When You Were Absent

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the Chinese can take in the way of physical and mental punishment? Although they were all personally affected by this new outbreak and extension of the war, they all felt that this would bring the Japanese nation to it's doom more speedily and completely than the stalemate war of the Sino-Japanese. We noticed a new trend in Japanese Chinese relationships. The Japanese were easing up on their cruelties to the Chinese and were openly seeking Chinese sympathies, and endeavoring to justify their war against Western Imperialism by regarding themselves as Champions of the "Asia for the Asiatics campaign." On the second day of my stay on the Shameen an edict went out that all British and Americans must henceforth remain indoors except for two hours twice a week for exercise periods in the gardens. British and American groups were segregated and not allowed to converse with each other. Wood, my host, was busy taking inventories of his household goods and the business assets of the various firms and properties for which he was agent. His house had a flat roof. Before sunset we would go together for a stroll on the roof and watch the sun set. As the fiery ball, similar to the disc on the Japanese flag, would disappear from sight we would long for the day that the Japanese sun would likewise sink from view. This sunset walk of ours was symbolic- a ritual, a salute to the certain victory which would be ours and bring us freedom. My thoughts were long and many. Where were the six members of my family and their mother? Were they still alive? We had not the resourcefulness, the ability to endure physical privations, the built-up resistance to disease that the Chinese people have. Could they survive, by their own efforts alone, the horrible life of a concentration camp? No, they could not. God would have to see them through.

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