British Columbia -- Fiction; Man-woman relationships -- Fiction; Revenge -- Fiction; Sawmills -- Fiction
And as George Quin came ashore he heard Jenny's screams. "Another
drunken row," he said carelessly as he faced the hill to his lonely
house. He was very glad to get back home to his tenas klootchman,
for he hated loneliness. He said "poor little Jenny" as he walked.
There was now a crowd about poor Jenny, for more came running, more
Siwashes, among them Skookum Charlie, and more Chinamen. But still
no one interfered, though Annawillee shrieked even more than Jenny.
She implored Chihuahua to kill Pete. But Chihuahua booted Annawillee
and made her howl on her own account.
"She run way and come back," said Chihuahua. "If she mine I kill
her, carajo!"
And Pete started kicking Jenny. Once and again she cried out, and
then the last of all who looked on came like a fury at Pete. The
bleared and haggard and horrible old Annie was the one who had the
courage, and the only one.
"Aya, you damn Pete," she screamed. She got her claws in Pete's long
black hair and pulled him down. She was a bundle of flying rags with
a savage cat in them. If Jenny were killed she would be nothing to
Annie, but while she lived she was worth drinks. And perhaps Annie
loved the little klootchman. Who can tell?
She and Pete rolled together on the dusty road, and the onlookers
shrieked with laughter. Quin heard it as he climbed.
"The row's over," said Quin.
More came out of the huts, and this time Wong, old Wong, the
philosopher was among them. And with him came Lung and Wing, and at
last Sam. The Chinamen stood outside the circle of the Siwashes and
chattered. The first told the others that Pete had killed his wife,
and now was killing someone else. The devilish twisting bundle in
the dusty road revolved and squealed. But Annawillee howled by the
side of Jenny, who lay insensible. Skookum struck a light, and it
shone upon the poor girl. It showed her dress of scarlet, and Sam's
quick eyes saw it. He ran in quickly towards her, though the wise
Wong held him back. Chinamen never join in alien rows if they can
help it. It is wisest not to, and they have much wisdom. Skookum's
match went out. Sam lighted another and knelt beside Jenny.
"'Ullo, Chinaman," grinned Skookum, "you tink she dead, you tink
mimaloose?"
Oh, said Sam, this was Mista Quin's Missus right enough. What did
she want here? He called to Wong, who came calmly, unhurriedly. Sam
spoke to him in their own tongue, and then Sam, who was as quick to
catch as Wong was wise to suggest, cried out suddenly that the tenas
klootchman was dead. He took her in his arms and ran with her to
Wong's shack. And as he ran Pete got up from Annie, whom he had
choked into stillness. But his torn face bled and one eye was nearly
on his cheek. He kicked Annie as she lay, and then turned to where
he had left Jenny.
"Where my klootchman go?" he demanded.
They told him in a dreadful chorus that she was dead, and he
staggered back against his shack.
"Where is she?"
"Wong take her."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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