The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-10-21

I'm as good as man, Sne urged.
 "You really are needed here," he re. piled. There's that Lunga crowd; they might reach the coast right here and. with both of us absent, rush the plantation. Goodby. We'll get back in the morning some time. It's only twelve miles,"
 When Joan started to return to the house she was compelled to pass among the boat carriers, and one of them stepped up to her. In the dark ness she could not make him out.
 "What name?' she asked sharply "What name belong yOu?"
 ''Me Aroa," he said.
 She remembered him as one of the two sick boys she had nursed in the hospital. The other one had died.
 'Me take m plenty fella medicine too much," .Aroa was saying.
 "Well, and you all right now." she answered.
 "Me want m tobacco, plenty felia tobacco; me want m calico, me want m porpoise teeth; me want m one felIa belt.''
 She looked at him humorously, ex- pecting to see a smile, or at least grin, on his face. The rest of the boys had crowded up at his back in solid wall Some one of them giggled, but the remainder regarded her in morose and intent silence
 ''well?" she asked. 'FWhat for you want plenty tella things?"
 ''Me take m medicine" quoth Aroa. "You pay me-"
 . ''You go along quarters" she said. starting to turn on her heel to enter the gate.
 "Iou pay me-" said the boy.
 "Aroa. you all the same one big fool. I no pay you. Now you go.''
 But the black was unmoved. She felt that he was regarding her almost insolenty as he repeated:
 Il take m medicine. You pay me. You pay me now"
 Then it was that she lost her tenn per and cuffed his ears so soundly as to drive him back among his fellows. But they did not break up. Another boy stepped forward
 "Me Gogoomy," he said. "Bawo brother belong me-"
 Bawo, she remembered, was the sick boy who had died.
 "Go on," she commanded.
 'Bawo take m medicine. Bawo t1n- fish. Bawo my brother. You pay me. Father belong me one big fella chief along Port Adams, You pay me-"
 Joan laughed.
 "Gogoomy. you just the same as Aroa, one big fool My word, who pay me for medicine
 She dismissed the matter by passing through the gate and closing it. But Gogoomy pressed up against it and said impudently:
 Father belong me one big fella chief. You no bang m head belong me. My word. you fright too much"
 'Me frightY she demanded, while anger tingled all through her.
 .Too much fright bang m head be- long me-" Gogoomy said proudly.
 And then she reached for him across the gate and got him. It was sweep ing, broad handed slap, so heavy that he staggered sideways and nearly fell. He sprang for the gate as if to force it open, while the crowd surged for ward against the fence. Joan thought rapidly. Her revolver was hanging on the wall of her grass house. Yet one cry would bring her sailors, and she knew she was safe. So she did not cry for help. Instead, she whistled for Satan, at the same time calling him by name. She knew he was shut up in the living room, but the blacks did not wait to see. They fled with wild yells through the darkness, fol- lowed reluctantly by Gogoomy, while she entered the bungalow, laughing at first, but finally vexed to the verge of tears by what had taken place. She who had died, and yet his brother de manded to be paid for. his life.
 Ugh! The ungrateful beast!' she muttered, while she debated whether or not she would confess the incident to Sheldon.
 "And so it was all settled easily enough" Sheldon was saying. He was on the veranda, drinking coffee. The whaleboat was being carried into its shed. Boucher was a bit timid at first to carry off the situation with a strong hand, but he did very we'll once we got started. We made a play at holding court, and Telepasse, the old scoundrel, accepted the findings. He's Port Adams chief, filthy beggar. We fined him ten times the value of the pigs and made him move on with his mob. Oh, they're a sweet lot, 1 must say, at least sixty of them, in five big canoes, and out for trouble. They've got a dozen Sniders that ought to be confiscated.''
 'Why didn't you?" Joan asked.
 And have a row on my hands with the commissioner? He's terribly touchy about his black wards, as he calls them. Well. we started them along their way, though they went in on the beach to kai-kai several miles hack. They ought to pass here some time today"
 Two hours later the canoes arrived. No one saw them come. The house boys were busy in the kitchen at their own breakfast. The plantation hands were similarly occupied in their quar- ters. Satan lay sound asleep on his back under the billiard table, in his