Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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| TWO OENTL S By SEWARD 1 *Oopjrigiit. b* Robert Bosxeb's Soxs.] CHAPTER I. The great oceanic masterpiece, Monowai, swung slowly and gracefully from her dock at San Francisco, j poiuted her sharp prow westward, and neadod for the romantic, and now his- . torio port of Honolulu The day was a fine one in September, and most of j the passengers stood on the deck -? i?U:_ mnnani-/M.a rtf frptlinrr ] M ?lCUiU? IUU uiaucu?v,io v* ^ 0 tinder way and, later, gazing at the receding shores of California. On board the Monowai, my prettv Bister, Winifred, and myself, Thoma* Warringford, were bound for Honolulu, to make our home with our paternal uncle, whose name was the aauie as my own. Winifred, as I have said, was pretty. Sue was at this time eighteen years of age, tall and graceful, and her name fitted her well. She was winning. She possessed a charm of manner of which I heard many friends speak highly. I wa3 very fond and very proud of my lovely sister, i There was nothing remarkable about me. I was a few years older than Winnie, tall enough aud strong enough to take care of myself among ordinary men, not so ugly in appearance as to I attract attention ? nor handsome i nough to attract attention either. Onr father and mother were dead. Mother had been from us a good many years, ancl father had, a short time before our taking ship, succumbed to an attack of fever. He had been a successful merchant in New York, and had left us fairly well provided for in the matter of fortune. Farther, he had placed us under the care of his brother, to whose home we were now going. We knew but little of UncleThomas . Warringford. He had not been in j America in a good many years. We knew, however, from what our father had frequently told us, that Uncle Tom was a bacheler, v^ry rich, and | lived on a large sugar plantation in j the island of Oabn, upon which the 1 town of Honolulu is situated. Upon receiving news of my father't death, with the facts I have already given, Uncle Tom immediately wrote us a long and very affectionate letter, urging as to come at once to his home, and make it oar own. He portrayed vividly the beauties of the climate and tho luxury of the life in Oahu, and under his urgent invitation it was not a difficult matter for us to decide to accept his invitation and obey our father's wish. Therefore, we had hurriedly ; ' arranged our plans, packed what goods ! we wished to retain, sold the rest of ! the household belongings, and crossed the continent to San Francisco, to aibark on our live days'ocean voyage, j We, like the others on board, were j j on deck, actively interested in every- ' ; thing tuat was going on. We stood j' near the rail. I smoked, Winnie^' talked, aul chains rattled. Sailor^ ahouted, passengers kissed friends good-bv, and ether frj^ids waved' adieus Yrom the dock head. There was no one to see us off, so i we amused ourselves watching the \ the leave-taking of others. We had not been long on boartf1 when a tall, powerful figure among 1 tli* nassencrers attracted my attention, j "Jove!"' I said to Winnie. "There's ! Arthur Gordon." "And who is Arthur Gordon, Tom?" ; she asked. "That tell fellow over there, leanin!; against the pipe, looking utterly disconsolate." "But who is he?" "A good old Harvard chum. Best . fellow you ever knew. Now, I won- ! der what brings him on board the Monowai. I am going over to speak to him." I crossed to where Gordon stood, and slapped him on the back before he knew who it was. He turned, aud with a smile greeted me. "What! You here, Warringford? Whither bound?" We shook hands heartily, and I told hi<n why we were there. "And yon? What are you driving at?" I .isked. 4ivr^ _ 11 i it:? ?> 1:^,1 H tneaseu IUIU^, repiiou uuidon. "Deen in the worst kind of lack ever since we left Harvard. You know I tried medicine. Well, the money gave out and I had to give it up. Tried the road for a wholesale drug house, but they failed. Don't know whether I caused the failure or not, but at any rate it threw me out gain. Then I boxed around from one thing to another, managed to scrape a few hundred dollars together, but could settle on nothing that held out a future. Then I got a fever for a change of country in my head, xad I read so much about Honolulu taat I thought i would pull up stakes and tackle tbe old lava-bed and see if there was any chance to do business there." EMEN " f OF HAWAII. <$ 0 W. HOPKINS. ^ "Good! I am downright glad of it We shall have some tine times tberu n t _:u a; m | LUUit?, X ill i .uiuuuto j uu iv/ uij | ker Winifred." We three got aiong splendidly. Gor. don was famous good company, played a good game of chess, draughts or eards, and we whi'ed away many au *iour that would have been tedious ^>ut for him. I think Winnie liked Gordon from the start. I did not wonder at it. He had been the champion at college games, and had won friends all through his life. I knew that no 024 conld help liking Winnie bo It seemed hat naiuial tnat arnena* ship should spring up between the two. The fourth day out the passengers began to show that nervous activity which is always to be seen on a ship about to make a port. There was the bustle and anxiety of the nervous woman who fears that something will happen to interfere with the proper discharge of her luggage. Then there was the man in a huriy, who walked the deck impatiently, as if he thought he could have driveu the steamer at a greater speed if he had been asked to help. And the man who3? luggage must be put off first was with us. Bui the most important of all the universal types was the mau who had been there before. He was here, there, everywhere. He formed one of every group. He waylaid the lonely passenger and informed him that the appearance ol th3 water indicated our approach to the islands. "There!" exclaimed a man who had been there before, pointing ahead. "There is the gem of the earth!" A hazy cloud could be seen in the distance, .telling of the presence there j of high mountains. "Mercy!" ejaculated the nervou< j woman. "Are those mountains al) volcanoes?" "So, madam," bla ndly replied the man who had been there before, glad of an opportuuity to once more instruct his audience. "The large volcanoes, of which you have doubtless read, are not on the island of Oahu, toward which we are speeding. Two are or the island of Hawaii, the largest of the kingdom. The largest crater of all, though now extinct, is Haleakala, on Maui. The mountains which you see now were voleauoes long ago, but are now covered with verdure, and hold, ready for the hunter's rifle, plenty of beasts.", "Goodness gracious!" again exclaimed the nervous woman. "Don't they swoop down 011 Honolulu and eat up the inhabitants?" "No," replied the man who had been 1 Lhere before, apologetically. "They I never swoop, and they eat mostly grass. They are wild cattle whicu 1 have probablv escaped years ago from | the plantations." 1 "We arc learning something," said 1 Gordon, with a laugh. ] I fcn-isrjed. - I ' w0 shall know all about Hono- 1 lulu," she said. "It is better than ' going into a place an utter stranger." 1 "There is Cocoa Head," said the 1 man who had been there before. "See that promontory to the south? That 1 is it. Now, in two hours, at this ' speed, we ought to see Diamond ; Point, then Honolulu itself. Ah, 1 what a place that is! The gem of the ] footstool!" With strong glasses wo could discern \rees and rocks and hills. Here j and there we could see white, shining j houses on the plantations. The man 1 who knew all about it said he could I ?ee moving Chinamen, Portuguese and others working in the lields. No one ! else could, but, then, we had nbt been 1 there before. But we were getting I nearer very rapidly. I "There's Diamond Point!" shouted Ua nrnnrinnnn 4 4 In tit r A A Hfllirft I UC Ul IUO VA|/W(tVUWi A? ? WW more we will be in Honolulu Bay." \ "I would like to avail myself of i your kuowledge of Honolulu," said | Gordon, to the man who bad been there before. "I am a total stranger < there, and would ask what hotel would | serve me best?a hotel cheap but i good." i "Xo, no!" I said hastily. "Gordon, I you must come with us to the plaiitn- ' tion and make it your home until you | have some settled plau to follow." "Xow, Warringt'ord," replied Gordon, "don't tempt me. It would not do. I thank you a thousand times for your kindness, but I cannot allow my- i self to accept. I have come to Hono- : lulu expecting to piow my own way, and I must do it." Tiio man who knew it all gave rao a withering giaucc, as though my interference was a direct usurpation of his rights. And he hastened to reply to i Gordon, lest go:uo other interloper < rob him of the cherished opportunity, i "Hotel, fir?" ho said. "There r hat ono hotel ia Honolulu worthy ol the name. llotol? Why, the Xnnanu Mouse is the only place in the whole island where a traveler can bo treated i nuiT-way claoenily. JDon't think ol going to any other, I implore you, for your own good. At the Xuuanu tue table Is good, tho beds clean, the service is excellent, the prices cheap. There you have all the essentials of o tirr.t-class home. Try the Nuuanu above all others." "I have heard of the Royal as being?" A pitying smile broke up the face of the man who knew. "The Royal," he said, interrupting Gordon, "my dear sir, was a good home once, but it is played out. I tell yon in candor, iny friend, that you will find comfort in no hotel in Honolulu except the Nuuanu. Moreover, I am going there myself, and if you will allow me to be of service to you, I will take charge of your luggage and see that you are comfortably put up." "I tbauk you,"Jreplied Gordon, "hut I could not trouble you to thac extent/' "Troublo! Who said trouble? Not I, sii! Now, I assure you the Nanauu is the place to go. I am goiug there. Ton?I assume?are going thero also. I have luggage; you have luggare. Yours goes up with mine. Where's the trouble?" "Well," said Gordon, slowly; "it will certainly be n service to me! 1 thank yon. Here is my card." "Ah, thanks! Gordon?good name. I Here's mine! Not so pretty, but substantial, eh?" He gave Gordon a card, which bo read, then, with a smile, handed it to mo. It said: ... .?. ??.???,?? ??????? JOTiLTtOY SEACA1IP, raopbiitoa Xot-::c "Tocsr, : ; Honolulu. ! Mr. Seacamp rushed away to attend i to Gordon's luggage. "No wonder he was loud in prais- j ing his own hotel," said Winnie, with a laugh. "I hope you will find it as line as it is pictured, Mr. Gordon." i "I hope so, too," said Gordon;! "hnt there ijj a lurking doubt in mv ! mind, Still, 1 can uo no less than try it." "Get ready to go ashore," came the - t t/% /\mw of nfo_ uruur, ttuu v nciiu iv vui , rooms to get our traps in shape for landing. CHAPTER II. Winifred and I were met at th? j wharf in Honolulu by Uncle Thomas Warringford, whose gray head bobbed i and whoee kindly eyes became suf- ; fused with tears when he greeted us. I I think it was Winnie's mourning ! dress that touched him most, reviving ! in his mind memories of my departed father. He wrung my hand and called me "My boy!" Then he smothered ^ Winnie with kisses and folded her in his arms and patted her cheeks until I she wept softly in sympathy. But we spent little time on the dock. ! Uncle Tom gave some orders to his man, who accompanied bim, and our luggage was carried out to a wagon, which started offbefore we were fairly ; ovor oar greetings. Then ho led us to a carriage, a low, comfortable rock* iway, and, taking the rcin3 himself, , [trove away. I sat with Uncle Tom on the front seat, and Winnie sat in state behind. Uncle Tom's horses were not , Df the fiery, prancing kind. Tliev; were more like himself, substantial, well-fed and capable of doing a trc* , caendous amount of work. Around the dock the place did not look unlike other Southern porta. There was tho Fame dirt, the same [l imber of odors and the same crowd | if idlers lying about on the walls or piles of freight. There wero Chinese, 1 Portuguese and a sprinkiiDg of Meii:r.ns. Among them there was also a number of good-natured-looking peopie of a dull copper color, who were, j as Uncle Tom informed us, types of the natives of the islands. When vtfe had passed tho blocks of :ow buildings of the business quarter, ! ivo turned info a broad, level street j lined by houses both modern and comfortable in their aspect. "This is King street, children," sai l Uncle Thomas. "It is not the finest street in Honolulu, but it is iu some respects the most important. The palace is on this street." Of course, Winnie and I were alive j infaroil anil xrArfl nntin? every- ! M,*u " W.vw. "* O v thing and everybody that we passed. One fact that surprised me was the lomestic aud homelike appearance of the place. My idea of the Hawaiian Islands, taken from books written by people who knew very little about their subject, was a confused mass of missionaries, heathon, lazy and dirty natives, overpowering heat and several ather things jumbled together, all more or less undesirable. What I actually found was a business town, upon tho streets of which walked Americans and Englishmen as well dressed as myself and seemingly energetic aud prosperous. Stores of all kinds, of inviting cleanliness; dry goods, groceries an.I staple manufactures temptingly! exhibited in windows and showcases;) carriages of the rich equal in appoint- , incuts to any in Xew York. As we rolled along, we passed other j vehicles, to tho occupants of which ; Uuele Thomas bowed or spoke pleas-' inily. And I noticed with a sense of gladness that he was treated with a show of great respect by all. "That was-Jr. v/nnams, an English sugar-planter," said hit uncle, as a / tall, finely appearing man passed us, mounted on a large bay horse. "Williams never rides in a carriage. He is perpetually ou horseback. He is x ; good neighbor." t Next a heavy carriage came rumb- t ling aloug, with a portly man sitting stolidly upon the seat in great dignity. He bowed slightly to my uncle, who acknowledged the salute in kind. "AIy. uncle!" said Winnie, laugh- s ing. "That man must be a prince or, I at least, a duke. Justuses how digoi- a lied he is." <= "No, Winnie," replied Uncle Tom, v smiling. "Wo have |no dukes and t princes here. Our royal family is 2 small. A queen and princess are all we can boast of, aud they aro quite I enough in their line. That gentleman " is secretary of state to the queen. Ho ' practically controls, so far as the real a business interests of the kingdom are ! concerned, all the islands. Hut it is rather a selfish rale ve aro under. 1 Still, we must not complain. We have ? many blcssiugs tor which we are thankful." .Again a heavy carriage met ns. A j, huge ah'air, upon whicu appeared the t royal arms of England. a ' The Uiit'sli minister," said my j y ancle. Too Englishman bowed and waved a his hand at our carriage, and Undo g i'om lifted his hat. The British uiru- b ster was much older than my uucle. a "We are seeing all the celebrities at t once," I said. (To be eontinvd.) '] ?d ti VIPERS AND TOADS. c ? 0 Some Stories of the Queer Doings of the ^ Creatures- t Oru friend, the toad, in addition to his faculties for clearing gardens of slugs ^ and insects, sitting in holes, ravaging ' beehives, and beirg found alive in the in- 0 side of snakes and coal strata, has other ^ interesting qualities. If 1 may believe ^ the accounts given me by my elders, a loau may nave a ia>ie iur rru^ium mu- c sic. At about the age of five I kept a \ pet toad, for whose benefit I used to \ catch Hie*, beetles, slugs, etc. I clearly remember his taking these frotu my c hand, as well as his lumbering cheerily e toward me whenever I ramc alone into C the garden. V ant also told that he lis- *( tened with rapt attention while I sang 0 to him, "Oft in sorrow, oft in woe. Onward. Christians, onward go." ibis ! J circumstance. I may say in the sacred cause of truth, I do not remember very g distinctly. I do, however, remember t very distinctly bringing him sauccrfuls j of milk, which afterward became empty, c TBis consumption, may, however, have v taken place vicariously, after the man- tl ner of the disappearance of offerings as ti related in "Bi! and the Dragon," for ex- t! ample, by substituting pussy for priest. 2 Poccinnr In venrs. I Once came across a "fearful wildfowl" he- * longing to the batrachian tribe on the bare waterlc.-s veld of Ma?honafand. or rather Makalakaland. between the then j| so-called torts of Tuii and Victoria. He a was as large as many of our toad-* put t] together, had a head like a bull dog. only a uglier (if bull dogs are ugly), and large pimples on his back, and he moved him- p self by means of clumsy but fair-sized l k hops, instead of shuffling or waddling. ] t! a- his little English relative usually does, u unless much frightened or excited. I i nearly walked over him, and he at once ^ made for ine open-mouthed. 1 held out a' a stick, which lie laid hold of and heid on to as though he were a terrier. A young bull dog I had with me then (and tj now -till treasure in his old age), either not recognizing the likeness or being tj insulted liv the cros-tiess of the Darody, made a grab at him. and w as with difficulty hauled and called off, and was afterward fully occupied for -onie min- ( utes in ehoaking. making faces and scat- [ ttring frothy saliva: and thereafter look- p ed askance at toads generally. Some r Colonial wagon owners, with whom I ti was a passenger, called this creature v (phonetically) a "pod." or "poddcr." s How the word is *pelt I never found out. v but 1 heard elsewhere that it is really ^ the Cape Dutch for sonic kind of frog; ^ though what Cape frogs are like I knownot. never having lived in the colony itself. Mv friend (or enemy) I should he inclined to dub a "hull toad." if he has not a name already. Perhaps some f. naturalist can enlighten me. The Boer*, n: by >Iu- way. call a tortone. ot ail tmng>. j a "shell frog," in the -aine cheerfully f( indiscriminate and topsy-turvy way that they call a cheetah a leopard, a # leopard a tiger, a hyena a wolf, a bustard a peacock, a sand grouse a (Xania(|tia > partridge, an ant-eater an earth- Cl p:g. a giraffe a camel, and a locu?t a 'u:np-cock or spring chicken.?Letter in J'ell Moil Gazette. a Dross Fastenings. t] Buttons are being used much mote than the invisible hock-and-eye that Ivras always striving to creep into no- a tier?of the past few years. No one especial kind of button is in vogue. They are used with due reference to the material of the dress. With figured silk, brocade or velvet a small fancy 0 button of enamel, metal or jeweied is good. With plain silk or satin a small a crochet button is preferred. Smooth I cloths have tailor buttons of the same i v\ material, and cheviot, tweed, home- j spun, etc.. are fastened with horn, bone i p o' smoked prr.il buttons. ? COMMISSION AT WORK. Arranging Tax Rate On Cotton .Mills and Stocks. The State hoard of equalization, which is one of the most important >odies in the State, being charged with he fixing of valuations for the pur>ose of taxation upon the property .?r ill cotton mills, oil mills fertiliz e actories and eanais in the tate reassembled ir. the Su>reme Court room Tuesday morning it 11:30 o'clock. At that nour, nowver. while many of the members vere here a number had not reached he city and a recess was taken until o'clock. At that hour there was a quorum resent and the board lost no time in jotting down to work, he tomptruler's clerks had carefully gone over ill the statements sent In by the va ious officials and rniil owners and iad already figured out the assessnents upon the basis of 0.? per cent, (f the total value of stacks and (onds. and the excellenly gotten up abular statements for each class of troperty were ready for the members 2ach man was furnished with a copy, he essential figures of \vhi..h so far us the cotton mills were concerned tave been given. Before starting the important work head of them the members agreed to ive Mr. Mcses of Sumter a hearing hi ehalf of the Sumter mill. He entered u earnest protest against a too high axation of the company's property. I: was then determined to divide the oard up into committees, these comlittees being charged with the car em I onslderation of the Individual returns f each class of property concerned. 'hoiirnon RraiUov horon n..;i named he following committees: On Cotton Mill Property?Messrs. Villi3 of Spartanburg. Greer of Anerson. Spreegle of Greenville. Smith f York ami I>ane of Marlboro. On Oil Mills?Messrs. A. J. Richourg, L. B. Rogers. R. P. A tidy. .1. \V. irton and H. C. Shirkley. On Fertilizer Factories?Messrs. C. i. Williams. D. M. Barrentine. N. B. V'anamaker, Chas. Dusenbury and W. V. Kennedy Before entering upon the work the oraptroller read to the board the aruest written protests of Messrs. Irr, Montgomery and Courtenay. colon mill presidents, against the basis f taxation adopted. The comptroller said he would liko o hear the views of the members as o the right of the board to proceed tvi he basis adopted as some he understood might wi?h to raise some quesion. If this v.as eo it was better to X X?_?_ * * ? .J ^ o it at mis stage, ne reau v-ui. irr's letter holding that alue of the stock did not rfpreafit tie line value of the property, and that he basis adopted was in violation tie constitution which required equal^^^ ation in the matter of taxation. Mr. Durham held that the mark*: alue of the stock, that which it s.iid ar in the open market was a very fair iidex of its value. Mr. C. A. Williams wished to know the acts of the board on the basis dopted would be legal, and said if his was net certain they would p:obblv run into a big legal fight. Mr. Lott suggested that after all erhaps the county boards probably new more about the actual value < f factories than the Sta e board id. After a very brief discussion th** oard determined to let the basis dopted at the last meeting stand mi roeeeded with the other business. The board then took a recess till > 'clock and the committees began ieir work. At 3 o'clock the commit^es were not one-third through with reir work. At Clemsou College. Clemson College, Special.?Everyhing is being prepared for the reoepion of the GOO students who will reort here on the 11th. A dozen or mote adets are here now at work wiring lie new buildings. The new dormitory ."ill not be. completed by the time chool opens, but the old dormitory .ill be crowded so as to make a place or ail students who have been acepted until the new b lilding is ready or occupancy. Accounts Crooked. Columbia, S. C., Special.?Frank C. eechner, cashier of the Bank of Timlonsville, suddenly disappeared firm iinmonsviile, S. C., a short while ago ir reasons unknown at the time. Since len an examination of the bank's i:ounts shows the cashier to be sho t jme $3,000 and it is feared an incivi-v 1 shortage will be found as the invesgation continues. Leechner was ended in a surety company for $ib.(>' 0 ad the directors of the baak an noun ?? :iat neither the creditors nor the fanding of the bank will be impaired, cernner has left nu due to his wherebouts so far as is known. Brief Mention. Whatever it is one's duty to do rt is ue's duty to remember. He who does the best he knows lwavs has a duty in sight. When the soul is on fire its drov. rill quickly be consumed. We shall not stop lying in our ravers till we *:op cheating in our ervices. . -