Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1898-07-27

H.
! lingy, unkcmpt
little dining room: the wooden walls
were dirty and bare of Rdornment, the
table was Uttered with old books and
ragged, much worn newspapers, while
the floor looked as if it werea stranger
to the broom.
watched the girl closely, but the
trader took no notice. he seemed alb
sorbed in his sului, or native cigarette,
which gave forth great clouds of smoke
at each vigorous puff. The 1.-the, slen-
der wrists, with muscles like fine
drawn wire. were wringing out the
fau, or strainer of bark fibre, with
which the pounded kava root is sep
arated from the water. The yise-like
grip on the fibre never ceased unit,
every drop of juice had been expressed
and then, with q pretty, graceful ges
ture, she tossed the strainer over hel
shoulder to boy standing outside,
who shook the dry dust free. and threw
it back.
Again and again the process was re.
peated. With the utmost care every
grain of sediment was drawn from the
bowl, and the du1k brown liquid,
nauseous but refreshing, was ready.
The first cup seemed to arouse the
old mans dormant loquacity.
''She is a strange GIRL" he re-
marked, letting his eyes rest for mo-
ment on the kava maiden. ''Not like
any of the other Malays. I can't make
her out. She never goes gadding
about with the other girls nor firts
with the young men. She just stays
quietly at home and refuses all the
suitors who ask for her hand. She
might have been married a dozen
times during the past year had she
chosen"
tPerhaps--" and I hesitated.
He nodded, eyes, perhaps she has
an eye on this establishment.
There was no trace of unseemly
levity in his tone. I waited in re-
spectful silence, for he was one Of
those kindly gentlemen who wear
their hearts upon their sleeves, and l
knew that he would, if left to do it in
his own way, tell me the tragedy of
his life.
He took another bowl of kava, rolled
fresh cigarette and sighed. 1
smoked patiently. Then he rose, and,
opening a small writing desk which
stood in a corner, drew from it an old
and faded photograph.
'There is my wife," he said.
it was just an ordinary common pic
ture, taken by cheap photographer,
and, thanks to the climate, rapidly
fading into obscurity. One could
make out the features or q Malay
woman, rather stout and showily
dressed, baby in her arms and lit
tie girl of about two years holding on
by the skirts.
AS work of art it was beneath con-
tempt, but the old man handled it
reverently, and, before he spoke
again, laid the picture back in in its
receptacle.
''It's fading quickly" he remarked
sorrowfully, though l keep it from
the light all can. 1t was taken by a
travelling photographer in New Britain
just before. But it's all have
left of her. There's only the boy and
I alone now"
A smile lit up his thin face. "Here
he is" he exclaimed. as a fine little
fellow of about ten years rushed into
the room. 'Faa-mole-mole, pa" be-
gan the youngster, in that strange
mixture of Samoan and English which
half-caste boys speak in this country.
Then he stopped, noticing my pres
ence.
Gall right, Jacky," said the father,
giving the curly head a kindly pat,
ego and say talofa to the gentleman. +"
And bashfully the boy, who had not
seen strange white man for months,
held out his hand, and then took the
first opportunity of escaping from the
room to join his playmates.
"He's all I have left" continued
the trader, 'and I'm doing my best to
bring him up as an Englishman. But
what can I do here? He must play
With the Samoan boys, or with no one,
and I cannot afford to send him away
to school. The little girls better off;
she's gone with missionary to Sgd
ney, and he takes good care of her.
She'll grow up into white lady, I
suppose. some day and won't know
her old father.
There was long pause, and we
drank more kava and smoked in
silence. Then the old gentleman be-
came reminiscent.
"She was three years old when the
old woman died, and the boy here
well, he could just toddle about, hold
ing on to his mothers skirts. There
were some who blamed me for taking
her to that outlandish New Britain,
where the people are real savages, and
not civilized like here. But what was
I to do? I'd been trading for McAlis-