The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-07-26

Nothing" 1 replied: only I found a
little girl down here the other night
with ti-leaf, banana, and a sour
sop. She said it was Miss Minnie. The
| Jap nurse said it was kahuna."
| Bill looked round him angrily Little
| baby with pigtails down her little
nightie?" he inquired. 81 told that jar
| woman that if she let that baby come
down here again without telling me I'd
kill her. Just think if Brennan set of
a shot while she was-was playing
here!" His voice croaked angrily into
the night.
"You know her?" I said. What's
the kahuna %
He looked at me, got to his feet, and
strobe off few steps. He peered round
cautiously and then went over to the
little Offering and stared down at it.
He came back slowly.
what sort of magic is it?" I re-
peated
only a baby's,' he said sulkily.
.'You wouldn't understand
'.Who is Miss Minnie ?-'Mith Minnie
Mippth' ?'' I quoted.
Bill poked a thin finger into hole
in the coral and chuckled. tShe's a
fairy he said "She lives down here
in the coral
l looked my curiosity, and Bill chuck
led again. you just ask the little
girl he broke off curtly But I'll see
that the Jap keeps her away from this
reef nights. A rock from a blast might
hit her little head" He walked over
and picked up the bottle that stood by
the offering "Smell it?" he remarked,
holding the uneorked throat to my
nostrils.
'Perfume,' I exclaimed.
Bill carefully set the flask back by
the other articles and we went away.
AS he climbed aboard the dredge he
turned to say, with an air of indif-
ference, What sort of cologne did you
make that out to be-"
''Violets," 1 said.
Thought So" He nodded and dis
appeared within the dredge. AS l walk
ed back to town the windows along the
street shook. I heard the roar of a
blast Then the big shovel clattered
as it resumed work.
did not visit the dredge again for
month. Then I stopped as 1 was
about to cross the track and climb
uOHu IIlC DcHh' L q -ANNA~
bent over a patch OF white coral. 1t
was the baby with the pigtails. She
was too busy to notice me till my feet
crunched behind her. Then she looked
round without alarm. 1 could see her
smile in the luminous dusk. Her hands
held a tattered ti-leaf on which re-
posed a very dead box-fish and a stunt
ed banana. She laid these offerings
down and carefully propped up beside
them a tiny, fanciful flask with glass
stopper. Before releasing this last she
inhaled from it luxuriously. Then she
battered over to me. / lifted her into
nv arms and she snuggled down sleepi-
ly. ALBERTA had to tum and pit things
for NTH Minnie Mippth," she murmur-
ed. ALBERTA wunned away!" Her
rosebud lips parted in a sigh, and she
slept.
I carried her back Kakaako way, but
failed to discover any Japanese nurse.
had turned back when I heard the
dredger cease operations, and knew
that presently a blast would be fired.
II. occurred to me that Bill might know
where the child belonged At any rate
had time to reach the shelter Of the
dredge before the blast went off. Bill
received me in silence. He listened to
nv explanation of how 1 had found
the little girl, and then, not before
condescended TO speak. 'Ill have to
see that JAP he threatened. Now
give me the kid"
I surrendered my charge, and Bill
gathered her up tenderly and went back
into the dredge without inviting me to
follow. But / went after him, and we
sat together on the coal-sacks waiting
for the .'shot." It came very soon, and
as the dredge rocked in the broken