Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-04-16

so important part In his fairy tales
The rightful king of the Marquesas
also figured conspicuously in these
fancies. He was grave, dignified,
rather silent man. who drew a pension
from the French government and
worked hard as a surveyor in mapping
out the native lands. He had lent Matt
a horse to ride; befriended him in
many ways, and often dilated on the
former glories Of his house. These
melancholy condolences from the lips
Of real king, however much reduced,
flattered Matt, and moved him with an
intoxicating sense Of romance. As
suredly the Pacific was the place for
him, and he thanked his stars afresh
at having escaped from the dingy TO-
castle Of the Windsor Castle.
The governor, French naval
officer. had also taken a great liking
for Matt giving him the hospitality Of
his bungalow in return for lessons in
English. This M. Fouquier was de-
lightful fellow, who regarded his tenn
porary appointment as huge joke,
and ruled his canaques in most easy.
going fashion. They are children,
mon cher" he would say to Matt. land
one must treat them with the same in
diligence" The hard labor Of the
convicts consisted mostly in tidying
up the commandments front yard, or
sleeping on his porch. "Step softly,
or we may awake them" Frouquier
would remark, tiptoeing through the
sleeping figures on his way to play
billiards at the club. Though stop
thousand thunders-I'm going to lee.
ture yonder miserable-he borrowed
rnY1aip Inv on1 tho
trouble to return it!''
When the jailer was discharged be-
cause Of shortage in his accounts,
/ the commandant offered the post to
Matt, who accepted it with alacrity-
for 1t carried salary of sixty Chile
dollars a month, not to speak of oc-
casfonal perquisites in the way of
sucking-pigs and fish. Thus provided
for he was very willing to stay behind,
and let his fellow castaways go on to
Tahiti without him. The British and
American consuls there had per-
functorily arranged for the survivors
of the Windsor Castle to be brought
down, and thence sent on to New
Zealand by steamer. Matt saw them
off with light heart, for with their
departure the last link that bound
him to civilization-and to Disgrace
seemed to snap. How little did he
realize, as he wrung those calloused
hands, and warmly wished his former
sh1pmates the best of luck, that his
decision was to cost him a terrible
price!
In the office of Williams and Had
ley, ship brokers' Honolulu, was a
little package of letters for Matt, ad-
dressed in their care. One was from
Raphael Stokes:
Dead Broughton:
my health and nerves are all gone.
and I am out of the academy for good.
I could always feel how 1t went
against your generous and kindly ma
ture to treat me i'll, though even at
your worst you were never SO mean
as the others. suppose it will sur
prise you to hear that admired you
more than anybody in the world, and
that slight from you was thou
sand times more wounding than the
abominable personal prosecutions Of
your friends. Now you will learn from
this that poor Niger can be grate-
full for even little. have seen the
president myself, as per enclosed
cutting from the Star, and have man.
aged to beg you off. Put that to my
credit, and for Gods sake, don't think
I ever meant Intentionally to give you
away. Your dismissal cost me the bit
terest tears Of the many have shed.
for you were the only one who ever
treated me with spark of consider
ation.'
In an official envelope was curt
notification from the navy depart
ment, to the effect that the president
had been pleased to reinstate Mr..
Matthew Broughton in the naval
academy. and that he was to report to
the superintendent once.
For many years these letters lay UNI
opened and unclaimed in a dusty
pigeon-hole and were at last destroyed
on the occasion of the ship-brokers
moving to another office. They went
up the chimney in smoke, and with
them, in all probability, an honorable
and distinguished career.
CHAPTER II.
The moonlight streamed through
the palms, outlining on the beach
vivid tracery of fronds and stems.
Across the lagoon, softened and mel.
lowed by the stretch of CLASSY water,
came the sound of mouth-organ. and
the rhythmic beat Of wooden drum.
as the crew of the North Star raised
the chorus Of "Bood-by, My Feleni.' At
intervals there was deeper note, as
some mighty comber flung its might
against the coral and burst with fury
on the seward reefs.
In all those lonely seas there Is no
lonelier island than Lotoalofa. On some
Pacific charts 1t Is called the -Four
Crowns of Quiros," with q question
mark after it. On others, when 1t is
noticed at all. 1t figures variously as
"Melampus Reef p. d." "Winslow
Shoals, p. d." or merely Island, ..
DIP d. signifying position doubt
full" and e. d. existence doubtful" In
the fifties it's handful of inhabitants
was carried away bodily by Peruvian
slavers; in later years it attracted
the attention Of Bully Hayes, who had
the intention, never to be carried
ont Of making II intn a sort of rirata