slowly, pensively: it was
A gambling den run by a Chinese family under cover of asparagus,
he said, and he had been winning at first, but his luck had
45 suddenly turned, and that was why he had taken so long ------ he
had been trying to win back his original stake at least,
“How much did you lose?” Mrs. Hattori asked dully,
“Twenty-five dollars,” Mr. Hattori said.
“Twenty-five dollars!” exclaimed Mrs. Hattori. “Oh, Mr.
50 Hattori, what have you done?”
At this, as though at a prearranged signal, the baby in her
Arms began wiling, and the four baby in the back seat began
Complaining of hunger. Mr. Hattori gritted his teeth and drove
On. He told himself that this being assailed on all sides by
55 bawling, whimpering , and murderous glances was no less than
He deserved. Never again , he said to himself; he had learned
His lesson.
Nevertheless, his car, with his wife and children in it was,
Parked near the brown house again the following week. This
60 was because he had dreamed a repulsive dream in which a fat
White snake had uncoiled and slithered about and everyone
Knows that a snake dream is a sure omen of good luck
in game of chance. Even Mrs. Hattori knew this. Besides, she
felt little guilty about having nagged him so bitterly about the
65 twenty-five dollars. So Mr. Hattori entered the brown house
again on condition that he would return in a half hour, surely
enough time to test the white snake. When he failed to return
after and hour, Mrs. Hattori sent Joe, the oldest boy, to the front
door to inquire after his father. A Chinese man came to open
70 the door of the grille, look at Joe, said, “Sorry, no kids in
here,” and clacked it to.
When Joe reported back to his mother, she sent him back
again and this time a Chinese woman looked out and said,
“What you want, boy?” When he asked for his father, she asked
75 him to wait, then returned with him to the care, carrying a plate
Of Chinese cookie. Joe, munching one thick biscuit as he led
her to the car, found its flavor and texture very strange ; it was