The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1908-12-08

on her-Chee Lee, l mean. Who the
devil told you about Chez Lee?
Il heard something" | muttered.
eyasiyely. Something about YOU
waiting to see him"
Verlund's discolored teeth showed
as he grinned. "Oh, YES, Hanrahan
talks a lot. doesn't he? Well. | am
waiting to see Chez Lee. He's been
gone II years in November. He
grabbed The Waratah' that night ara
bolted down to Rockhampton and
lost him there-lost all trace of him
SO came back here and watched. Sun
Low was Chez Lees partner. Sun
Low is scoundrel. Chez cant get a
siXpence Of his own money till he
comes back for it. He'll come some
day TO settle with Sun, and I'll be
here to settle with him-see?"
l nodded. I understood why Yer.
! lund's credit was good at the grocery
store owned by Sam Low. Yerlund
was the bogeyman that kept Suns
partner out Of the way.
/ She used to sit on that old yer.
/ anda next Buttan Singh's. where the
4 Wlstaria blossom hangs like punches
of grapes, and every time I passed l
wondered why she didn't bolt from
4 that old, toothless murderer. She'dpeep
! at me from between the flowers, just
wondering-there were only two pure
4 whites up here then. Then one day,
when that old devil was knocked out
with too many pipes, she saw dia-
mond snake wriggle up under the ver-
anda boards, and she gave little cry
oil fear just as l was passing. Sun Low
was in the store, but l flung the snake
at him after l killed it, and he ran
screaming down the track, leaving me
with her and that doped hog. Chez
4 Lee. She laughed when l chased Sun,
/ just a delicious, little, fluffy laugh,
and that yellow pig snored on the
floor. ought to have killed him then
the law doesn't work at a gallop up
this way.
Then l acted the fool. l took an in
terest in that little child just because
there was no one round here but the
scum of Asia. You think it wasn't
my job, but it was. It's white mans
+ job to look after a child no matter
what her color, and that den wasn't
the place for her, l went along like
that for five months, perhaps six.
Sometimes l thought that Chez looked
at me curiously but I didn't care for
him. Then I determined to go south
again, and the night before left she
came down to the hut and begged me
to take her in the schooner down as
far as Cairns. OF course was a fool.
Everybody l tell this story to thinks
the same, but they didn't know that
/ pockmarked Chinaman. They didn't
know what kind of quarter this was
at that time and they didn't know
that child. I'm a white man-at least
was one then.
Il was working for Tatsu Caro-, and
l was using his schooner That little
kid was going to meet me down at the
point, but l changed my mind and
slipped up to the store when that pig
was in his dope dream, and told her to
meet me at high tide in the mangrove
trees up the creek. Chez was snor-
ing behind the canvas, but afterwards
l fancied | heard him chuckle.
1T was dark when Tatsu and
pulled up to the mangroves. l saw
something white in near the left bank
and l called out, but she didn't an
swer. I called again and again
then We pulled in closer and saw.
She was strapped by the ankles to
thick limb, her hand hanging down.
wards. and the tide was gurgling
round her shoulders like as if it was
pleased with the job Chez left it.
That's the story l swore by the men,
DRY of my mother that l would avenge
the death of that little kid, and I'm
Lolding out She was nothing to me
she was just a little child woman
up in this spot alone. Yes, I'm wait
ing for Chez. He'll come back some
day, and Wen have a reckoning"
The locusts had finished their song,
night was blotting out the red glow on
the waters. and the white gum trees
stood up bare and ghostly. Verlund
rose. shook himself, and walked off to
wards the beach