Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1899-05-02
The Beech C0nbeI Qld Ihe M0n-O|- NOR.
By ]. F. RosE-soLEY.
lccprr,rht. lsss. by ,he Autnor. ]

By ]. F. R0SE-S0LEY.
fcopyright. 1895. by the Author.l
The copra house was down on the rock
bound beach, some 90 yards away from
the store, a stretch Of uneven, stony soil,
with grass patches here and there and
great black rocks showing out from the
surface, separating the two places where
the trader did his business. The old
mans weary feet had worn deep track
across the plot; up and down he went
| many times day. The copra house
the title IL mispomer, but il IL always
used In Samoa-was but a mere fiimsy
erection Of rough boards though iron
rooted and water tight. Further, the
door was provided with very substan-
tial paddock, which the trader was q,
great pains TO lock and unlock every
time he visited the shed. for the place
held the only merchandise the country
| could produce--all that there was 70
trade for. The little bits Of oily, brown.
evil smelling oopra must be kept dry or
else they would rot long before the time
came for shipping them to Europe. And
they must be protected from theft, or
else the cunning natives would think
nothing of taking few basketfuls n,
night and reseIling them to the trader
next day Therefore every time Samoan
came, perhaps with but a few baskets
| cf the copra, the old trader. with a
weary sigh. would take key. down
from its accustomed nail and plod down
| 10 tn. she'd II was quite solemn and
serious business, this purchase Of few
shillings' worth Of produce, and both
sides went about il with becoming grav
ity. The first question that had to be
decided was whether the copra was
green-that is TO say, whether IL Rad
been merely warmed IN the sun or
whether il had been properly dried by
several days EXPOSURE.
As the oopra is bought by weight, il
is, OF course, 10 the native sellers In
terest to dry II rs little as possible,
while the trader, on the other hand,
does not want to lose 90 or 80 per cent
by shrinkagc. so the two argue the
point out together, while l sit on the
wire inclosed vcranda and watch from
afar the wordy conflict.
Silei, the industrious girl, has got her
sewing machine ont. She does not pot
II ON table, ms the white lady would,
| but rests il on kerosene case ON the
floor and squats cross legged before 1t.
or conrse il is hand machine; natives
do not take readily to the use Of the
treadle. She Is fashioning really gor-
geous lava-lavas out Of the brightest
| prints Manchester can produce, and
when they are made they will bo hung
up in the store and sold for half dollar
each, perhaps in exchange for the very
basket % copra the native is arguing
about. he sweaIs with fiuency of
Biblical expression which only long
missionary training has rendered posi-
BILE that the copra has been three days In
| the sun. whereas the trader, judging
from his experience. asserts that at the
outside il cannot have been more than
one. and in cloudy weather too.
At last the trader, grumbling some
what. purchases the copra, for he knows
IL he does not it will go TO his rival
close by. He is consoled by the relec-
| tiun that his balances are l2 pounds
out in every 100; also he is an expert
ut weighing and by dexterously manipu-
lating the scales can make the copra ap-
pear several pounds lighter than 1t real
" IL, and so under the waving palms
by the eide Of the ripping lagoon. M
| ture smiling on them with her most In
nocent expression, the two complete
their ingenious transaction. Both are
cheating, and both know 1t. So perhaps
II does not matter very much. The ma
tive, having been well taught by the
missionaries, will go to church three
times next Sunday and say his morning
and evening prayers more fervently than
ever. 80 that he will salve his conscience.
As for the goddess trader. he has nc
conscience. He has long since lost even
the memory Of the article. SO we need
not concern ourselves about him.
At last, after another half hour S hag-
Cling in the store, the native goes away
/ -. Ia. ,,t Ea.h hos lraa
suaded to take in exchange for the copra,
and the trader comes ont Of the house
and seats himself YEARLY beside me,
mopping his face the while.
As usual he harks back to tho old
times.
Things were different in those
days" be said. ''Then we could do AZ
we liked with the natives. Now they
can do as they like with US. We have to
cut things fine to make living at all. y
And to console himself he took long
drink of kava, emptying the cocoanu'
shell, which held about pint, at one
draft.
Silei laughed the musical little laugh
Of the Samoan maiden. The whir OF
the sewing machine ceased and she look
ed smilingly mt the nearly empty bowl.
She knew she would soon have to fabri
cate more kava. an occupation which
she particularly enjoyed, l suppose, be-
cause il gratified her maiden vanity by
enabling her to exhibit herself in the
most graceful Of attitudes.
4 "yes yes, girl. You can make some
more" said the trader. "It'll keep you
from the machine, and we don't want
that internal thing clicking away while
We are talking.
Il 1.-THE oil days were the timee," ht
began, "before any one invented thii
sopra and we used to take oil from tht
natives in payment for everything
Why, even the missionaries used to have
; big tank outside the church door ant
would take up the collection in oil. II
was gallons Of oil instead Of .dollari
then, but they got the money just ths
same in the end, and the church pros
pered."
His face clouded az he made this last
remark. Perhaps the undoubted pros
perity of mission work in Samoa brough,
him no consolation. Perhaps he would
have preferred the natives in their orig
. inal barbaric state rather than civilixet
and Christianized and educated up 20
, standpoint of keen bargaining which
J rendered it difficult for even the superi
or intellect Of a white man to overhead
them.
He did not say this, though. "I'v,