The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1895-01-23

floor is speckless in spite of being half
rotten. The big cool, empty hall has
no litter, no rags and jags, as it must
have if the occupants had not gentle in
stincts and a regard for the humani-
ties. "
Bother your reasoning! What's the
good of it when knock would settle
everything? I'm beginning to. feel, as
the natives say, 'hanted. This must be
the far end of nowhere we have heard
of so long, but never before found out. !"
Rat-tat- frat tat-tat-tat the big knock
er sounded through the dim inner
spaces. Twice, thrice it fell. Still no.
body came. The would be visitors stood
the summoning knocker a clear, high
pitched voice came continuously to the
ear.
Involuntarily the two men turned to
look one at the other. Truly there was
something, thought uncanny in this
vocal solitude. Both were strangers,
men just fairly coming into their
prime. One was short and sturdy, with
merry mouth and volcanic blue eyes
set we'll under a bullying forehead that
hardly needed the reinforcement Of a
square, dogmatic jaw. The other had
blue eyes, too, but shaded by lashes
so long, so darkly silken you would
never guess their color unless seen in
the open daylight. Their owner was
tall and spare, well made and so free
Of motion as to proclaim him of excel
| uicb
oval, but saved from faint of effeminacy
by the fine, firm modelling of nose and
brow. The pale olive skin and thready
scarlet lips bore out the impress of the
upper face. Here, they said, is one
quick to feel, keen to do, to dare, but
one who will never put impulse above
Judgment or stay his hand from his will
through regard for a weaker thing.
Some such thought was in the other
mans mind when after five minutes
of waiting he broke the silence to say:
Really, Tanning, we had as we'll
move ON. After all the aborigines are
not bound to receive us. Let's see if we
cannot some way stumble ON q house Of
call p"
II have found one very much to my
mind," Tanning said, sending still
more vigorous rat-tat sounding through
the hall. His comrade heard it with
the suspicion of a frown, saying:
Newspaper men are supposed to
have phenomenal cheek, but commend
me to that of an artist The brotherhood
of the brush beat the pencilers out Of
sight. How long, may l ask, do you
mean to keep up that performance"
"Oh, five minutes or SO unless some
one comes sooner to answer it,.
eff they do not?"
II shall go in and establish myself
by right of discovery
"You would dare?"
"My dear Bertram, it is not mat
ter Of daring, solely question of ne
cessity. We are strangers, missionaries
of culture and progress, to this benight-
ed region. II the inhabitants do not
welcome us for our own sakes, it is
none the less our duty to save them
| from their own sloth.
''Shut up, Fanningl Suppose they
heard you? We hear plain enough that
droning back there. What do you sup.
pose it can be?"
II am going to find out"
"Not really? Don't!"
REALLY must. Remember it's near
10 o'clock. We have been tramping
since sunrise, when we left the railway
station, except for the half hour for
breakfast, with the old black auntie,
who gave us ash cake, buttermilk and
bacon broiled on the Goals. The memory
of it is substantial, but not satisfying.
Unless that voice is an illusion l shall
certainly consult the owner of it as to
the chance of dinner"
"Wait little longer. Maybe it is a
ghost we hear. A dozen could be safe
ly ambushed in this big overgrown
plantation. It's perfect labyrinth;
cannot have felt pillow or hoe or AK,
these last 30 years. The fields were a
jungle; the orchard, with its gnarled,
twisted, half dead trees, worse than a
graveyard, and the garden-did you
ever see anything more pathetic than
those big rosebushes sprawling their
yards of bloom fiat ON the ground, with
Glove pinks and sweet williams stray
Cling through the weeds?"
"H-ml When did you take to fiori-
culture? Thought you came here to
look into the regions mineral re-
sources?"
"That means, suppose, must leave
its picturesque points to my artist
friend, Hamilton Tanning, Esq"
"Oh, no; l am not selfish, but if you
are going in for that sort of thing, don t
forget the big red peoples, the tiger
lilies afiaunt in this August sun, the
mat of white honeysuckle there over
that fallen gatepost or the mate to it
rotted off, yet still upright in the sturdy
arms of that stout red trnmnet vina
TO be continued.