The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, August 28, 1898, Page 17

HE Queen was seated on the sofa_which serves her now as throne. For canopy, the Royal Flag of Hawall was draped above her head. For court, there were her women facing her with sad ahd faithful eves. Here s the story—“Hawall’s story by Hawaii’s Queen”—To borrow the title of Liliuokalani’s book, a Queen without a Throne, a Flag without a Place, a Court without a kingdom. One may be as democratic as one pleases, and yet be saddened by such things as thesgl The Queen gave me a quiet hand. Her physiclan was just leaving her. She smiled him thoughtfully away and turned to me. “Do I look like a dying woman?” she said “God forbid!" sald I That much at least is- due divine Providence. If Liliuokalani were to die at this tide of her affairs it would have een.only civil of heaven to have taken her before the dawn of August twelfth. ‘I have re ved condolences,” ex- plained Queen, “from the States. This ste: k ht me a number of letters reulars and resolutions. all very kindly intended of course, but I must say e—er—startling to a per- who no Iimmediate idea of ng the world.” he court giggled respectfully. “You see, I was ill in Washington and the report was given out that I e is no truth in that?” nately, there is all truth in . Queen, smiling, with You look surprised. You see I have a good doctor. to get well. If not—I not afraid of death. I am 1 of life.” ighed tenderly. .ourage to live,” she is given to those added. “Th > have to Nob! I returned, po- e Queen was pleased to smile. Is there any rafk so sensitive to recogni- The ex-Queen of e to little matters of s or a critical eye s yon do not. One has need of court manners to go calling at Washington Place; and since an earlier visit 1 have felt the lack of mine, I am pleased to find’ that I am getting on. Moreover, my heart.is in this. My sympathy goes out to the woman in trouble and there- fare I.am ple to please the Queen. 50 they say,” she went on. “And theré is something in that. I could re- matn here in my home where you know I ofn hear everything; the guns, the music of the band, the cheering. I could do that. I do not think every one could.” “I' am sure, indeed,” I answered, truthfully, “hardly any one could. I thought perhaps you would go away— into the countr Liliuokalani raised her brows. “Why? I came here to be people—to show them how to m It has come upon us together @erstand? Together. I am n My people their country; the; thelr Identity. Should I run away and shut my eyes and my ears when so many of them had to remain here In their homes? My home also is here, in Honolulu. It gives us all courage to think of others. I remembered my peo- ple this day and they remembered me. We bore our trouble together. I did net leave my house. I recelved no visi- tors. 4 instructed my household to pass this day as we pass all our days, as if HAWAIIAN WOMEN OF THE BETTER CLASS WAILING IN THE GARDENS DURING THE -ANNEXATION CEREMONIES. “HERE WAS THE STQRY—'HAWAII'S STORY BY HAWAII'S QUEEN'—TO BORROW THE TITLE OF LILIUOKALANI'S BOOK, A QUEEN WITHOUT @ THRONE, @ FLAG WITHOUT A PLACE, @ COURT WITHOUT @ KINGDOM.” The Queen was seated on the sofa which serves her now as throne. For canopy the royal flag of Hawall was draped gbove her head. For court there were the women facing her, with sad and faithful eyes; The Queen gave me a qulet hand. Her physician was just leaving her. She smiled him !houn%t sald. “God forbld,” | sald. nothing happened to us—nothing at all. There are duties in every home. Is it not so? I ordered that the duties of my house be attended to as usual. I permitted no one to speak tef me of this”— she hesitated—"of this matter. I did not permit myself to think of it. Can you belleve that? It is true. I ignored.” All the Queen In Liliuokalan! spoke there. I was compelled to quick ad- miration of the strength of the woman~ and the pride of the Queen. I thought of the picture that day had painted of her ito the curious mob—out of fond, sentimental fancy, bien entendu—for no one knew of her doings except her household attendants, faithful watch- dogs of her privacy. It was&nown that her doors were closed and it was con- jectured that even her stubborn cour- age hgd yielded to the strain under which even allens bent—the solemn thunder of the guns which shook the great house savagely, the requiem ‘“Ha- bugle sounding taps above its fall, creeping through her Royal palms, in- sistent at her closed doors. And all the sounds that welcomed a new sov- ereignty to rule her fathers’ land. Le roi est mort! Vive le roi! And the king alive to hear. ‘There was a short, pregnant pause. I knew, as one sometimes knows un- spoken thoughts, that ;her own move- ments on this fateful day were passing through her mind in swift review. The- lines ‘about her mouth deepened, her eyes were sad and far.” Her ‘women, watching her, wept softly among them- selves. There were no tears in Liliu- okalani’s eyes. But I think she is one to weep in the heart. When she spoke it was to go on quite naturally with her thought. “I made up my mind that I must be brave, and to be brave I knew I must be busy. For the morning I went to my desk and sorted.over all my. letters. They have accumulated during my ab- ‘ully away and turned to me. “Do I'look like a dylng woman?” she for a good moment. This day,” Lillu- okalani smiled bitterly, “‘gave me that good moment. I wrote several letters and then I put my mind upon,my book. I am writing my third book—a work on the Hawailan words. There are many of the old words which are pass- ing out of use—many now quite obso- Jete; and yet their origin is interesting and full of suggestion concerning the manners and customs of our people be- fore—you khow, in other days. I have already written one book on the Ha- wailan music that will be valuable, I hope, to those Interested in such sub- jects. I have managed to put upon paper the peculiar musical phrases of the melees, even the oli-oli; that is the gurgling sound our melee singers use in walling or chanting. It was a very baffling task, but I wanted to preserve the music of my country. That was all. So I wrote and revised and planned and ' kept my mind on other things. It was ! while I was looking through my letters wall Ponol” playing down her Flag, the sence, and it Is a task.I have.put-off -that”—the Queen paused, “A few of N 0 YN : 'DURING THE FLAG-RAISING CEREMONIES THE QUEEN TRIED TO FORGET WHAT WAS GOING ON BY LOOKING OVER HER CORRESPONDENCE, my friends were here—my close friends, my attendants. They -were weeping about me. It was not for me to weep. ‘We heard—you know—everything. I spoke of other things. I do not remem- ber now of what, and it matters very little—and tien I went on looking over my letters.” The little court at the end of the room sobbed audibly. A trio of voices rose from the shadow of the palms, singing the plaintive native musle, which is forever sounding in the Queen’s gardens. She sat, listening quietly to the sobbing and the singing. Her command is admirable. “Did you send any protest?” I asked, when the song was ended; “that s, did you send one to Washington?” “To Washington? To Washington? Have I not exhausted Washington? To whom would I make a protest? Your Government is a government of many —by many,” and this daughter of a race which has one supreme and suf- ficlent chief shut her lips derisively. “When an appeal reaches the last of your governors, it has had time to be forgotten by the first. My people sent their protest. That'is as it should be— but as for me—I have written enough for the waste paper baskets of Wash- ington.” “I thought,” I sald, suggestively, “that you might have some idea of go- ing on to Washington when Congress meets in December, to make a personal appeal.” Lilfuokalani shook her head. T have,” she said, “no such idea. I have no ideas at all just now. I shall re- main in Honolulu. I shall live here, I belleve. I worked very hard for my people, for my country, for my cause while I was away in a foreign land, and as you know, I worked in vain. I have returned here to take up the life I lived before I went away; a life of retire- ment among my friends, my books, my thoughts. I am now, more than ever, & woman In private life.”” She spoke with indescribable bitter- -ness. - A woman in private life is sup- posed to be sheltered from the ills Which vex a Queen, but one must be born to these safe joys to relish them. No Queen deposed has ever yet ac- quired the taste, and I have known an inconspicuous nobady or two who would have given their ears to wear a crown or even a shabby little corenet. And, of course, under one or the other of these decorative circumstances ears would not be missed. “I hear,” said Liliuokalani, “that it Was not so gay over there as some per- sons expected.” “It was not gay at all. Nearly every one was weeping.” “Ah!” said the Queen, coldly. “Why should they weep?” “You mean it is for your people, not ours, to weep. There is such a thing as sympathy. I wish you could know— perhaps you do—how many hearts were filled with that.” “I know,” she interrupted, “Admiral Miller himself “Ah! yes, I have heard. “And,” I said, “all Americans who love their own Flag—" The Queen made a sudden movement. “If it had been yours!” she said sharp- ly. “If it had been your Flag!"” As if that were not what I have been thinking ever since I came here to think about it at all! “I said that my day was qulet,” she went on passionately. “I said it was humdrum. I said that T put my mind on other things—"" She laid her hand touchingly to her breast. ‘“‘But that is not here. Of my heart I do not speak. My heart is my country, my flag, my people. My heart is Hawail.”