Ka Leo o ka Lahui, Volume II, Number 195, 18 May 1891 — A ROMANCE. [ARTICLE]

A ROMANCE.

(CONTINUED.)

They climbe<l into l>oat and #rouie(ī the drowBy owner,»who after some eonveratation with the polieemau, put his Oar« in the oarlockH and puUtd nlow!)' out toward the setting sun. After a while there appeared a hlae k line again«t the fiery horizen, and then w>dened they approached till they saw a long, low, dark bui)ding like barrackH, atanding on a «and bar just a little abo/o tht> water level. The boat eame along«ide a rude structure of old boardH and the polieeman told Nyama te get out. He Rtood on thc rude wharf and watched tlte receding boat, looking lon* at the bay, the city half hid in tropic folīage and the purple mountainbeyond. At lagt he turned and strode toward I the buildingB. Little fire were burning before the doors whieh turned out to be little eamp fires over whieh many Jap4P«?ee were boiling the rice for their evening mqal.

I Here wēre all the excursionistB wlk» | had com£ «n the pleasure trip to Bow* owe», HiUinp on the eand or bitß board or lying on their red and blue blankets, eating plain boiled rice from tin platea and talking. Nyama addre6sed one of these groups. They had been on the bar for ten day«; thex dI4 mot bave enough to eat and it WM cold at night; they thought thejr would be released to-morrow. That wai aH the newa with them; but when th«y 4«ained that Nyama had eome from the ciij7,l» was. aoon surrounded bya of eager quegtioneri, anxious to. h«4r about Bowowee and their prospect« ior maki&g a fortune. oouM tell them but little and ea6ape4 M?s©on as poaeihle. Going into •one of tbft housea he found it empty, hūt for the ahelves on the walle whieh • were evidently occupied as bede. Frora eome eame gnores t from others sighs and i groans. Remembering that the sand outpide wae wet, Nyama climbed on one ; of the board-«helvee, and lying on hig ! back gave himself up to gloomy epeeulatione. Here he passed the night, dregsed in his best euit of clothes without a blanket, turning over and about onthehard Barface, co!d stiff and disconsolate. This was his introduction to the reverse sideof life in the Paradise of tb« Paeifie«

Nok fchiB eame evening tbe Chief Sup«rtiBor of Japaneee Immigration eame to call at the hotel. He knocked at the docnr of Nyama'e room, and not waiting long for an anawer walked in. Faza Btill lying on the bed her body convulsed withgrief. He put his hand on one •£ tke emall kid shoes that showed below her white dress, and giving a little pull said: u Come now, don't cry so, your husban4 ir all safe. get up and I will tell youi all it." Fgza sat up and pushed back her diehevfeled hair and wipe her swolen eyes witfc her handkerchief. "Where is he?" she demanded. "wHy.don't he eome back ?" Hi« «upervisor sat down on the edg« of the bed and p«t his arm around the eleiider corset-compresi?ed waist. Faza sprang up and stood at bay staring at hien and ready to run away. * 4 What areyou s<»red about ?" said the eupervisor. "I won't hurt you. You are very handsome now. Come and give me a kies; nobodv is looking. If you don't, I won'ttell youabout Nyama. He might have to stay in. prison for five years." "Oh, pleaae sir, don*t mookme," crieii the girl, but tell me about my husbapfd." " Well," he said, "Nj-ama w*s arrested because he and all the Ja|>aneee that eome her* through the goveruraent are under oontract to work in thecane-fields fr a term of five years. Any one who un<iertakee to work oan not ehange his mi«d and refuse to varry <>ut his ooatra<&, if h« attempts to he is arrested <Mid mt back to work. (To b*€<mtinaed).