Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1907-10-08
The Spoilers.
By REX E. BEACH.
copyrisht. 1905. Rex E. Reach.

2
west. his story matching the pctur-
sequences Of her canvas walled quar-
tiers with their rough furnishings OF
skins and blankets. Being keen OBJ
server as we'll as finished raconteur,
| he had woven spell OF words about
the girl, leaving her in n state of tu
| mutt and indecision when at last, to-
ward midnight, he retired to his own
tent. She knew to what end all this
was working and yet knew not what
her answer would be when the ques-
ton came which lay behind 1t all. At
moments she felt the wonderful at
| traction Of the man, and still there
was some dlstrust OF him which she
could not fathom Again her thoughts
reverted to Glenister, the impetuous,
and she compared the two, so similar
In some ways, so utterly opposed In
others.
II was when she heard the night shift
| Mt their meal that she threw silken
shawl about her head, stepped into the
! cool night and picked her way down
toward the roar OF the creek "a
| breath OF air and then TO bed" she
thought. She saw the tall figure Of
the Waterman and made for him. He
seemed oddly Interested In her APP
proach, watching her very closely, al
most as though alarmed. 1t was doubt
less because there were so few women
out here. or possibly on account Of the
lateness of the hour. Away with con-
ventlons This was the land Of in
stinct and impulse. She would talk to
him. The man drew his hat more
! closely about his face and moved Off
as she came up. Glenister had been
In her thoughts q moment since. and
she now noted that here was another
with the same great, square shoulders
and erect head. Then she saw with Il
start that this one was negro. He
carried a Winchester and seemed to
watch her carefully, yet with indie
cislon.
To express her interest and to break
the silence, she questioned him, but at
the sound Of her voice he stepped to-
ward her and spoke roughly:
"Whatw
Then no paused and stammered In Il
strangely altered and unnatural voice
"Yass'm. I'm the Waterman"
She noted two other darkies Mt work
below and was vaguely surprised. not
so much at their presence, rs at the
manner In which they moved, for they
seemed under stress of some great
haste, running hlthcr and yon. She
saw horses standing In the trail and
l,l, Al Il
alarming In the air. Turning to the
man she opened her mouth TO speak.
when from the rank grass under her
feet came noise which set her a.
tingle and at which her suspicious
leaped full to the solution. II was the
groan of n man. Again he gave voice
to his pain, and she knew that she
stood face to face with something sin
lister. Tales of sluce robbers had come
to her and rumorS Of the daring raids
Into which men were lured by the ysl-
low sheen. and yet this was incredible
A hundred men lay within sound of her
voice. She could hear their laughter
One was whistling popular refrain
A quarter mile away on every hand
We're other camps. A scream from her
would bring them all. Nonsense, this
was no slulce robbery, and then the
man In the bushes below moancd for
the third time.
what IL thatT" she said.
, Without reply the negro lowered the
muzzle of his rifle till II covered her
breast, and at the same time she heard
the double click of the hammer.
Keep still and don't move" he
warned. Were desperate, and we
can't take any chances, miss"
"Oh, you are stealing the gols"--
She was wildly frightened. yet stood
still while the lookout anxiously di,
. vided his attention between her and
the tents above until his companions
, signaled him that they were through
, and the horses were loaded Then he
spoke:
II don't know what to do with you,
but guess I'll tie you up"
"WhatW she said.
"Fm going to tie and gag you so you
can't boiler"
'Oh, don't you darcw she cried fierce,
~. "I'll stand right here till you've
gone, and won't scream. l promise
She looked up at him appealingly, al
which he dipped his head, so that she
caught only u glimpse Of his face, and
then backed away.
. "All right! Don't try 1t because III
be hidden in those bushes yonder al
the bend, and I'll keep you covered til
the others are gone" He leaped down
the bank, ran TO the cavalcade, mount
ed quickly, and the three dashed thell
horses into run, disappearing up the
trail around the sharp curve. She
heard the blows Of their qulrts as they
whipped the pack horses.
They were long out of sight before
the girl moved or made sound, al
though she knew that none OF the three
had paused at the bend. She only
stood and gazed, for as they gallopeG
off she had heard the scrap Of broker
sentence. II was but one excited