The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1901-02-22

skate, barring his eyes
which were long. narrow
Sits, apparently expressing nothing
but Indifference to the world in gener
al. But they would light up some
times with merry twinkle. when the
old rogue would narrate some OF his
past villainies
He came to Samoa in the old days
long before treaties and lmperl-l Com
missioners and other gilded vanitics
were dreGmt Of by Us poor hard work
ing traders. He seemed TO have
dropped from the sky when one after
noon. as Tom Denison and some Of his
friends sat on Charley the Russians
veranda, he marched up to them, sat
down on the steps and said Good
evening"
Hello" said Schlutcr. the skipper Of
the Anna Goddcfroy. "Who are you?
Where do you come from"
lie waved n short, stumpy and black
clay pipe to and fro, and replied vague.
ly, "Oh from somewhere"
..ome one laughed. surmisng cor
rectly enough, that he had run away
from a ship. Then they remembered
that no vessel had even touched mt
Apia for : month. Later on he told
Denison that he had jumped overheard
from Bakers Island guanoman as
she was running down the coast and
swan ashore, landing at point TWEEN
ty miles distant from Apla. The ma
tves in the various villages had given
him food. 50 when he reached the town
he was not hungry.
what do you want, anyway" asked
Schluter.
"Some tobacco. please. And a dollar
or two. l can pay you back"
when" said Hami ton, th0 pilot,
incrcdulously.
The pipe described semi circle.
"Oh, tomorrow night; before per
haps."
They gave him somn tobacco and
dollars. He got up md went across
to Volkner's combined store and grog
shanty over the way.
Hes gone 10 buy bottle OF square
face said Hamilton.
He deserves it," said Dcnson,
gloomily. "A man Of his age who could
jump overheard and swim ashore to
this rotten country should bc presented
with case and n knife To cut his
throat with after he had finished it,"
In about ten minutes the old fellow
came out of Nolkner's store, carrying
two or three stout fishing lines, sew.
eral packets of hooks and half Il dozen
ship biscuits. He grinned as he passed
the group on the veranda. ant then.
squatting down on the sward near by,
began TO uneoil the lines and bend on
the hooks Denison wa Interested,
went over to him, and watched the
swift, skllful manner in which the
thin brown fingers worked.
Where are you going to fish," he
inquired.
The broad, fiat face 1t up. Outside
in the deep watcr-Oixty, eighty,
fa'am."
Denison left him, and went aboard
the ancient, CockroaCh infested craft
OF which he was the eartbrokcn Su-
percargo. Half an hour later REQ
padded past the schooner In a wretch.
cd old canoe, whose outrigger was so
insecurely fastened that IL threatened
to come adrift every instant The old
man grinned as he recognized ID luson;
then, pipe in mouth, he went boldly
out through the passage between the
lines of roaring surf into the tumblng
blue beyond.
At 10 O'Clock. just as the supercargo
and the skipper were turning in. the
ancient slipped quietly alongside in his
canoe and clambered on deck. In his
right hand he carried big salmon
like fish, weighing about twenty
pounds. Laying ii down on the deck,
ne pointed to it.
Plenty more in canoe like that. You
want som morc?"
Denison went to the side and looked
over. The canoe was loaded down TO
the gunwhale with the weight % fish
fish that the lazy. loaiing Apan ma.
tives caught but rarely. The old man
passed up two or three more. and pad.
died ashore
Next morning he repaid tue bor-
rowed money and showed Denison $50
the result of his first nights work In
Samoa. The saloonkcepers and other
white people said he was treasure.
Fish in Apia were dear and hard TO
get.
On the following Sunday n marriage
procession entered the Rarotongan
Chapel in Matafele, and Tarreo (other.
wise 'Reo) was united To one of the
prettiest and least disreputable native
girls in the town, whose parents rccog.
nlzed that REQ was likely TO prove an
eminently lucrative and squcczable
son-in-law. Denison was best man
and gave the bride n fve-dollar gold
piece (having previously made a priv
ate arrangement with the bridegroom
that he was to receive value for IL In
fish.
'Reo's wife's relatives built the new
ly married couple house on Matautr
Point. and REQ spent $50 in giving tn,
brides local connections a feast Ther
the news spread, and cousins an,
second cousins and various breeds o.
aunts and half uncles Travelled up {,
Matautu Point to partake of his hos
pitality. He did his best. but. in a da!