The Methodical Mr. Burr of Majuro, page 1 by Louis Becke
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prodded a junk of meat with his forefinger.
'Right, old man I said. 'I'll come now, and we went into the big room and sat down.
'Air ye game ter come and see me get married?' he asked, looking away past me, through the open door, to where the surf thundered and tumbled on the outer reef
'Ned, I said, solemnly, 'I know you don't joke, so you must mean it. Of course I will. I'm sure all of us fellows will be delighted to hear you're going to get some nice little carajz1 to lighten up that big house of yours over there. Who's the girl, Ned?'
'Le-jennabon.'
'Whew!' I said, 'why she's the daughter of the biggest chief on Arhnu. I didn't think any white man could get her, even if he gave her people a boat-load of dollars as a wedding-gift.'
'Well, no,' said Ned, stroking his beard meditatively, 'I suppose I should feel a bit set up; but two years ago her people said that, because I stood to them in the matter of some rifles when they had trouble with King Jibberick, I could take her. She was rather young then, any way, but I've been over to Arhnu several times, and I've had spies out, and damn me if I ever could hear a whisper against her. I'm told for sure that her father and uncles would ha'e killed anyone that came after her. So I'm a-goin to take her and chance it.'
'Ned,' I said, 'you know your own affairs and these people better than I do. Yet are you really going to pin your faith on a Marshall Island girl? You are not like any of us traders. You see, we know what to expect sometimes, and our morals are a lot worse than those of the natives. And it doesn't harrow our feelings much if any one of us has to divorce a wife and get another; it only means a lot of new dresses and some guzzling, drinking, and speechifying, and some bother in teaching the new wife how to make bread. But your wife that died was a Manhikian--another kind. They don't breed that sort here in the Marshalls. Think of it twice, Ned, before you marry her.'
The girl was a beauty. Th