The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1896-06-13

forward, as IL to overtake her husband,
she suddenly stopped as if confronted
by some menacing specter And this in
deed was the case, for at that moment
there appeared to her heated magma
ton, for no living soul was there, lit
tie, bent old woman, clothed in single
white garment of Moorish fashion, and
Moll knew that she was Mrs. Goodwin,
though seeing her now for the first time,
come from Barbary to claim her own
and separate Mol from the husband she
had won by fraud.
She stood there, says Moll, within her
gates, with raised hand and most bit
ter, unforgiving look upon her wasted
face, barring the way by which Moll
might regain her husband, and as the
poor wife halted, trembling in dreadful
awe, the old woman advanced with the
sure foot of right and justice. What re-
proach she had to make, what maledic-
ton to pronounce, Moll dared not stay
to hear, but turning her back fled to the
house, where, gaining her chamber, she
locked the door and flung herself upon
her husbands bed and in this last dear
refuge, shutting her eyes, clasping her
ears as if by dulling her senses to escape
the phantom, she lay in % CONFUSION of
terror for the mere dread that such a
thing might be.
Then, at the thought that she might
never again be EMBODIED here in her hus-
bands arms, an agony of grief succeed
ed her fit Of maddening fear, and she
wept till her mind grew calm from
sheer exhaustion, and so, little by lit
tie, as her courage revived, she began
to reason with herself as how twas the
least likely thing in the world that if
Mrs. Goodwin were III England she
should come to the court unattended
and in her Moorish clothes, and then,
seeing the folly of abandoning herself
to foolish fancy, she rose, dashed the
tears from her face and set herself to
find some occupation to distract her
thoughts. And what employment is near
er to her thoughts or dearer to her heart
than making things straight for her hus-
band? SO she goes into the next room
where he worked and falls to washing
his brushes, cleaning his paint board
and putting all things in order against
his return, tha5 he may lose no time in
setting to work at another picture, and
at dinner time, finding her face still
d1sfigured with her late emotions and
ashamed of her late folly, she bids her
maid bring a snack to her room, under
the pretense that she feels unwell This
meal she eats, still working in her hus-
bands room, for, one improvement
prompting another, she finds plenty to
do there-now thinking that the hang
ings of her own private room, being
handsomer, will look better on these
walls, whereas t'others are more fit for |
hers, where they arc less seen; that this
corner looks naked and will look better
for her little French table standing |
there, with a china image atop, and so
forth. This, then, did devote her time
till shutdown, whereabouts Mrs. Butter
by raps at her door to know if she will
have cup of warm caudle to comfort
her, at the same time telling her that
MIR. Hopkins will not sup with her, as
he has Captain Evans for his guest at
the lodge
And now Moll, by that natural sue
cession of extremes which seems to be
governing law of nature, as the flow the
ebb, the calm the storm, day the night,
etc., was not less elated than she had
been depressed in the early part of the
day. but still, ] take it, in a nervous,
excitable condition. And hearing her
father, whom she has not seen SO long,
is here a Thousand mad projects enter
her lively imagination. So when Mrs.
Butterfly, after the refusal of her warm
caudle, proposes she shall bring madam
a tray of victuals that she may pick
something in bed Moll, sitting merry
thought, asks, i'll il feeble voice, what
there is in tie lauder
why, madam" says Mrs. Butterfly,
from the outside, ''thore's the partridge