The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-01-22

utlilliNh4 AL uIllh4 " hll' hipN nc
Jest could What changed him? Did
you ever notice that right hand of hisn?
That's it. If you kin git him to talkin,
Jest ax him abaout it. He'll tell ye "a
story-yes, he willV'
l had noticed Sandy's right hand the
first time | saw him, for it was certain to
attract the gaze and wonder of any one
whose eyes fell upon it. 1t was black, as
if scorched and scared to crisp, and it
had withered to the wrist apparently.
TO look upon it gave me the shivers.
II was some little time before | could
win the fisherman s confidence so he would
talk with me freely, but | usually man
aged to saunter past his hut down by the
beach almost every day, and would often
find him grinding throw bait or mend
ing nets. upon which | would stop and
chat with him. Ne was rs pious when
turning the crank of the throw bait' ma
chine as when kneeling in church, and
more than once l heard him sternly re-
Duke boys and men who were using pro
fame language.
One day | ventured to ask him about
his hand. His leathery face twitched
strangely, and he finally stopped his work
TO tell me the story concerning the with
cred member.
"There amt no long yarn hitched to
it," he slowly began at wasn't born on
me that air way, not by heap sight.
Till | was "a year old | had two jest as
good hands as yourn bean better" he
added as he somewhat contemporary
surveyed the size of mine. 81 had fist
that could knock over an OK, an had a
nasty way of usin it on anybody didn't
take 10 shine to. An | kerried II knife an
pistol sometimes. | was marster wicked
in them daysi Why, sometimes | ulster
even think it'd be fun to kill mani
az was Jest as good fisherman in them
days AS / be naow. an better, for / could
handle that air right paw handler. You
see hain't much use of that fin. We
lister go daown to Matincas for deep water
fish, an | usually sailed in Cap'n BOWS
sloop. The cap'n could swear bad as !
could, and with Jim File an Brad Moore
fer crew we was knowed rs the toughest
gang around.
chad been through good many blows
an come aout all right, an didn't cal late
/ was born to be draowned, when, one day
IA we was making from Matinicas for
Vinal Haven, they came up the awfulest
slyclone or blizzard, or something never
saw. 1t Jest blowed great guns the rain
came daown in buckets, an the lightnin
played all over the water. Thunder ]
never heard anything like it
"Wull, aour canvas was all blown aout
an aour rudder ripped away in less then
no time an it didn't seem we'd last three
minutes longer. Cap'n Dow fell on his
knees an begun to pray and so did t'others /;
but jest swore an cursed God till ! was
black in the face
"'Stop, Sandyp screamed the cap'n,
Don't swear at God
"'Godn | laughed. Il don't blieve
thar is any God If there is, hope he'll
wither this air right hand an held it
right up over my head.
"Then there was the awfulest flash of
lightnin an roar of thunder, and | fell
daown ez if | was dead on the deck. They
said that storm passed on in less than Il
minute, an the sun came aOut Capn Dow
swore there was a twistin streak of fire
KEN right daOwn an struck my hand
When they picked me up, it was scorched
an withered jest as you see it naow. |
was sick for two weeks, an from that day
TO this I've never doubted the existence
of an Almighty God"
did not wonder at his piety. | think
the experience would have converted any
man.