The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-01-13
The Man Under the Tree
How the Victim Enjoyed
Being Lynched

Snure! reJOlned lank COWmdn
with strong Hibernian accent.
He'll come a tearin into town like
he'd split all ay his whiskey, or his
wife was a-dyin' ] reminder whin he
thought oil lamp had stol'n the bay
an he came a-rippin' into camp wild
only his shirt an boots on, an first
he axed fur a quart av gin thin fur
a rope, thin fur Justice
But the whisky being strong and
the playing high, the men soon forgot
about Wilkins, the Man under the
Tree and the bay horse, and not until
Wilkins himself came walking into
the Red Dog did the incidents of the
earlier forenoon again recur to them,
Hello, Wilklns!" cried the speaker
of the late quorum. "How's Bess?"
"Bess? Oh, she's outside, buyin'
canned goods"
"Buyin canned goods, is she?" Ques.
toned the cowman. "Whin did We
learn her the thrick?"
wilkins looked 2bout and seeing
grin on every face realized the con-
fusion of terms. "Oh, you mean the
bay; not my wife?'
"Sure!"
Well" rejoined Wilkins, hitching
uneasily, "Bess is bout as usual. Yes,
Bess is bout as usual" He looked at
the faro cards and brought out a roll
Of bills. kin l join boys?
eye kin; an We don't need to ask
permission av us to lose money. Sit
right down, an welcome We be,
though We sit sthanin up on me fate.
An so Bess is bout as usual. Well,
that's good" The Irishman winked
at the dealer. Evidently Wilkins was
not yet aware that Bess had been
stolen. An how's your wife,"
MY wife? Well, she's bout as
usual too replied the gallant Will
kins. When Wilkins made a distinc-
ton between his horse and his wife,
his horse always felt flattered
So down wilkins sat and Joined in
the game of faro, losing in a quarter
of an hour something like 5000, which
was high playing for him.
Thin be fresh bills We be playin', '
said the Irishman, pausing in mis-
drink. AN where did yez git th'm?"
wilkins shifted uneasily. well,
boys" he finally said, 81 might as well
let the cat out O. the bag before it's
got kittens. l sold Bess this mornin'
! to"
The sentence was never finished, or
its end fairly drowned in a chorus of
"Hell!'
Cant a man sell his own horse?"
demanded Wilkins, rising.
A glass of raw spirits whizzed over
his head and crashed against the op-
posite wall
why, you lop-eared coyote, amt ye
got no more judgmint thin to sell a
horse without first tellin' livery man
wild a rope fur twenty miles aroun'l
Aain't-ugh! broke off the speaker,
reaching for another glass to throw
at Wilkins. you clam wild the lock-
jaw, you fish widout the light av III
telligence!"
What's the matter?" demanded
Wilkins, keeping a sharp eye on the
glasses.
why, you oil pirate, we've hanged
the man ye sol Bess to, fur a boss
theft! Quick, boys, let's cut him
down and give him respectful burial
fore he's had the time to be in
suited"
There was wild break for the door
and wilkins went down and was
walked all over; but, mad as hor-
net, he was not the last to reach the
locality of the hanging.
You're a pack of fools!" he shout
ed to his companions. And the next
mothers son of you l catch with a
shirt on, I'll hang for stealth the
shirt"
The Irishman almost wept. Boys,
twas an error av judgmint and not
av heart. Cut him down and tell him
So"
The face of the Man under the Tree
had swung around to the west, and,
as the little body of remorseful set
tiers drew near, a peaceful smile
gathered upon the hanged mans lips
and suddenly his eyes opened wide
and looked down at those beneath
Holy saints in hivin!" cried the
Irishman, kneeling in his saddle.
Look at him!"
One of the eyelids of the Man under
the Tree trembled and for a moment
closed over the eyeball The spec
tators could scarcely believe their
own eyes. The Man under the Tree
wa winking