Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1898-12-01
pier, and the passengers began to

pier, and the passengers began to
troop over the gangway. There was
one man with his pretty young wife
and -year-old little girl. The
| little girl was the first to catch sight
| of Kaomouna as she reached the bot
tom of the gangway. She quickly
freed her land from the grasp of her
fathers and ran toward Kacmouna
with baby words. Kaomouna smiled
at the little girl, but did not offer to
take her up. Instead, she folded her
arms, looking down at the little pink
faced child pleasantly. The child
hung onto her skirts, and was thus
found by her mother. When the
mother had taken the little girl, she
raised her eyes to look ut Kaomouna.
She gave start-as, indeed, all men
and women did, who first gazed upon
this woman, who had been King David
Kalakauas flower girl.
'tDid you ever in your whole life
see such perfectly beautiful woman?"
asked the young wife of her husband
in whisper when he came up. "And
Tita seemed to take to her Immediate
ly. If we could only have her for a
nurse for Tita"
Kaomouna heard her.
"Kaomouna would love to be that, >"
she replied in soft Kanaka-accented
speech, smiling Then look of pain
darted across her face. ''But it may
not bet may not be -"and with her
hands on her eyes Kaomouna turned
suddenly and disappeared among the
departing men and women of her
race.
Three months later the parents of
the little girl they had come from
the States to settle in Honolulu-were
the first time, the saddest sight in this
world-the departure of the lepers
from the Island of Molokai. The
Kilauea Hou, the leper steamer, was
out in the stream, and the lepers were
being carried out to her in barges. A
litter was borne through the roped in
closure for the lepers. On it lay a
very old Kanaka woman, loathsome in
the final stages of the disease. At
the side of the litter walked Kao-
mouna, still as beautiful as ever, with
no tear in her eyes. Yet her face was
very sad. The parents of tie little girl
wondered. They spoke to an official
of the Hawaiian board of health, who
was busy in the task OF embarking the
lepers.
accompany the lepers?"
"Who, Kaomouna?" replied the
health official "Oh, yes, she does.
but it is her own choice. Kaomouna,
you know, has been secreting her old
mother, who, as you perceive is
leper in leprosy's advanced stage for
number of years. We always knew
there was something mysterious about
Kaon lna-that is, we have known
it for me past five years. She had
made queer visits to palm hut far
over in the Nunanu valley. Last
week we followed her-we felt there
was leprosy in it. We found her
mother in the hut-Kaomouna had
had her in hiding, trying to save her
from Molokai, ever since the disease
became evident. Kaomouna is not
infected in the least-she has been
careful. But she elects to follow her
mother to Molokai, and she will be
leper herself after while. Extraor-
binary? Why, not at all. You do
not understand the tilial devotion of
Kanaka women-men, too, for that
matter. Such cases are common
enough"
The parents of the little girl looked
at each other. There were tears in the
mothers eyes.
"That is why she folded her arms
and would not touch Tita!' she said.
'Tn this world of God, civilized or
uncivilized, could there be anything
more noble?"
All was ready, and the Kilauea Hou,
with Kaomouna and her mother on
board, slowly started down the har-
Dor, the Kanakas on the dock setting
up the weird, wild chant of farewell
which is always sung when the leper
shin sails.