Hawaii End of the Rainbow. Kazuo Miyamoto

and working off their indebtedness to the government. The tax office man had told Torao that if he produced this year's receipt later on, the work he had to do now would be credited to the following year's tax payment. It seemed rational and as he had a wholesome respect for the law, he complied without a murmur, because this was better than being locked up. The truth was bared later however when he went to Olaa and related this experience.

      Mr. Uyeda said, "The whole setup is a racket. That tax office man Nakata is in 'cahoots' with Hieda and is getting innocent workers to work on that land near Hilo for nothing. He gets ten days' labor out of the men and the receipt he issues is a phony. There have been dozens of men passing here to Kau that have been so victimized."

      "Well, of all the low-down tricks this takes the cake! Who would ever suspect that a fellow countryman in this distant land would be so mean and heartless as to actually indenture another man underhandedly Something ought to be done about it."

      "Certainly, something ought to be done about it. It is a most stinking racket and the talk of the town. But who has the nerve to openly tackle it? Like all other big business it is under the protection of the gambler Funakoshi, and today he is the lord of the Japanese community of Hilo until better days arrive when the good people can raise their voice. For the time being we must remain dumb and watch the evil men have their fling at soft and easy living. But you know the old proverb, The boisterous, bragging one does not last long.' Our turn will soon come around, sooner than you think."

      The epilogue to this little incident did come around soon. A huge amount of dynamite was being used in the pioneering work of railroad construction and clearing of jungle land at Olaa. To store these dangerous explosives, the basement of Hieda's house was rented by the contractor for storage. Two hundred of these cases were stored under the house. In this rainy region houses were built about ten feet above the ground, and the basements were spacious enough to hang washing. One night when his wife and children had left for Hilo to take in an itinerant show, there was a terrific explosion that sent the entire establishment into a thousand pieces. Only fragments of the avaricious Hieda could be gathered in the charred wreckage. There was not a clue to be found to unravel the probable perpetrator of the crime. It pointed toward an incendiary act and he had created so many enemies that even a cat could not survive their wrath.

      Because he had not been on very good terms with his sister-in-law, his brother was taken into custody for questioning. The police had to do something and picked on this man who was the epitome of good behavior. Because he was such a good man, it troubled him greatly. To be even suspected of killing his own brother was such a shock to him, he could not possibly explain the thing to his parents and friends even though he was sure to be proved innocent. At the end of a week of brooding he could stand the strain no longer and hanged himself in the detention cell. The police did not act further. The case was closed.

      The meeting with Mr. Uyeda progressed very smoothly. The elder man took an instant liking to the youngster who was not spoiled by city life and had the straightforwardness that was characteristic of the men of his prefecture. Incidentally, Mr. Uyeda himself hailed from the same province. Torao told him that he wanted to build up something for himself and his prospective family and that he had come to the conclusion that such a thing could not be accomplished by mere toiling on a plantation, and, frankly, he had not much cash to offer him for the hotel.

      Sometimes it happens that business is conducted purely on the basis of mutual liking and trust. It is conducted between men on a plane above the usual considerations attendant upon such transactions. Such a feeling prevailed when the two discussed the transaction over a glass of beer. Mrs. Uyeda suffered from an intractable asthma and the principal cause of her paroxysms seemed to lie in the atmospheric condition—wet and pollen-laden—for she was completely free of the attacks when she visited Honolulu where it was dry. Therefore, to the Uyedas, it was not a matter of making a profit by this sale. A business that they two had begun and fostered over a period of years was an institution symbolizing their joint effort and they would rather see it in the hands of a person who was agreeable rather than transfer it only for a higher bid.

      Torao remained there for two days and inspected the influx of new men from the old country, as well as the amount of traffic over the volcano way to the districts of Kau and Kona. At best, it was a country hostelry and unimposing, and with his meager capital and total lack of experience, he could not hope for much. At least, here was something that he could engage in as his own and not be subject to the whims of other men and be forced to curry their favor. The prospects for the future seemed much brighter and more enticing here in this young community. He decided to chance buying this hotel.