The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-12-08


Thought I would put up here. But a.
the Sierra's going, I'll be off Goodby
As he left the hotel in the sunlight
he paused an instant to look around
him.
The world seemed very clear and very
lovely, but alien. The azure sky was
close, so close that he wondered He
took long breath and started out
as a man released from prison
At the dock the lei sellers recognized
him. He heard their chatter as if it
We're foreign. He was careless of them
seeing the steamer so near at hand
The purser greeted him with a nod
and smile: Going UP with us?''
Yes; can you fix me up with a
room?'
1 Sure, but you'd better go up to the
office. We're not going to sail till af-
ternoon. Can't get the freight dis
charged sooner
Not till afternoon said Thomas,
blankly. Il thought the hour was
eight O'clock
SO it was" replied the purser; "but
as I say, were delayed"
Very slowly Thomas turned away
and went off the dock AS he passed
the lei girls again he understood what
they said.
There goes Dorcas's haole,'' said one
with a gigg1e. She's always been
boasting of him. Now he's leaving
her.
''Dorcas is a good girl said another.
She'll feel badly
He went through them blindly out to
Fort street, and then up that thorough
fare till he was in the heart of the
city There he paused a long time.
People whom he knew turned to look
at him. standing there straight and
clearly dressed, his tanned face a little
haggard, but betraying no signs of
nervousness.
AS he stood in the stream of men
and women, his eyes We're fixed on two
scenes of fancy. He did not know they
were only fancy. He saw a girl sitting
in bedroom, in g. house of California,
amid the clothes she had made for her
wedding, with a letter from him in her
lap-a letter he had written with bot
tie of gin beside him the last time he
had remembered, three years ago. And
at the same time he saw a dark-sknned
girl with big eyes and soft hands and
gentle voice, crying on the steps of a
outage ONeIlOOhlllS the racine.
1t had all seemed simple when it was
only a matter of taking the steamer
and hurrying away Now he had many
hours yet of decision, and the arrears
of his forgetting We're upon him He
realized the weakness that had brought
him to this pass, and saw as if in sud-
den light how it>was he had so greatly,
so shamefully, fallen.
People came and went about their
business or pleasure. and still Thomas
stood immobile, his suitcase in his
rigid hand. A half-dozen acquaintance
spoke to him and passed on unanswer-
ed. 1t was not till some one jostled
him that Thomas relaxed a little and
moved on. He went a block further
up the street, and then came to a stand
still again. A native boy looked at
him and cried to a companion. The
haole's drunk and scuttled away.
Thomas laughed grimly. Then the
desire for a drink surged over him.
1t was not a physical desire, but men
tai one. It seemed SO easy to drink and
forget, to stop the turmoil within him
and make the visions which tortured
him vanish. But Thomas was sober
and his flesh rebelled against intoxi-
cation. He talked aloud. It's pau
with me--finished. l can't go back to
Dorcas and it's three years since the
other got my letter. But I'm pau with
the liquor. I'm haole-white, not very
much of a white man, but just enough
that I'll see this through the rest of the
way sober"
He reached Kaimuki in the heat OF
noon He found Dorcas sitting on steps
of the cottage, her dark and inscrut-
able face bent upon the blue sea firing
ed with the white, foaming reef. She
looked up at him as he mounted the
steps and he read in her face that she
had not expected him back. She sale
nothing.
He picked her up and laughed cheer
fully GO and get on your nice
gown" he said. We're going to ge
married"
Il don't want to get married" she
said, slowly.
gaily. I'm going to marry you my
self
She got up and walked up to him
Her face was drawn in agony. '.Yo,
don't love me-" she said. Il Won
marry you"
Thomas stopped in the beginning O.
protestation. You We're going
away" she went on. You left me il
my sleep" She drew the shabby bag
out of her bosom and clinked thu
money in it. Then she flung it in hi
face. Take the rest of the money
1t was through you L got it,
He picked it up and tossed it aside
That's not the question. You and
are going to get married haole fashion
1 was going away. But 1 came bacl
to marry YOU"
She walked away and the sound o
her sobs Weakened a dull ache in hi
| heart But he had determined on hi
| course and took a savage delight il
the pain. When she came back to hin