The record-union., 1896-01-18

saw, as / had expected, on the other
side of the gulch, halfway down the
preciptous path, two of Carriers men
My heart stopped beating-again | was
helpless, they had seen Gretchen,
whose call had betrayed me; would
they search for her rider? How I lis
tened for their next words, which came
clearly out on the still air:
That's Knudsen's mare, so he must
have come out himself, after all. Shah
we go on down and report to him, or is
is safer to stick to our beat?"
It seemed hours before the answer
came.
"If it's Knudsen himself, it's all
right, but don't feel sure as to that.
The horse may have been stolen"
But his companion interrupted him
with a conteairptuous ejaculation.
Stolen? Not much Why Knudsen
never let's anybody ride her but him
self, and you might as well try to steal
his wifei"
Back 1t is then,'' was the answer,
and almost before / had caught my
breath in the sudden relief, they were
out of sight over the brow of the pail.
And then / looked over my shoulder
to see Rauahi standing close beside
me, her great dark eyes flashing in the
dim light.
See she said, "if you are really Ii
mai you will understand. Give me only
three days and I can save him. can
take him away, my poor Timoteo, to a
safe place, where he can be free to die
in peace. 1 cannot tell you, it is best
you should not know; but if you be-
lieve in the God of whom your people
have taught us, help me-let me keep
Timoteo!" and the torrent of rapid Ha-
! waiian ended in a long shivering sob.
The tense passion of the girls appeal
seemed to me like the lava streams OF
her native volcanoes, a flood of resist
less fire. But what was this that she
was planning? For months, as / knew,
she had imperiled her own life to keep
her brother hidden, and now was de-
liberately choosing for herself future
not merely of sacrifice but Of self-anni-
hilation. She, too, would one day fall
before the accursed disease and then, in
a strange country, Timoteo dead, friend
| less and alone, what fate would be hers?
Could human love go beyond this?
stood appalled, as I at last fully grasped
| the meaning of her words, and then
said: ''Cone back to Timoteo."
In the dimly lighted cave we three
stood once more together as we had Sc
often stood when, in the years gone by,
we were holding council over some deed
of daring-do. l could see the man, now,
tall and comely, untouched to the eye,
as yet, by the foul finger of the plague
whose poison is beyond the reach of
humaa knowledge.
"Timoteo," / said, "Pauahi will take
you away from here to another land,
where there is no Molokai, and where
you two can be together without fear.
But, better than l can tell you, you
know what that will mean for her.
This is a wonderful thing that she
means to do, but she is brave, braver
than you and /, and she will do 1t if you
will let her. Speak-it lies in your hands
shall give you up to those men wait
ing outsitle or shall I defy the law and
leave you with Pauahi?' The man
stood silent and motionless as the stone
image beside him; only by look did he
shoSt that he understood. and Pauahi
spoke for him, her voice trembling no
more.
Listen" she said. ''You know how
we two have loved each other always.
If / am ready to do this thing for him,
who shall deny me? Not you, o Limai,
not you We do not ask even your help,
only for a little while your silence.
Eaep the secret of our hiding-place for
three days longer, and then we shall be
gone, far from here, to trouble no one
any more. Let us go, Linai, and fear
not-the God of your fathers will bear
witness for you, and you will know that
in his sight you have obeyed the law!"
There was not much time for thought
and none at all for words. The two
stood waiting, and the girls beautiful
face needed no interpreter.
"Good-by, Timoteo," 1 whispered.
"Pauahi, good-by!" and 1 left them
as I had found them, his hand in hers,
and her whole thankful soul in her eyes
as they followed me in the wavering
torchhght, through the darkness into
the etarlit night beyond.
By midnight Gretchen was in her
stable and in my own room. Brief ex-
planatton of my days ride was given
and accepted, for there was no question
of suspicion, but for those three days
suffered as Timoteo himself must
have suffered. 1 listened in feverish
SUSPENSE to rurnors of arrest and eS-
cape, to reports from Carter and theo-
ries from Knudsen till all at once it
was over: and / knew that somewhere
the brother and sister had found a ref
uge and were safe.
Is my conscience clear after all these
years through which no hint as to their
fate has reached me? / do not know,
nor, as I said at first, can / yet see
clearly the right and wrong of the mat
ter Only / know that sometimes |
dream of those two, together, no longer
afraid of anything but death, which,
at the last, comes peacefully to limo
teo in Pauahiis arTns-and then / am
we'll pleased.-New York Evening Post.
Old Military Stup1ds.