The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1890-10-03
WAIKIKI VILLA.

tages. 1t Is not long even now since /
| turned down the little road and
took refuge under its friendly roof
The wheel track leading to the house
was well worn; which proved to me
that / was no solitary visitor to this
picturesque little place. The glim-
mering sparkles of-the sea, together
with its lap, lap, seemed to empha-
size the fact that / was far from my
home, among strange people IN a
strange land. From my window 1
could watch the figures of the natives
meandering by, or at times riding at
full speed, their gaily colored "paus"
flying in the wind. In the nearness
of the villa to the city and its aces
sible seclusion it was the very place
for the abode of one like myself,
who desired to spend the greater
part of my time with my books, and
yet in the midst of my seclusion be
surrounded by young, congenlal
companions. 1t was worthy to have
been one of the time honored resi-
dences of royalty in which through
generations a succession of royal
occupants pass from youth to old
age, and where each bequeaths IN
his turn an additional charm. Never,
as I learned, had the villa been the
home of lover of the pen till | en-
tered it's shady, cool lanai Ia Ha-
waiian word meaning an enclosed
veranda, with sides that can be
opened and closed at pleasure) and
took full possession. 1t was amusing
to sit in the hau arbor and think of
the many who had sat there; some
from sunny Spain, from stern New
England or gay France, but each had
gone his way ,and there only remained
fifteen or twenty How often had
they, no doubt, paced up and down
under these same algeroba trees,
perchance in our very footsteps, and
fought many brave battles with self.
Perhaps many an Enoch Arden
Many a noble Rebecca!
In the variety of the natural utter
ances of the place I could find some
thing to chord with every impulse of
my heart, was it OF joy or sorrow.
The deep foliage of the boughs over
head seemed to bend with solemn
thoughts they urged me to hand
down to my fellowmen. The sea at
times told me many tales of Joy and
glee, and when / chose to listen, OF
sorrow and distress. Often as sat
there beside it thousand burning
words would rush to my finger tips
for expression, thousand tender
melodies and pleasant thoughts, but
myhands lay idle in my lap. / thought
then to give to the world some
deep lesson, and had it been possible
for me to have conveyed my feelings
to other minds l might have done So
but could not; my choicest thoughts
lay too deep for expression.
My room lay in the northwest
corner of the villa, separated from
the rest of it by "a hall on one side
and the dining room on the other
while from the north and west
came in light from four spa
cious windows, draped with some
light, airy material. A cheer
full coat of paint softened the
severe outlines of my wooden walls
while the light net of illusion over
my bed gave an air of comfort to my
room. Midway between my western
windows was my writing table, GOV
cred with all that was dear to my
heart in the shape of pen and paper
On my dresser were portraits of Ell;
Wheeler and George Elliot, the only
two women in literature at whose
shrine I worship. The only Other
y decorations were my books, strewr
about the room in orderly disorder
Often and often as / looked from
my window / thought the plac.
worthy the presence of an artist
Here he could see Colorado sunrise
: on the extinct crater of Diamond
Head, or Paphian sunset from the
hau arbor; and when the gloon
came silently down and gathered al
in its friendly embrace, he coule
watch the moon rise from out the
oceans depths, and see her brigh
reflections on its bosom.
/ will take you to the south ant
, you may sit with me IN the Hat
Arbor and take view of the villa
and the sea. We are seated so close
by the oceans feet that it threatens
at times to envelop US in its seeth
ing, frowning waves. At our RICH
near the marine toboggan natives
are bathing in the surf, and when ;
huge boulder threatens to engul
them, and you almost start for fear
they dive through it and come NJ
almost at our feet. / had lived two
weeks near them before | could con
vince myself that there was no dan
ger of their being drowned. It was
because OF the incurable indolenc,
of these dark skinned fellows that
imagined them unable to cope witt
the waves. The native women arr
quite at home in the water, and arr
all good swimmers. While all thu
rest of mankind seem to have some
aim in life, or subserve some usefu
purpose, they idle their time away il
accomplishing what is not worthy o.
the effort, or without setting a single
wheel of life in motion. They retire
early, and all day long-at least 81
it seems to me-they battle in the
bright sparkling water As 1 gaz'
along the beach, l cannot but
think how barren it looks, witt
no flags or rushes-no dainty POND
lilies to skirt its margin, but only /;
long bank of shining white sand.
!; think IT STRANGELY like the lives n