Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1904-09-12

The messenger, trembling with self.
consciousness, climbed hastily through
the window, ran the broad loop of the
satchel up his arm, and instead of
dropping to the ground, as the girl had
expected, swung himself lightly into
the branches of a rather large scrub
oak that grew near. She listened to
the rustic of the leaves for moment
as he neared the trunk. and then, an.
able to longer restrain her curiosity in
regard to the doings below, turned to
the stairway.
As she did so, two men mounted.
They examined the rooms of the up
per story hastily but carefully. paying
scant attention to her, and departed
swearing. In few moments they 70.
turned for the strangers trunk. Nell
followed as far as the stairway. There
she heard and saw things, and aed In
bitter dismay to the back of the house
when Billy Knapp was overpowered.
At the window she knelt, clasping
her hands and placing her head be.
tween her bare arms. Women in the
West, at least women like Nell. do not
weep. But she came near It, Sudden.
ly she raised her head. A voice next
her ear had addressed her.
She looked here and there and
around. but could discover nothing.
Here. outside" said the low, guard.
ed voice. in the tree"
Then she saw that the little stran-
ger had not stirred from his first
lighting-place.
Beg your pardon, ma'am, for start
ling you or of addressing you at all,
which | shouldn't, but"
"Oh, never mind that" cried the
girl impatiently, shaking back her hair
So deprecating and timid were the
tones that almost without an effort of
the imagination she could picture the
/ little mans bushes and his half.sid.
ling method of delivery. At this su.
preme moment his littleness and lack
OF self-assertion Jared on her mood.
What you doin' there? Thought
you'd vamoosed."
1T was safest here" explained the
stranger. II left no trail"
She nodded comprehension Of the
common sense of this.
But, ma'am, took the liberty of
speakin' to you because you seems to
be in trouble. or course l amt got no
right to ask, an II you don't care to
tell me-"
They're goln' to kill Billy" broke
In Nell with a sob.
what for?"
81 don't Jest rightly make out.
They're after some one, and they
thinks Billy's cachein' him. reckon
it's you. Billy amt cachein' nothin';
but they thinks he is"
ITS me theys after. all right
enough. Now you knows where I am,
why don't you tell them an save Bill
ly?"
The girl started. but her keen West.
ern mind saw the difficulty at once.
"They thinks Billy pertects YOU. lest
the same"
DO you love him" asked the stran.
ger.
God knows I'm purty tough" con.
fessed Nell. sobbIng. but I lest do
that" and she dropped her head again.
The invisible stranger in the gloom
fell silent, considering.
I'm a purity rank proposition my.
self" said he at last. as II to himself.
"and ! got job on hand which same
] oughta put through without givin' at
tention on anythin' else. As a usual
play, folks don't care for me. and
don't care much for folks. Women es.
pecial. They drives me plumb tired.
] reckon | don't stack up very high
on the blue chips when It comes to
cashin in with that sex, anyhow; but
In general they gives me as much no.
tice as they lavishes on a doodle bug.
! amt carin'. you understand. nary
bit; but onct In a dogs age ] kind Of
bankers for decent look from one OF
them. | amt never had no women
folks OF my own-never. Sometimes
,ninks II would be some assumptions
to know q little gals waitin for me