The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-01-18

Gffl" She turned TO him with vague
but fleeting amazement Putty Girl was
"a cowi
The autumn night was heavy about
them. Tho black forest seemed to have
drawn nearer. Its shadowy depths were
filled with the grewsome noises that in
habit southern forest ut night time.
"Ain't you 'fraid sometimes yere,
'Tite Reine?" Gregoire asked, as he felt
light shiver run through him at the
weirdness of the scene.
"No, she answered promptly. 81 ent
fred o. nothin 'cep' Bud
"Then he treats you mean? / thought
sor'
"Mista Gregoire, -" drawing close to
him and whispering in his face, Buds
KILN me. " He clasped her arm, hold
| ing her near him, while an expression
Of profound pity escaped him.
Nobody don't know, 'cep Unc' Nor
| timer" she went ON. II tell you, he
beats me. My back an arms-you ought
to see--it's all blue. He would o. choke
me to death one day Wen he was drunk
| if Unc' Mortimer hadn't make i'm lef'
go, with his AK ov' his head. Gregoire
| glanced back over his shoulder toward
the room where the man lay sleeping.
He was wondering if it would really be
q criminal act to go then and there and
shoot the top of Bud Aiken's head off.
He himself would hardly have consider
cd it crime, but he was not sure Of
how others might regard the act.
"That's wy l wake you up, to tell
you," she continued. 'Then some time
he plague me mos crazy. He tell me
tent no preacher, it's Texas drum
mer W at marry him an me, an wen l
don't know wat way to turn no mo- he
say, No, it's a Meth dis archbishop, ,
an keep on laughin bout me, an don't
know wat the TRUTH
Then again she told how Bud had in
duced her to mount the vicious little
mustang Buckeye, knowing that the lit
tie brute wouldn't carry a woman, and
how it had amused him to witness her
distress and terror when she was thrown
to the ground.
eff l would know how to read an
write an had some pencil an paper, it's
long go Iwould wrote to my papa. But
it's no pos office, it's no relroad-nothin
in Sabine.
IAN you know, Mr.. Gregoire, Bud
say he's goin carry me yonda to Vernon
an flu Their off yet-way yonda--an he S
goin turn me loose. Oh, dom leave me
yere, Mista Gregoire! Dom leave me
behine you'll" she entreated, breaking
once more into sobs.
'Tite Refine, he answered, "do you
think I'm such low down scound'el as
to leave you yere with that He fin
ished the sentence mentally, not wishing
to offend the ears of 'Tite Refine
They talked on a good while after
that. She would not return to the room
where her husband lay The nearness of
friend had already emboldened her to
inward revolt. Gregoire induced her to
lie down and rest upon the quilt that
she had given to him for bed. She did
so, and, broken down by fatigue, was
soon fast asleep.
He staid seated on the edge of the gal.
lery and began to smoke cigarettes,
which he rolled himself of perique to.
bacco. He might have gone in and
shared Bud Aiken's bed, bat preferred
to stay there near 'Tite Refine. He
watched the two horses, tramping slow
ly about the lot, cropping the dewy wet
tufts cf grass.
Gregoire smoked on. He only stopped
when the neon sank down behind the
pine trees and the long deep shadow
reached out and developed him. Then he
could no longer see and follow the filmy
smoke from his cigarette, and he threw
it away Sleep was pressing heavily
upon him. He stretched himself full
length upon the rough bare boards of
the gallery and slept until daybreak.
Bud Aiken's satisfaction was very
genuine when he learned that Gregoire
proposed spending the day and another
night with him. de had already recog-
nized in the young creole spirit not al
together uncongenial to his own
Title Refine cooked breakfast for
them. She made coffee. OF course there
was no milk to add to it, BIT there was
sugar. From meal bag that stood in
the corner of the room she took meas
ure of meal and with it made pone of
corn bread. She fried slices of salt pork.
Then Bud sent her into the field to pick
cotton with old Uncle Mortimer. The
negros cabin was the counterpart of
their own, but stood quite distance
away, hidden in the woods. He and
Aiken worked the crop on shares.
Early in the day Bud produced q
grimy pack of cards from behind par.
Gel of sugar on the shelf. Gregoire threw
the cards into the fire and replaced them
with n spick span new deck" that he
took from his saddlebags. He also
brought forth from the same receptacle
bottle of whisky, which he presented
to his host, saying that he himself had
no further use for it, as he had "sworn
Off since day before yesterday, when he
had made fool of himself in Cloutier-
vile.
They sat at the pire table smoking
and playing cards all morning, only de-
sisting when Title Refine came to serve