Evening star., 1924-04-20

course. He had inherited the estate
and the lawful designation of his
father
In the garden of the ramshackle.
Jig-saw homestead-imported pice-
meal from Australia--stood a wealth
er-beaten marble tomb-imported
bodily from Hawaii Between the
jungle that ran over in tangled green
and the lagoon that frothed in cream
and blue, there it had stood for
eighteen years; and from its ornately
carvCn epitaph, the half-caste boy
had first learned his letters:
HENRY GORDON SHoESMITH
b. Scotland 1s47
d. Eitongo. Sept 6, 1898.
Every mans work shall be made
manifest"
l. Cor. III
And underneath lay the original
tractor Of Nitongo-the tough Old,
far-wandering Scot, who had founded
home and family and fortune in this
restful island nook; who had been
and terribly-slain by an unknown
hand.
Unknown" be it said at once, in
the official sense only; for no person
had ever been tried for the deed
Unproven" would be more nearly
exact; for in private talk. the muir
derer had been charged. tried and
condemned long since
"Tu'u ia mo paga," said Henry:
which means, it is nothing, it is for
gotten-it should not count He
climbed ashore and sat shaking the
wet from his straight black hair
and cleaning in the sun like a
bronzed norman. Eighteen year.
tha's awful long time" said Henry
OF vitongo.
His cousin Gordon scowIed down at
him.
"A long time don't change the fact
IL you was man, Henry Shoesmith-
the alt Of a man.
Ah, tha's it." smiled Henry quietly.
without malice. "Tha's why-eh? I
am only 'alf a man beside you" A
neat way Of recalling that Gordon's
mother had married a white; where
fore Gordon was a quarter-caste
collese-taught in New Zealand. and
wore celluloid collars and satin ties
and altogether comported himself
with the dominant race.
Tu'u la mo paga," repeated Henry.
The other bit his lip. 1t was his
vehement annoyance that this grace
less young scamp should have fallen
into the best part of the Shoesmith
possessions. 1t was almost equally
annoying that the scamp should care
SO little to augment those holdings,
to deploy them with social gestures
or oven to protect them, as appeared.
1dst'n to me-" he said, severely.
Everybody knows who killed your
father. Everybody knows it was the
same h-wicked, h-wicked man who is
trying TO thieve away the rest Of
your land now"
X + \
HENRY pillowed himself on the
warm sand and continued to
smile indolenly out across the smiI-
ing bay.
"He will do it, too-unIess you
fight. He has bought up all the notes
OF your foolish borrowings in Apia
and raised the amount by tricks and
false claims. Oh-h, a cunning d-he-
viz Ave you forgotten?" Gordon's
voice fell q sinister note your
father had loaned him much money.
omebody-somebody- your faith
ers throat as ho slept, and thieved
all those papers OF those loans. Eth?
And now this same man comes again
TO r-r-rob you. Only this time he
docs not need to use a knife-Henry
Shoesmith!" Gordon called upon him.
Henry Shoesmith; do you remember
that knife?"
Something like a cloud passed over
Henrys face; something like a shud-
der took him, as when &C damp wind
turns tho breadfruit leaf. Did he
not remember that knife? 1t was the
substance Of every evil vision he had
had from childhood. He always saw
it az 1t hung over his fathers bed
a Malay kris, really, though Henry
never knew it as such; one of the
yrelios the shrewd old trader had gath
cred in his travels before he settled
down as an island patriarch: q thing
with . wavy blade and q handle set
/; u eosored stones that giittered-glit-
, tered dreadfully. He always saw 1t
! Slitå through q red mist since
the morning when- as a more toddler.
he had been frst to discover the
rtragedy.
'IAst,n. I know whore that knife
IL kepy I know three mon In Apia
who have seen It Tho stones ara
very valuable. and Jorsnson needs
. money again, as be did heforc- He
u,zs trSed TO sell it-Joranson tho Dane y
still Henry made no response.
sYou could fnd that knife II you
searched on board his trading cut
ttse. % II you dared!" said Cor
t.dou, with spuYt Of anger. Hob!
But yeu do not dare Even when
xrito - waiting there for You. A beam
/, tifuI GIRL is Tito--the daughter OF Jo-
,ranson- She fears 'em. and every
night be beats her with a bamboo
!. stick. She Is only waiting for some
strong man to take her away from
him. But she Will not wait long for
you when she knows you are . cow
Ardr
Henry sat ~ at last III an aot =