The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-01-31

AN ANXIOUS MOMENT.
terminated when the man and the boy
came slowly down to the spot where the
boat floated at the rivers edge.
"Hello, stranger" he called across.
Hello, yourself" returned. "Iwant
10 cross the river"
Can We swimg" he questioned.
mo. want you to ferry me over with
your boat. I'll pay you"
"Whar We bound?"
North TO Animas.'
"How many of We is there'"
"Only myself; I'm alone"
AIS that straight, stranger"
son my honor"
He seemed to hesitate a minute more,
and then he shouted:
'Ive got n rifle with me an n small gun
on both hips. My little boy carries Il
colts We're mighty handy on the
Shoot
Having volunteered this information,
he stepped on the scow with the little boy,
and releasing the boat began to work it
across. The boy stood in the front end
and watched me like IA hawk, while no
ticed the old man 5 rifle was close at hand,
so he could drop the heavy sweep and
grasp it instantly.
The shadows had deepened when the
was forced to bring his face quite close to
mine in order to scan my features closely.
was rather impatient, and broke into n
short laugh.
"Well, do you notice anything danger
Gus about me, SIR"
~ reckon you're all right, he deliber-
ately said "You're a tenderfoot-least-
ways, we amt western born. Never can
tell about critters nowadays though. Git
on an Wen take ye over"
| led my horse onto the boat, and we
were soon on our way to the other shore,
which was not reached until it was very
dark In the little cove up the bank l
saw light cleaning from the cabin win
dow.
On my way over, I had made a bargain
with the peculiar old man for a nights
lodging and we moved toward the cabin
when the boat had been secured. found
the man very inquisitive, and | answered
all his questions as fully and frankly as
possible, which seemed to give him great
deal of satisfaction.
Having aided me in caring for my horse,
after instructing the boy to tell the old
woman TO have supper ready, he led the
way into the cabin. There was but one
room below and "loft" above, a ladder
leading up to the latter. The woman had
set "A table in the middle of the floor, and
she seemed to be awaiting my appearance
with "A great deal of anxiety. At glance,
| saw she was a Mexican, and although
she had been pretty not many years be-
fore, she was fast growing wrinkled and
haglike. Her black gimlet eyes seemed
to cut clean through me-
All at once | began TO feel uncomfort-
able. Who and what were these peopleg
Why were they so suspicious of n stranger
who was n white MANI Why did they
live in that wretched cabin hidden away
down there by the sunken river? l soon
decided there was a mystery about it all
While the woman was completing pre-
parations for supper, the man sat on a
stool and continued to question me- He
seemed eager TO learn all the news from
the outer world, and | gratified him as well
as | could. Among other things, he asked ::
Ever hear anything bout Jim Fra
zerY"
Frazer the outlaw"
"Yep."
"Nothing lately. He seems TO be laying
low since he held up the Southern Pacific
express and killed the engineer two years
ago"
"What do you reckon has become of him,
Stranger"
Nobody knows Some say he was killed
in El Paso last winter, and some say he is
in hiding.
Hes desperit critter."
YOU'RE right"
"Oughter been lynched years ago."
That's So"
al s'pose he'd cut a mans throat jest
for the fun of dom it"
"I've heard So"
BY this time supper was ready, and we
sat down. The food was coarse enough,
but was ravenously hungry and | never
ate with greater heartiness, although
aware the woman's beady eyes were on me
every moment
When the meal was over, we lighted
our pipes. The boy, with eyes like-his
mothers, seemed to take to me, and he
hung on my knee, while patted his head
and talked to him. He was an unusually
bright child. While / was chatting with
him, heard the man and woman, who
were In a distant corner, speaking in
Spanish, which they evidently thought
did not understand.
''What do you think, PepitaS" asked the
"He seems we'll replied the woman.
2 "He is not an officerY"
"Nou
"Then he shall go on his way I'M
harmed"
Those final words were enough 20 bring
me refreshing slumber that night, for /
was exhausted with my long days jour
ney, In the morning breakfast was bet
ter than supper had been, rs II the woman
exerted herself to make it unusually good.
When | offered them money for what
they had done, the woman looked at me
scornfully, and the man shook his head,
saying; keep it in yer britches, stranger
/ know whar theirs more good United
States currency buried under ground than
you ever saw, an when | want it all I've
got ter do is dig it up.'
The boy parted from me regretfully, and
the man offered to accompany me until /
had struck the trail to the north. 1t
would have been no easy task for me to
find my way out of that lonely retreat
without his assistance, and cordially ex-
pressed my gratitude at parting offering
my hand, at which he drew back
Stranger" he said, "you don't know
who am--you hain't even asked"
81 thought it was none Of my business.