Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1899-09-29
"A PLATA, MARYLAND, SEPTEMBER 20, 1899.
By SEWARD w. HOPKINS.
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Sf-lS - 80 sfstg Ne-iy ~ ~ SEC
are very devils for persistency ana
recklessness. When 1 got back 50
Honolulu, found you were gone TO
Molokai. Dole told me what you had
said to him, and your uncle said the
same thing. But 1 knew perfectly
well that you would never go off in
that way, so suddenly, simply to see
about that monument. Anyhow, ]
knew you would not go, leaving my
fate in doubt. unless there was a right
fully stronger coll on your affections,
such as 1 knew clue TO Winnie's
whereabouts would be.
'Issdidn't believe the Molokai yarn at
all, save that the ship was going there.
concluded you uad learned some
thing, and had started out to run the
clue down. / got hold Of Malliauki,
who is about the most decent native
in the place, and told him that to my
mind. your life was in danger He
was greatly alarmed, and promised to
learn what he could aud tell me-
'Well, he used all his arts on the
daughter OF old Lowai, who, it ap-
pears, gave you some information
while he was dying.
'Well, he could not get anything
definite out Of her, although / believe
il she had known anything she would
have told. But he managed to learn
that she had overheard you and
Loawi talking about Lanai and Patua,
the fisherman, at Kannakakia, and
the inference was that you had gone
TO Molokai to get Patua to take you
to Lanai. There was nothing defin-
ite about it, but it was better TO follow
up a slight trace than to remain in
active. l took twenty soldiers, AMI
in the steamer belonging to the De-
/ partment went to Kanuakakai. In
/ quiries for Patua, the fisherman,
elected the fact that he was not there.
This much seemed to point to the
truth of my surmises. We then
then steamed to Lanai, We had a
rough time of it landing, not knowing
/ the coast. We wandered about strik.
ing off in new directions, and l sent
I scouts ont to hunt for traces Of yon.
( One of them climbed to the top OF
! Kapatoli and discovered traces Of life
down in the crater. He hurried &c
report to me, and | followed him there
with what force / had-about eight
I men. When we reached the top, o
horrible sight met us. The volcano
was just springing into life. You
were lying on the ledge of rock
stretching around the crater, and a
; 5, ,,a.zen or so crazy priests were dancing
S' 1,.s5s -. s5,sAxau. We fred into them, and
soter Of u' nav elect ec,,:laEn sSEn to you as fast as
~ election due return shall 8 time TO lose
maa of the vote for and agAinsiit Tor the
we could. 1sairrated by the said fourteen
Any minute might be oul ~.
old volcano was rumbling at ,se-
mendous rate. We picked you mn,
carried you out of the crater which
was not an easy tssisZand took you
tothe steamer. You were in need of
medical attendance, so we hurried
home. That is all. We have been
hanging over you ever since, waiting
for you to get well aud explain your
presence in that strange place. ="
had listened breathlessly to Cor
don's narrative, which he told in o
voice sometimes broken with emo
tion.
"Ahl Had you come but mo-
ment sooner" / said, ''you might
have saved poor Winnie They had
iust-iust-oh, Gordon, cannot real.
ize it even though l saw the horrible
thing with my own eyes. Oh, if yor
had come little soonerr'
II wish to God 1 had" replied
Gordon, with a tremor in his voice.
'sAnd did you not see Kaumai?" ]
asked.
'No. saw nothing Of any priest
ess or woman. There were a few
priests, as l told you. That is ALL"
"Do you know whether the erup
ton of Kapatoli was a violent one OF
not?"
''No. The indications were that il
was going to be violent one, and we
got out of the way as soon as pos,
sible. We could see nothing Of il
from the steamer after we left the
island"
"Were you able to learn from what
L said in my fever anything of the
scenes through which l had been?" ]
asked.
''In measure" said Gordon,
gloomily. with what 1 saw and
what you have since said in your
rawlings, it was possible to form an
idea of what you had been through.
and the awful fate that poor Winnie
met"
Here Gordon's emotions overeame
him, and he again paced to and fro on
the porch.
Doctor Tilling was evidently get.
ting nervous. The excitement was.
in his Judgment, too much for me.
He had raised his hand warningly, and
was about to say something, when a
carriage rolled into tho big gate and |
toward the house.
Here comes Dole" said Gordon, |
stepping into the house and bringing |
out comfortable ,hair for the pre- |
sident.
Mr. Dole came at once and shook
hands with me.
Il am sincerely glad, Warringford, |
that you are so much improved" /" he
said, taking the seat pronered by
Gordon, near me. SIT was exceed
ingly good news when Gordon told me
you we're to be allowed the luxury Of
the porch to-day. / concluded that
if You were even so far on the road
toward convelescence, it could do no
harm to drop in and see you. Was
my conclusion correct, Doctor Til
ling9'
Quite SO, Mr.. Dole, " replied the
doctor.
And, in fact, Tilling seemed relieved.
Dole was so calm, and his manner of
talking was 50 soothing and easy
that it had the effect of undoing the
excitement brought on by my talk
with Gordon.
"of course, Tom, you know all
lboat your uneles death?' said Mr..
Dole. 1t was sad blow to all Of
IS"
"GOrdon and Tillinp hnva iust toId