The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-07-07
AN ORDEAL.

/
transported for life, went to see him.
| Tom recognized me at once and held out
his hand. He was never ashamed of him
self which was one characteristic he had
| We talked over old times | was capablc
of approaching what merits MIR Cluypcr
| possessed, now that had seen more of the
world, and he was certainly an cxtracrdi-
nary fellow. As l was still young enough
| to be pleased at hearing adventures and
/ as Tom. now that his career seemed closed,
was gratifed in rciating his, had Toms
! history before we parted. Its finale seems
/ to have been this, for Tom was rather shy
| of speaking about certain matters, n pc
! culiarity i have noticed in some of your
| rips: He had his feelings of dClicaCy where
women are concerned. a rather pretty girl
was in service at the squirc's-Squire Pell,
/ | think | told you. To her Tom paid
court. He was richer in presents than in
reputation
| fancy the girl gave him reason to
! think she liked him. At all events she
/ did not return his flneriCs. One evening
! Tom met tho colonel in her company
somewhere about the grounds. Tom as
sured me that he passed them civilly, but
the next time he came across the colonel
/ he was surly and managed to insult him
and then to speak his mind, which was
none of the cleanest. The colonel, you
must know, was engaged at the time to
! be married to Squire Polls only daughter
money, but no beauty. So he let Tom
get the best of him, but from that day,
/ Tom says, he felt he had an enemy and
/ knew who that enemy was.
Wasn't he II coward to hunt u poor fell
( low like that in the dark" said Tom to
/ and IpplnrpI bn know tbn ,nlon,l x,-o q
II coward and was determined TO be re-
venged and satisfied of it.
One night the colonel was in bed and
heard his door yield its lock and open.
You shall hear the rest in Toms words:
Il knew that man was u coward, sir; so,
once in the house and sure of his room, I
knew l had him. l knew the bearings of
the bed. i watched how the light fell two
or three nights before. The moment
opened the door threw the light-carried
a dark lantcrn-threw the light slap on
his face. | saw him start. Did that man
/ open his eycsg Deuce bit. Slept as sound
as tcnpcnce. laughed to myself. Why, If
he had got up, it'd have been Il fair strug.
gle between us and nabbed | certainly
should "a been. But deuce bit did he STIR
Colonel Badger, thinks /, I'll badger you.
/ We'll, l walked slow up to him, with the
lantern in one hand and my pistol in tho
other, levelcd at his head. There was he
sleeping harder and harder. 1 couldn't
quite see his heart beat, but I'll lay my
life it galloped.
will spare you Toms oaths
"Well, sir" he went on, "Id half a
mind at one moment to do for him out
right. For II coward who's nothing better
than u villain, what goods he for-to live?
I Close iour, In his fnrahaa1 7 mt +l,o ,,,,,z
zle of the pistol. 1t was tempting then.
just a hair and he'd have had an extin-
guisher on his small candle. Lor, sir, his
eyes We're shut, but I'll wager he saw it
all clear as day. And there was the per-
spiration a-burstin out of his forehead an
rollin down his checks. remember large
drop of perspiration on his nose. An he
pretendin to sleep hard all the while! Why,
the stoopid ass, did he think didn't know
that II chap never sweated in his sleep
leastways not natural sweat? Well, l kept
at that, drawing the pistol away an put
tin of it close, for 1 should think, 40 min
utes or more, but 1 took no account. /
was cruel glad, to be sure, and he perspir-
ing harder an harder. Nota move right or
left. didn't speak. l thought to myself:
/ oh, you villain, daresay you think your
self better than me, don't you? And if you
had me in your power now, wouldn't you
let looseY But 1 amt such coward as
you. You shall bleed, my fine chaplin
the pocket. Thatll do For" said Tom
to me, Il hadn't come there and run the
risk only to brighten the colonel Two
birds at one blow was always my game.
so by and by" Tom pursued, "when
1 thought I'd give my gentleman pretty
good sweat for the benefit of his health, 1
began to ransack. knew the whereabouts
of his desk and things. collared the desk
entire and made as if I'd walk away He
had a chance then. The cowardly beast
There he stuck. He'd have liked to snore,
just to persuade me he was a-snoozin. And
such fellow rs that to go misleadin of
young women! Amt it disgustin, sir?"
Tom was n bit of Il moralist, you see.
Well, the end of it was that Tom, after
giving the colonel another dose, made up
his mind to quit the premises.
And | went, SIR" said Tom. "Got off
scot free. l just spoke these words in sol
emn voice: Colonel, whether you're asleep
or whether you re awake, just you keep
quiet the next quarter of an hour, or you re
II dead man. l amt goin yet, but my com
rades are Il was ALL all alone, sir; l never
took pal if l could help it, but l thought
I'd tell him So the coward), and I'll stop
outside the door, l says, till they're safe.
So mind your eye, ! says. I'm in earnest.
And then l touched his forehead with the
cold iron and moved back, pointin at him
) still, and his face shinin with the cold
sweat. He won't forget that hour give
him in hurry. l knew very well he'd
sleep on, bless you, and SO he did, and
never heard nothin till month ago, when
they bounced on me for it, and here 1 am,
goin to see foreign lands, thanks to you,
colonel. But you won't forget me; so don't
try. And eyerybody's talkin of the story,
; for j outs with it at the trial, neck and
crop l told it all about his sweatin an
pretendin to sleep. l saw the people laugh.
I'll swear the judge enjoyed it, for all he
looked that grave you'd think he was a
7 owl. Ha, ha! Mr.. Colonel! That's what
calls strikin as you fly. They'll call you q
coward in old England, but they won't
7 call me one in Van Diemen."
And with this consolation Mr.. Tom
ClayDpr on his Unyooa Vo,, xxyil