Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1914-12-30

physicians whom had already met at
Kalihi. The lepers were woebegone
lot But here and there noticed fair
ly good-looking persons, with no ap-
parent signs of the fell disease upon
them. One, I noticed, little white
girl, not more than twelve, with blue
eyes and golden hair. One cheek,
however, showed the sign. On my re-
marking upon the sadness of her alien
situation among the brown-skinned
afflicted ones. Doctor Georges replied
ooh. | don't know. It's happy day
in her life. She comes from Kauai.
Her father is a brute. And now that
she has developed the disease, she is
going to join her mother at the settle.
ment. Her mother was sent down
there three years ago-a very bad
case" ''2%- ;.r
you can't always tell from appear
ances," Mr.. McVeigh explained. THAT
man there. that big chap, who looks
the pink Of condition with nothing the
matter with him, l happen to know.
has mark on his foot and another on
his shoulder blade. Then there are
others-there, see that girls hand, the
one who is smoking the cigarette.
See her twisted fingers: That's the
anesthetic form. 1t attacks the
nerves, You could cut her fingers off
with dull knife, or rub them of on a
nutmeg crater and she would not ex-
perience the slightest sensation"
Eyes, but that fine-looking woman.
there" persisted; surely, there
can't be anything the matter with her.
She, is too glorious and gorgeous al
together" S.
"a sad case" Mr., McVeigh an
swered over his shoulder, already
turning away to walk down the wharf
with Kersdale. ..,r%
She was beautiful woman. and she
was pure Polynesian. From my mea'
ger knowledge Of the race and its
types I could not but conclude that
she had descended from old chief
stock. She could not have been more
than twenty.three or twenty.four. Her
lines and proportions were magnid.
cent, and she was just beginning to
show the amplitude Of the women OF
her race.
1T was a blow to all of u.s." Doctor
Georges volunteered. "She gave her.
self up voluntarily, too. No one sus'
pected. But somehow she had con.
tracted the disease. 1t broke us all
up, / assure you. We've kept 1t out Of
the papers, though. Nobody but our.
selves and her family knows what has
become Of her. In fact, if you were
to ask any man in Honolulu, he'd tell
you it was his impression that she was
somewhere in Europe 1t was at her
request that we've been so quiet about
it." ~, 'lE"ll : -,.., g5-As:,ys. l.
But who is she?" asked, Certain.
ly, from the way you talk about her,
she must be somebody" .5,s5:...
Did you ever hear of Lucy Moku-
nui?"$ r. l... - i 1:,5$5z Es 5#
Lucy Mokunui?"i repeated, haunt.
ed by some familiar association.
shook my head 1T seems to me I've
heard the name, but I've forgotten it,"
Never heard Of Lucy Mokunui! The
Hawaiian nightingale! beg pardon.
or course you are a malahini new
comer) and could not be expected to
know. Well, Lucy Mokunui was the
best beloved of Honolulu-of all Ha-
wall, for that matter" @at
you say 'was,'" I interrupted.
."'And mean it. She is finished"
He shrugged his shoulders pityingly
"A dozen haoles-1 beg your pardon,
white men--have lost their hearts to
her at one time or another. And I'm
not counting in the ruck. The dozen
refer to were haoles of position and
prominence. 1% .,
"She could have married the son of
the chief Justice If she'd wanted to.
You think she's beautiful, Ell? But
you should hear her sing: Finest ma
tive woman singer in Hawaii Mel. Her
throat is pure silver and melted sun
shine. We adored her. She toured
America first with the Royal Hawaiian.
band. After that she made two more
trips on her. own account concert
work" NJ .5*$s Il.
I cried. II remember now.
/ heard her two years ago at the Bos-
ton Symphony. So that is she. I rec
ognize her now" 1,...l w.. iii II.
y / was oppressed by heavy sadness.
Life was futile thing at best. A
short two years and this magnificent
creature at the summit Of her magnifi-
cent success was one of the leper
squad awaiting deportation to Molokai.
! recoiled from my own future. If
this awful fate fell to Lucy Mokunui
what might not my lot be-or any
body's lot? I was thoroughly aware
that in life we are in the midst of
death-but to be in the midst of a
living death, to die and not be dead.
to be one of that draft of creatures
that once were men, aye, and women,
like Lucy Mokunui, the epitome of all
Polynesian charms, an artist as we'll,
and we'll beloved of mem T.
am afraid must have betrayed
my perturbation, for DR.. Georges has
tened to assure me that they were
very happy down in the settlement.
1t was all too inconceivably mon
strous. I could not bear to look at
her. A short distance away, behind a;
stretched rope guarded by police
man, were the lepers' relatives and
friends. They were not allowed to
come near. There were no last en-
braces, no kisses of farewell. They
called back and forth to one another
last messages, last words of love,
last reiterated instructions. And those
behind the rope looked with terrible
intensity. 1t was the last time they
would behold the faces of their loved
ones, for they were the living dead,
being carted away in the funeral ship
to the graveyard of Molokai.
Doctor Georges gave the command,
and the unhappy wretches dragged
themselves to their feet and under
their burdens of luggage began to
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