The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1907-07-06
TOWN TALK
BY THE MAN ABOUT TOWN.

III l06lI DedullIul anu spectacular ldn-
tern parade, during the all-too-bref
stay of my friend Prince Fushimi l
noticed a striking transparency the
painted words of which were Eng
fish. In big, bold letters a foot high
was the sentiment: THREE CHEERS
FOR GREAT BRITAIN! Underneath
in small letters were the words: Unit
ed States of America, Hurray! 1
wonder if there could be any signi-
ficance in the different lettering.
. 8 Z" Z"
One of Wednesdays news items had
it that thieves broke into a cottage
of the Hawaiian hotel and stole a
poem from a guest. 1t is supposed
that there was more than one thief
for the reason that poem was stolen.
One thief, single-handed, alone un-
accompanied and by himself would
rot dare to run away with poem. If it
had been one of Ella Wheeler Wilcox S
poems or a poem by Annie Marie
Prescott, or even by Poet Laureate
Austin of England it is to be suppos-
ed that the thieves would not have
gone far with the verses,-said verses
would have burned them. Incidental
ly. the police don't know whether 10
charge the miscreants with burglary
or plagiarism. Perhaps, however the
missing poem was not stolen. Since
it is presumed to have had feet of its
own it may have run away. The
thieves should be easily captured for
they would naturally seek some Sc
cluded place to recite the verses and
could be waylaid and caught in the
elocutionary act. He who robs me of
my purse steals trash, but he who
filches from me my good poem swipes
that which does him no good and
makes me full of blank verse.
= 3 = .
81 got lost in Hilo one night" said
returned Honolulu drummer, and
l had an exciting experience. 1t was
late and dark,-perhaps Hilo has one
of the moonlight light contracts,
which most cities make. They re-
quire electric light companies to main
tain lights, except when there is a
moon. The companies, in every place
l have seen, go by calendar and ii
there is moon, no matter if she is up
above all kinds of clouds, they don't
run the lights.
In the dark l was walking along
Front street, and turned up what ap-
peared to me to a roadway leading in
the direction in which lived,-I know
now it was an alley. 1 walked along,
making for some lights ahead, and
suddenly found myself at the foot of
some steps, evidently the entrance to
a private home and not mine. AS
was about to start back a large citi-
zen appeared in the doorway. What
in blank are you doing here?' he de,
manded. I'll be BANKED if l know,
l answered. Well get BANKED quick
out of here he politely replied
4 will if you'll show me the way
meekly responded. Just start back
the way you came and be blanked
quick about it, he retorted, in very
inhospitable mood and with a start
forward.
Il went, and went quickly, and
suppose he has been telling his friends
how he fired burglar off his place.
g 9 :" =
Travellers from Hawaii are not
usually regarded as rubes when they
hit the bigger island known as the
continent of America, but there is
one man in town who if his story
be true was nicely worked in San
Francisco by queer" game. Did
man who spends much of his
time parading about the fine San
Francisco hotels?" said this Honolulu
rube. He saw me coming one day
and cautiously approached. He had
a secret. He observed | was smoking
Well, as a very secret tip he wanted
to inform me that a steamer had just
come up from Mexico and some
friends of his had smuggled in cou-
pie of thousand or so of splendid
cigars. They would sell for two bits
piece if the duty had to be paid,
but as it was,-well, he was quietly
disposing of them to people who look.
ed all right, and l could have box
for two dollars. He hoped l wouldn't
say anything about it to anyone.
Il took box and felt that | was
lucky to get such snap. At the first
smoke the scheme dawned on me. The
cigars were bad enough to break up
a Democratic caucus. They were i'm,
ported from Chinatown not Mexico.
believe that if that man had been ar
rested for selling tobacco without a
license he could have got off by prov
ing there was no tobacco in the CT
gars.
Il wish | could invent a scheme like
that 1t is invincible. No one can
come back at that genius, for anyone
who made complaint would first
have to admit that he went into q
scheme to defraud the government by
buying struggled goods. There's M
beating the game. ! suppose he's there
yet, smiling and urbane and selling
producers of horrible smells for So
per hundred"
:. :. :. ::
ApropOs of the charge against Local
hackdriver of robbing two female tour
lists, recall story of another hack
drivar who uJae MT nprhans On dasarV.