The Florence daily tribune., 1898-04-25
The. Beautiful White Devil
Continued From Third Pagel

And will he stay with You, do you
think? Are you not sometimes afraid
that your servants will want to leave
you and return to civilization again?'
"My servants never leave me-" she
answered, with an emphasis there was
no mistakiiAss "and for the best of rea-
sons. No, 1 certainly have no fear on
that score.
"You are able to place implicit trust
| In them then?' asked, amazed at the
confidence with which she spoke.
"The most implicit trust, she said.
"My servants are carefully chosen.
They give their services cheerfully, aud,
like my dog there, they would obey me
at any cost, however great, to them
| selves"
| For few moments she sat wrapped
| in thought, looking at flower she had
taken from vase. Then she lifted her
eyes again and addressed me with an
air Of authority that sat well upon her
| "We have finished our breakfast, l
think" she said. "Now imagine you
will be anxious to inspect your patients.
Well, if you will wait ten minutes
while transact n little legal business,
will accompany you"
| So saying she led me ont into the
veranda, where we seated ourselves in
| long cane chairs. A tall native was in
waiting, and when she had said some
thing to him he Withdrew.
Now you will have an opportunity
| of witnessing a little piece of retribu-
tive justice" she observed, "an6 also
of observing how / treat those who mis-
conduct themselves in my domains.
She had hardly spoken before the
| tramp of feet sounded from round the
corner, and next moment two staiwart
natives appeared escorting young man,
also an islander, whose bright, attract
| i've countenanee won my regard from
the first. Behind this party came the
complainant, an elderly native, whose
puckered and wrinkled face was about
as unprepossessing as the others was
pleasing. Seeing their ruler before
them, they prostrated themselves with
one accord and remained in that position
until they were told to rise. When they
had done so, Allie narrated the features
of the case to me in English. The old
man, it appeared, had young wife;
| the prisoner was her cousin, and, If the
complainant could be believed, had
shown himself fonder of her than was
comfortable for the husbands peace of
mind Age, proving jealous and at the
same time suspicious of the motive OF
youths cousinly affection, had trumped
up charge of stealing gardening i'm
Elements against him and had brought
sworn testimony to prove that the stolen
articles had been found in his possession.
But it SO happened that Allie had been
| aware for some time past that the real
object of the youth affection was one
of her own domestics, a comedy enough
damsel, employed in the house.
The upshot of it all was that the
charge was dismissed; the old man had
to listen to short homily on jealousy;
the young couple were married there
and then and given a hut in the town
chip for their own use, while the old
man was ordered, by way of compensa-
tion for the false accusation he had
brought, to provide them that selfsame
day with certain goods and chattels
necessary to their housekeeping. AS
for the three false witnesses, who had
placed SO small value upon their repu-
tations for veraoity as to allow them
selves to be- suborned against an limo
cent man, their case was somewhat
harder. They were taken to the rear OF
the house, where they received ten
strokes Of the rod apiece, well laid on,
as warning to them against future
dealings in unsound evidence.
This case finished, Allie made another
sign to ono Of her men, who instantly
disappeared. Then she settled herself in
her chair, and noticed that harder
look came into her face.
"You have witnessed how conduct
one side of my court" she said. "Now
you shall see the other"
Again the tramp of feet was heard,
and once more guards and prisoner
made their appearance round the corner.
To my surprise. the latter was none
other than my old acquaintance Kwong
Fung, the notorious Chinese pirate.
But though he must have remembered
me his sullen, evil face betrayed nc
sign of surprise He only stood between
his guards watching my hostess and
did so In Chinese, and once, only once,
did he answer her. During the harangue
/ glanced at her face and was amazed
at the change in it. The old soft expires
sion was completely gone, and in it,
place had come one that, to tell tn,
honest truth, even frightened me. Nevei
before or since have / seen such per
feet exhibition of self contained but oil.
consuming rage. Once more she spok
to the prisoner, who refused to answer
She instantly addressed herself to tn,
escort.
The man in command was in the act
of replying when the prisoner, by somt
means which shall never be able Il
explain, raised his right arm before his
guards could stop him. In the palm Of
his hand lay knife, somewhat resem-
bling Malay oreese, but with shorte,
and straighter blade. With the swift
ness of thought the hand seemed to dro.
| hucL and spctoptly rac,,po itc uy,riukt