The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-04-25
By John Fleming Wilson.

y
around They all know Jim Hughes
| drunken Jim, they call me. But L adj
! wise you, if the missionaries get down
on you and you find you re weak on
practise and shaky on doctrine, to hunt
up the Peniel people in San Francisco.
l m going back there myself to get
saved. Seven times they plueked me
from the burning. All L need is the
price to pay my passage. You haven t
ten dollars, have you? III pay you
back just as soon as I get saved and
find a job again.
/ Mr.. Rapp' S interest turned to disgust.
The man was begging. He would have
started away, except that a sense OF
his duty made him pause to say: Look
here, I'm in no position to give yon
money. If I did, you'd spend it for
drink. Why don't you brace up and
live like white man? Quit this life
and be decent You really look as
though you might have been man,
once. -
! The thin wall of the child rose into
the afternoon air and Hughes shambled
| into the hut. As he passed the Settle
ment worker he shook his head. "Noth-
ing does me any good except Pencil
Mission. I we tried all the other brands.
I ought to know. Ain t the one that
needs salvations''
He disappeared into the interior, and
Rapp, picking his way down the filthy
alley, heard the wall turn to feeble
cry of joy. 81 WONDER he unused,
whether that is the brute Is child?o
! The same question occurred to him
the next day when he visited the hut
in Iwilei and found Yohara bending
over very sick child, indeed. When
he had done what little he could to ease
its pain, Mr.. Rapp determined to decide
the question. "You remember one man
very drunk yesterdays Haolee'
Yohara seemed at loss for a mo-
ment. Rapp suddenly remembered the
name the man had given himself.
Hughesa Hughesa" he added.
! The woman smiled instantly. "He
bring my baby candy
/ He your husband, you aikane?' he
continued.
| She shook her head vigorously s'Ao-
lie, aole me aikane. Me aikane pake =
But he give your baby candy he
persisted.
The japanese woman smiled e.He
pupule' (crazy), she said, curtly.
The next day and the next, Mr.. Rapp
came to visit the child, now dying in
the sitting heat of the foul alley. But
it was not till a week later that he
met Hughes again. This time the
vagrant was sober. He was bending
over the fretful child when Rapp en-.
tered. He Strengthened up and silently
stood to one side while the child was
examined.
Elbows the kidg' he ventured at
last.
mot going to last much longer, "
was the reply.
whats the mattera" Hughes de
manded
and bad air. I'd bring milk myself
only this woman would let it get warm
1 and it would be worse than none at al
inside of an hour. I've tried to per-
/, suade her to take the child somewhere
else. But she don t seem to under
stand
! Hughes bent his head over the little
mat moment. "Poor little kid!' he
muttered. When he Strengthened up, the
Settlement worker observed that the
slack lips were quivering; he did not
notice that round one finger was clutch
ed feeble baby's hand. 81 III ask the
| Jap what s the matter Hughes mum
bled, not moving in his tracks, feeling
that faint tug oil his hand. He broke
out into speech that Rapp could moi
follow, so mingled was it of three Ian
guages.
q The woman listened sullenly. Their
she spread out her empty hands in {
gesture eloquent of poverty. "She ha:
no money" Hughes interpreted. "Hel
husband, who is Chinese luna cover
seer) on Kauai, sends her no money
She is afraid -
II can't make these people out, ;
Rapp said, angrily. 'sThat kid woult
:. have chance to get well anywhere bu
here. I've done what I could. It l
just have to die He took his ha
and left.
When he had gone, the woman wen
: and sat in the doorway while Hughe
lifted the fraiI child into his arms an,
soothed it's fretfulness by grotesqu
| grimaces and snatches of song. Whel
it was stilled he carried it out int
the scant shade of the hut and sa
down to fight out his battle.
The woman paid no attention to tn
haole when his voice rose in soliloquy
He was pupule. He would not hurt tn
! child. '.Poor little kiddie,' the out
cast was saying Chink father an
! Jap mother. No chance at ALL Coin
1 make (dead) because there's no on
!, cares.' He repeated this last sentenc
s and fell silent. When the child stirre
r and its clawlike hand reached up an
7 touched his bare throat he said again
|. "Going make because no one cares. -
The. woman fell asleep. her head o
| her breast, and Hughes shook his heat
.'Poor little kiddie,'' he whispered
;. "And ten dollars will do it.. But I v
e got to go to the Coast and get saved
n TIN take that ten dollars. If l don
t go, I'll never straighten up and L
n go make, too, here in Iwilei where nj
e body cares.
The day mosquitoes stole in upon h
Z emaciated body, and he took off h
:. hat and slapped at them. The chill
t. Weakened and cried again, twisting ii
y its hot cheek rested on Hughes breas
e His face suddenly whitened. His wea
2. mouth drew into frmer lines and
C painfully got upon his feet. Thrustlr
IL past the browsing woman he entered IL
hut and laid the child upon its mat al
drew a torn piece of netting over
Z ( II > I.