The Washington times., 1921-03-20
Ry Beatrice Crilnshaw

Tycoon. Queens had to llsve an iron
'wpod sofa. even II they DIDN'T cit on
II. Just ~ they had to havs'a turtle
or 20 for style.
HOME had a proper kava :owl,
big hs . sponge bath, whercic the
great Pacific drink might be brewed
st night; row of dinner-smats to
put the banana leaf plates on. fresh
1t each meal; Q bed with an I'm
menso patchwork quilt; ooCx;ng
pots . few; no more. Lalua, the
Queen. chose to have II so. She
was in this like almost all the ISL
ands' sovereigns OF her day.
Lalua, the Queen. was rot asleep
when ! came up the sanded path.
way lending to her home.
] found Lalua sitting on her
sofa OF state, her eyes (beauti-
ful eyes yet In spite Of her hye and
forty years) fixed upon the far SEE
line, and she barely greeted me as
T came In. But knew she was
glad to see me. dropped to the
moor, and. sitting native-fashion.
cross.legged. my head against
Lalua's knees, I dreamed.
II must have been an hour or
, moro before Maiera came in with
cocoanuts for us. She had been
asleep on the back veranda. It is
etiquette In the Hawongas and in
many other islands to open drink.
ing-nuts IN the presence Of the
guest. There have been times when
the lie Of the guest depended on 1t.
MDra took the husked nuts,
roueK spheres Of hbrous white. from
the boy who had cleaned them.
stuck Q knsfA-point' into two out
Of the three eyes of each. and
handed one to Lalua and the other
to me. ] watched her idly. I saw
nothing out Of the common in any.
thing she did.
But when I had drunk the cool.
sweet water. and was fitting the
nut to get the fnal drops. ! felt
something small and hard roll down
the interior and touch my lips. I
was 90 astonished that I opened my
mouth to speak, and Immediately
the small hard thing slipped into It.
dropped II on my hand. and
behold! II was o pearl perfect,
rose-colored pearl of the rarest
kind, large as falcons eye. II was
the match, in every detail. of the
pearl that I had, at that moment in
my pocket.
I had not been brought up in the
islands without knowing that the
value Of rare pearl is more than
,doubled-more than trebled some
times-if you can find Its mate.
These pearls, 90 matched. were at
for the ears Of any princess In
Europe.
You could not see them as any
thing but earrings. And my ears
were pierced-had been pierced two
years ago by Lalua herself at my
special request. because I had a lit
tie pair OF hook earrings once my
mothers and wanted to wear them.
They were pearls-but with what a
difference!
"Oh. Lalua. Lalua!" cried. "Peo-
pie say that you and Maiera are
sorceresses. and think 1t must be
true. How. did you enchant this
pearl into the cocoanut? And the
other-I never thanked you for that
but I'm afraid shan't be allowed
to keep It."
Maiera took up the cocoanut,
looked 1t over and under, peered
into 1t and set It down with a smile.
In the island, strange things
happen. sometime" she observed.
She spoke much better English
than the Queen.
'Oh," stammered. suddenly en-
barrassed. .because-because Lor-
raine did not like me to take valu-
able presents. 1t was always boys
who sent them"
We'll. no boy have sent dis. One |
have give you. de other-ah, well,
dat 10 sorcery OF Maiera, bad grill"
the Queen entirely with
out emotion. 'Maiera, II you had |
live nfty year ago I tink dey have
tied you In q canoe wit hole in
It and send you out to sea-
They are lovely. lovely!" mur-