Helen Keller . . . con't
	Miss Keller continued her lecturing tour knowing an Akita puppy awaited her. In early July fighting broke out between China and Japan escalating to full scale war near the end of the month, Miss Keller's plans to visit China were cancelled and her tour cut short. On August12, Ichiro Ogasawara himself presented Kamikaze-Go to Miss Keller on board the ship Chichibu Maru (named in honor of the Emperor's brother), he had traveled down from Akita City to fulfill this honor.   Miss Keller later wrote of this moment: "His devoted master left him by my side, and I sensed it was with a wrench of his heart that he turned and went to shore. The puppy pathetically sniffed around the deck for the familiar footsteps. As the ship surged into a world he did not know, he transferred his trustful loyalty to me, and such a compliment from an Akita dog made me bow my head in humility."
	"Kami" as he was soon nicknamed, shared Miss Keller's stateroom on the journey and he quickly became the attention of all the passengers who showered him with attention. During the sixteen days of crossing a profound devotion developed between the two, Kami showed a special sensitivity to Miss Keller's emotions as she related: "If I cried from loneliness for my beloved teacher, he would put his big paw on my knee and press his cool nose against my cheek and lick away the tears." Miss Keller's beloved teacher, Ann Sullivan, had died in October the year before. Tragically, Miss Keller lost little "Kami" at the young age of 7 1/2 months to distemper. Her grief was so deep, in devastation she cried "....another joy has gone out of my life." She wrote Mr. Ogasawara, in part: "If ever there was an angel in fur, it was Kamikaze. I know I shall never feel quite the same tenderness for any other pet......."
	CONTINUED
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