Part 10 (1/2)
One day I got a note fro run Scanlon, the half-caste policeman, was there, and when I had listened to his story I threw my hat in the air and shouted like a boy, and Sasa and I waltzed up and down the veranda to the petrifaction of twoin tow of some square-toes froy, and with Scanlon on horseback pounding behind us wehih, we found a young ht out the music box and very soon satisfied me as to the truth of what Scanlon had said Then at a slower pace, so that Tautala ht keep up with us, alked to To'oto'o's house and taxed him with the whole business!
At first heit, but what could he say with Scanlon and Tautala in risen witness against him? He tried to refuse to co), until Scanlon took a hand in the fray and let his iination run riot about the lahich, as he was the official representative of it and wore a pewter star on his breast, soon settled To'oto'o's half-hearted objections If anything else anted, it was the arrival at this juncture of Seumanutafa at the head of a dozen retainers, who added the finishi+ng stroke to the little resistance To'oto'o had left Then we all started off for the Southern Cross Bakery, and, as alked slowly and naturally, attracted a good deal of attention; and as we told every one we rew until, as I looked down the procession, I couldn't see the end of it The Chief Justice was sucked in Likewise the President Marquardt, the chief of police, joined us; Haggard, the land commissioner; some Mormon missionaries; two lay brothers froers from the mail boat, with handkerchiefs stuck into their sweaty collars; Captain Hufnagel on horseback, with a small army of Guadalcanaar laborers; half the synod of the Wesleyan church in white _lavalavas_ and hymn-books; a picnic party that had just returned (not wholly sober) from the Papase'ea; blue-jackets from the _Sperber_; blue-jackets from the _Walleroo_; three survivors of the British bark _Windsor Castle_, burned at sea; a Gerer costume, with blue spectacles and a butterfly net; six whole boatloads of an _aua_ party from Manu'a; a lot of political prisoners on parole; two lepers, and Charley Taylor!
It e had brought Marquardt with us, for he and his police caught the hu the bakery forreat hollow square with one side blank for Silver Tongue, who stood and gazed at us transfixed from the shade of his veranda Then Seumanutafa, Sasa, Scanlon, Tautala, To'oto'o, and I broke ranks and marched up to him
”Old uess what brought us here to-day!”
”It's O's head again,” he said, grinding his teeth and casting a vitriolic glance at To'oto'o, ”and if there was any law or order in this Godforsaken land”--he looked daggers at the Chief Justice as he said this--”that fellar would have got short jift formy fader-in-law's aunt's son!”
”He didn't ue's jaw fell He looked at us quite overcome For a minute he couldn't say a word
”Oh, but he deed!” he said at last
”It was Tautala that killed hiht from Mulinu'u, ”and it turns out he sold your relation's head to To'oto'o for seven dollars and afrom ear to ear, Tautala held up thehad not soasped Silver Tongue ”It's a lie!”
”Scanlon himself was at the battle,” I went on, ”and he saw the whole thing and was a witness to Tautala getting the seven dollars, and he made To'oto'o pony up four dollars more as the price of his own secrecy”
”Four dollars,” ejaculated Scanlon ”That's right, Captain Bransob
Four dollars!”
”So, if you are angry with anybody,” I said, ”you ought to be angry with Tautala All To'oto'o did was to buy a little cheap notoriety for eleven dollars and ain all my life as Oppenstedt The eyes seeh he could have strangled hination toward Rosalie's uncle You see, he had been hating To'oto'o ferociously for six months, and couldn't switch off at a er like Tautala Besides, his hatred for To'oto'o had beco hi it with titnesses and a ered
”Now, old fellow,” I said, ”we'll call bygones bygones, and maybe you'll let us see a littlelately”
”Youthe words like a
”Yes, Rosalie,” I said
”Gaptain Bransob,” he said, his face convulsed with passion, ”that gossu irave--far rader would I have wild horses on me trample--than that I should indermarry with a family and bossibly betaintand unprincibled a liar A ed in cowardice and deceit that he couldn't his own heads cut off, but must buy dem of others, and faunt himself a hero while honest worth bassed unnoticed and bushed aside”
”It was honest worth that chopped off the head of your father-in-law's aunt's son!” I said
”Gaptain,” he returned, ”there are oggasions when in condrast to a liar--to a golossal liar--to one who has made a peeziness of systematic deception--a murderer is a shentle in ”You irl at all All the tiirls' hearts--and serve you right somebody cut your head off!”
”Wish they would,” I said, out of all patience with the fellow ”First he can't marry Rosalie because her uncle's a murderer Now he can't marry her because her uncle's a liar Disprove that, and he'd dig up some fresh objection!”
”I lofe her! I lofe her!” protested Silver Tongue
”Coirl's adopted uncle”