The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-12-01
WAIOLOLOA.!
Fountain of Perpetual Youth in the
Shadow of Mauna Loa.
By j. M. Davidson
By j. NJ Davidson.

the water for a long time. / dived,
hoated and swan to the opposite shore
or rock bound bank. / climbed up to
a projecting ledge and jumped foot
foremost into the pool. / went Down,
down, but I did not touch bottom. l
| assembled the stone stairs and sat I'M
der a young cocoa palm. Where had
disrobed was a large sheet of tapa,
native cloth as white as snow, spread
upon the verdant grass. l was pre-
pared for any adventure, and accepted
the proffered luxury as one accustom-
ed to magic and enchantment; wrap
ping myself in a large Turkish towel
with which 1 had come provided, l re-
clined upon the tapa, throwing the
point of it's capacious proportions over
my neither extremeties, land for few
moments I was left to reflection. To
say that 1 enjoyed the bath would be
as inadequate in description as it
would be to paint rose, the queen
of flowers, with one color without tints.
| was reaming-almost in a trance
a trance is nothing more than emo
tionaI expectancy: a borderland be-
tween the visible and invisible-when
I heard a gentle laugh and a sweet,
low voice pronounce the sound aloha
nui," which in Hawaiian means Il
love YOU" the usual salutation, more
than equivalent to bon jour or good
morrow. I uncovered my face and on
either side OF me was standing with
easy grace a pretty young native girl
just budding into womanhood. With
all the good nature and humor that
usually beams from female Hawai-
ian face knew from the mischievous
eyes that l was to be the victim OF an
embarrassing situation and about TO
take my first lesson in the ''lomilomi,
a native cure for every evil and i'll
that flesh is heir to, and yielded
without even a mental protest. 1 felt
their long, delicate fingers separating,
as it were, the sinuous tissues of my
ankles, with a searching gentleness or
pressure at times so forcible as to !
verge on veritable pain, and then SO
soothing as TO make ones thankful |
ness vocal. There are no words OF
thanks in the Hawaiian language, the |
only words analogous in meaning be- |
ing ''maikai' and "nui nui,' which are
used interchangea bly,, meaning good, |
strong, great. Time has no measure
for such kingly pleasures. These houris !
were dressed in the Hawaiian frock |
called "holoku," loose wrapper much /
after the pattern of fashionable /
ladies' robe de mutt Their feet were
unconfined by shoes or even sandals |
and their toes were almost as long and |
flexible as their fingers These chill |
dren of nature had never known a |
care, and were ignorant of want. The |
Kanakas are ever kind to their chill /
dren: / have never seen one cry.
The service being performed, they |
tripped away as they had come, and |
my guide returned, bringing my |
clothes, and. hastily dressing, 1 start /
ed for Mr.. Shipman's ranch, where
was being entertained during my /
visit to Puma. 1 felt as if an impor-
tant epoch in my life had been reached. |
and that l had turned back on the
road of life and was approaching by /
blooming paths the springtide of exist |
ence once again and that old ways
were abandoned; and I felt happy. |
for | fully believe that "the days OF
youth are the days of our glory" At
the ranch I found dinner waiting for |
me, simple, yet of peculiar excellence
and neatly served
OIyppees, a shenfish; eau naturel" |
pond mullett, the finest fish in the
world, and tenderloin of beef, praised !
with sweet potatoes, such as are only |
grown on the Sandwich ISLANDS; Dol
tie of California claret and a cup or /
cafe noir of native growth, an I'M
provement on Mocha itself. When |
returned TO the veranda the stars were
shining brightly and young moon
was tending toward the western hori-
zon, while a breeze from the ocean or
a temperature of about 70 degrees gave
motion TO the feathery fronds of varied
20 1crh 70
the imagination with strange images
Of the past and visions of the future.
What were those thoughts? 1t would I
be profanity to translate them into I
words. The pure in mind have had
kindred thoughts, and no sound, no
language can make them vocal
Ny visit was extended from day TO
day without any reasonable excuse
except that. with repetitions of the
bath. youth, with all of its aIluring