CABBAGES AND KINGS

 

by O Henry

 

 

 

 

Contents

 

The Proem

"Fox-in-the-Morning"

The Lotus and the Bottle

Smith

Caught

Cupid's Exile Number Two

The Phonograph and the Graft

Money Maze

The Admiral

The Flag Paramount

The Shamrock and the Palm

The Remnants of the Code

Shoes

Ships

Masters of Arts

Dicky

Rouge et Noir

Two Recalls

The Vitagraphoscope

 

 

 

 

CABBAGES AND KINGS

 

 

The Proem

 

By the Carpenter

 

They will tell you in Anchuria, that President Miraflores, of that

volatile republic, died by his own hand in the coast town of Coralio;

that he had reached thus far in flight from the inconveniences of

an imminent revolution; and that one hundred thousand dollars,

government funds, which he carried with him in an American leather

valise as a souvenir of his tempestuous administration, was never

afterward recovered.

 

For a ~real~, a boy will show you his grave.а It is back of the town

near a little bridge that spans a mangrove swamp.а A plain slab of

wood stands at its head.а Some one has burned upon the headstone with

a hot iron this inscription:

 

а RAMON ANGEL DE LAS CRUZES

ааа Y MIRAFLORES

а PRESIDENTE DE LA REPUBLICA

ааа DE ANCHURIA

а QUE SEA SU JUEZ DIOS

 

It is characteristic of this buoyant people that they pursue no man

beyond the grave.а "Let God be his judge!"--Even with the hundred

thousand unfound, though they greatly coveted, the hue and cry went

no further than that.

 

To the stranger or the guest the people of Coralio will relate the

story of the tragic end of their former president; how he strove

to escape from the country with the publice funds and also with Dona

Isabel Guilbert, the young American opera singer; and how, being

apprehended by members of the opposing political party in Coralio,

he shot himself through the head rather than give up the funds, and,

in consequence, the Senorita Guilbert.а They will relate further

that Dona Isabel, her adventurous bark of fortune shoaled by the

simultaneous loss of her distinguished admirer and the souvenir

hundred thousand, dropped anchor on this stagnant coast, awaiting

a rising tide.

 

They say, in Coralio, that she found a prompt and prosperous tide

in the form of Frank Goodwin, an American resident of the town,

an investor who had grown wealthy by dealing in the products of

the country--a banana king, a rubber prince, a sarsaparilla, indigo

and mahogany baron.а The Senorita Guilbert, you will be told, married

Senor Goodwin one month after the president's death, thus, in the

very moment when Fortune had ceased to smile, wresting from her

a gift greater than the prize withdrawn.

 

Of the American, Don Frank Goodwin, and of his wife the natives have

nothing but good to say.а Don Frank has lived among them for years,

and has compelled their respect.а His lady is easily queen of what

social life the sober coast affords.а The wife of the governor of the

district, herself, who was of the proud Castilian family of Monteleon

y Dolorosa de los Santos y Mendez, feels honored to unfold her napkin

with olive-hued, ringed hands at the table of Senora Goodwin.а Were

you to refer (with your northern prejudices) to the vivacious past

of Mrs. Goodwin when her audacious and gleeful abandon in light opera

captured the mature president's fancy, or to her share in that

statesman's downfall and malfeasance, the Latin shrug of the shoulder

would be your only answer and rebuttal.а What prejudices there were

in Coralio concerning Senora Goodwin seemed now to be in her favor,

whatever they had been in the past.

 

It would seem that the story is ended, instead of begun; that the

close of tragedy and the climax of a romance have covered the ground

of interest; but, to the more curious reader it shall be some slight

instruction to trace the close threads that underlie the ingenious

web of circumstances.

 

The headpiece bearing the name of President Miraflores is daily

scrubbed with soap-bark and sand.а An old half-breed Indian tends the

grave with fidelity and the dawdling minuteness of inherited sloth.

He chops down the weeds and ever-springing grass with his machete, he

plucks ants and scorpions and beetles from it with his horny fingers,

and sprinkles its turf with water from the plaza fountain.а There is

no grave anywhere so well kept and ordered.

 

Only by following out the underlying threads will it be made clear

why the old Indian, Galves, is secretly paid to keep green the grave

of President Miraflores by one who never saw that unfortunate

statesman in life or in death, and why that one was wont to walk

in the twilight, casting from a distance looks of gentle sadness upon

that unhonored mound.

 

Elsewhere than at Coralio one learns of the impetuous career

of Isabel Guilbert.а New Orleans gave her birth and the mingled

French and Spanish creole nature that tinctured her life with such

turbulence and warmth.а She had little education, but a knowledge of

men and motives that seemed to have come by instinct.а Far beyond the

common woman was she endowed with intrepid rashness, with a love for

the pursuit of adventure to the brink of danger, and with desire for

the pleasures of life.а Her spirit was one to chafe under any curb;

she was Eve after the fall, but before the bitterness of it was felt.

She wore life as a rose in her bosom.

 

Of the legion of men who had been at her feet it was said that

but one was so fortunate as to engage her fancy.а To President

Miraflores, the brilliant but unstable ruler of Anchuria, she yielded

the key to her resolute heart.а How, then, do we find her (as the

Coralians would have told you) the wife of Frank Goodwin, and happily

living a life of dull and dreamy inaction?

 

The underlying threads reach far, stretching across the sea.

Following them out it will be made plain why "Shorty" O'Day, of the

Columbia Detective Agency, resigned his position.а And, for a lighter

pastime, it shall be a duty and a pleasing sport to wander with Momus

beneath the tropic stars where Melpomene once stalked austere.а Now

to cause laughter to echo from those lavish jungles and frowing crags

where formerly rang the cries of pirate's victims; to lay aside pike

and cutlass and attack with quip and jollity; to draw one saving

titter of mirth from the rusty casque of Romance--this were pleasant

to do in the shade of the lemon-trees on that coast that is curved

like lips set for smiling.

 

For there are yet tales of the Spanish Main.а That segment of

continent washed by the tempestuous Caribbean, and presenting to the

sea a formidable border of tropicle jungle topped by the overweening

Cordilleras, is still begirt by mystery and romance.а In past times,

buccaneers and revolutionists roused the echoes of its cliffs, and

the condor wheeled perpetually above where, in the green groves,

they made food for him with their matchlocks and toledos.а Taken and

retaken by sea rovers, by adverse powers and by sudden uprising of

rebellious factions, the historic 300 miles of adventurous coast has

scarcely known for hundreds of years whom rightly to call its master.

Pizarro, Balboa, Sir Francis Drake, and Bolivar did what they could

to make it a part of Christendom.а Sir John Morgan, Lafitte and other

eminent swashbucklers bombarded and pounded it in the name of

Abaddon.

 

The game still goes on.а The guns of the rovers are silenced; but the

tintype man, the enlarged photograph brigand, the kodaking tourist

and the scouts of the gentle brigade of fakirs have found it out, and

carry on the work.а The hucksters of Germany, France, and Sicily now

bag in small change across their counters.а Gentlemen adventurers

throng the waiting-rooms of its rulers with proposals for railways

and concessions.а The little ~opera-bouffe~ nations play at

government and intrigue until some day a big, silent gunboat glides

into the offing and warns them not to break their toys.а And with

these changes comes also the small adventurer, with empty pockets to

fill, light of heart, busy-brained--the modern fairy prince, bearing

an alarm clock with which, more surely than by the sentimental

kiss, to awaken the beautiful tropics from their centuries' sleep.

Generally he wears a shamrock, which he matches pridefully against

the extravagant palms; and it is he who had driven Melpomene to

the wings, and set Comedy to dancing before the footlights of the

Southern Cross.

 

So, there is a little tale to tell of many things.а Perhaps to the

promiscuous ear of the Walrus it shall come with most avail; for in

it there are indeed shoes and ships and sealing-wax and cabbage-palms

and presidents instead of kings.

 

Add to these a little love and counterplotting, and scatter

everywhere throughout the maze a trail of tropical dollars--dollars

warmed no more by the torrid sun than by the hot palms of the scouts

of Fortune--and, after all, here seems to be Life, itself, with talk

enough to weary the most garrulous of Walruses.

 

 

 

I

 

"Fox-in-the-Morning"

 

Coralio reclined, in the mid-day heat, like some vacuous beauty

lounging in a guarded harem.а The town lay at the sea's edge on

a strip of alluvial coast.а It was set like a little pearl in an

emerald band.а Behind it, and seeming almost to topple, imminent,

above it, rose the sea-following range of the Cordilleras.а In front

the sea was spread, a smiling jailer, but even more incorruptible

than the frowning mountains.а The waves swished along the smooth

beach; the parrots screamed in the orange and ceiba-trees; the palms

waved their limber fronds foolishly like an awkward chorus at the

prima donna's cue to enter.

 

Suddenly the town was full of excitement.а A native boy dashed down

a grass-grown street, shrieking:а "~Busca el Senor~ Goodwin.а ~Ha

venido un telegrafo por el!~"

 

The word passed quickly.а Telegrams do not come to any one in

Coralio.а The cry for Senor Goodwin was taken up by a dozen officious

voices.а The main street running parallel to the beach became

populated with those who desired to expedite the delivery of the

dispatch.а Knots of women with complexions varying from palest olive

to deepest brown gathered at street corners and plaintively carolled:

"~Un telegrafo por Senor~ Goodwin!"а The ~comandante~, Don Senor

el Coronel Encarnacion Rios, who was loyal to the Ins and suspected

Goodwin's devotion to the Outs, hissed:а "Aha!" and wrote in his

secret memorandum book the accusive fact that Senor Goodwin had on

that momentous date received a telegram.

 

In the midst of the hullabaloo a man stepped to the door of a small

wooden building and looked out.а Above the door was a sign that read

"Keogh and Clancy"--a nomenclature that seemed not to be indigenous

to that tropical soil.а The man in the door was Billy Keogh, scout

of fortune and progress and latter-day rover of the Spanish Main.

Tintypes and photographs were the weapons with which Keogh and Clancy

were at that time assailing the hopeless shores.а Outside the shop

were set two large frames filled with specimens fo their art and

skill.

 

Keogh leaned in the doorway, his bold and humorous countenance

wearing a look of interest at the unusual influx of life and sound

in the street.а When the meaning of the disturbance became clear

to him he placed a hand beside his mouth and shouted:а "Hey! Frank!"

in such a robustious voice that the feeble clamor of the natives was

drowned and silenced.

 

Fifty yards away, on the seaward side of the street, stood the

abode of the consul for the United States.а Out from the door of

this building tumbled Goodwin at the call.а He had been smoking

with Willard Geddie, the consul, on the back porch of the consulate,

which was conceded to be the coolest spot in Coralio.

 

"Hurry up," shouted Keogh.а "There's a riot in town on account of

a telegram that's come for you.а You want to be careful about these

things, my boy.а It won't do to trifle with the feelings of the public

this way.а You'll be getting a pink note some day with violet scent

on it; and then the country'll be steeped in the throes of a

revolution."

 

Goodwin had strolled up the street and met the boy with the message.

The ox-eyed women gazed at him with shy admiration, for his type

drew them.а He was big, blond, and jauntily dressed in white linen,

with buckskin ~zapatos~.а His manner was courtly, with a merciful

eye.а When the telegram had been delivered, and the bearer of it

dismissed with a gratuity, the relieved populace returned to the

contiguities of shade from which curiosity had drawn it--the women

to their baking in the mud ovens under the orange-trees, or to the

interminable combing of their long, straight hair; the men to their

cigarettes and gossip in the cantinas.

 

Goodwin sat on Keogh's doorstep, and read his telegram.а It was from

Bob Englehart, an American, who lived in San Mateo, the capital city

of Anchuria, eighty miles in the interior.а Englehart was a gold

miner, an ardent revolutionist and "good people."а That he was a man

of resource and imagination was proven by the telegram he had sent.

It had had been his task to send a confidential message to his friend

in Coralio.а This could not have been accomplished in either Spanish

or English, for the eye politic in Anchuria was an active one.а But

Englehart was a diplomatist.а There existed but one code upon which

he might make requisition with promise of safety--the great and

potent code of Slang.а So, here is the message that slipped,

unconstrued, through the fingers of curious officials, and came

to the eye of Goodwin:

 

а "His Nibs skedaddled yesterday per jack-rabbit line with all the

ааcoin in the kitty and the bundle of muslin he's spoony about.а The

а boodle is six figures short.а Our crowd in good shape, but we need

а the spondulicks.а You collar it.а The main guy and the dry goods

а are headed for the briny.а You to know what to do.

 

ааа BOB."

 

This screed, remarkable as it was, had no mystery for Goodwin.

He was the most successful of the small advance-guard of speculative

Americans that had invaded Anchuria, and he had not reached that

enviable pinnacle without having well exercised the arts of foresight

and deduction.а He had taken up political intrigue as a matter of

business.а He was acute enough to wield a certain influence among

the leading schemers, and he was prosperous enough to be able to

purchase the respect of the petty-officeholders.а There was always

a revolutionary party; and to it he had allied himself; for the

adherents of a new administration received the rewards of their

labors.а There was now a Liberal party seeking to overturn President

Miraflores.а If the wheel successfully revolved, Goodwin stood to win

a concession to 30,000 manzanas of the finest coffee lands in the

interior.а Certain incidents in the recent career of President

Miraflores had excited a shrewd suspicion in Goodwin's mind that the

government was near a dissolution from another cause than that of a

revolution, and now Englehart's telegram had come as a corroboration

of his wisdom.

 

The telegram, which had remained unintelligible to the Anchurian

linguists who had applied to it in vain their knowledge of Spanish

and elemental English, conveyed a stimulating piece of news to

Goodwin's understanding.а It informed him that the president of the

republic had decamped from the capital city with the contents of the

treasury.а Furthermore, that he was accompanied in his flight by that

winning adventuress Isabel Guilbert, the opera singer, whose troupe

of performers had been entertained by the president at San Mateo

during the past month on a scale less modest than that with which

royal visitors are often content.а The reference to the "jackrabbit

line" could mean nothing else than the mule-back system of transport

that prevailed between Coralio and the capital.а The hint that the

"boodle" was "six figures short" made the condition of the national

treasury lamentably clear.а Also it was convincingly true that the

ingoing party--its way now made a pacific one--would need the

"spondulicks."а Unless its pledges should be fulfilled, and the

spoils held for the delectation of the victors, precarious indeed,

would be the position of the new government.а Therefore it was

exceeding necessary to "collar the main guy," and recapture the

sinews of war and government.

 

Goodwin handed the message to Keogh.

 

"Read that, Billy," he said.а "It's from Bob Englehart.а Can you

manage the cipher?"

 

Keogh sat in the other half of the doorway, and carefully perused

the telegram.

 

"'Tis not a cipher," he said, finally.а "'Tis what they call

literature, and that's a system of language put in the mouths

of people that they've never been introduced to by writers of

imagination.а The magazines invented it, but I never knew before that

President Norvin Green had stamped it with the seal of his approval.

'Tis now no longer literature, but language.а The dictionaries tried,

but they couldn't make it go for anything but dialect.а Sure, now

that the Western Union indorses it, it won't be long till a race of

people will spring up that speaks it."

 

"You're running too much to philology, Billy," said Goodwin.а "Do you

make out the meaning of it?"

 

"Sure," replied the philosopher of Fortune.а "All languages come easy

to the man who must know 'em.а I've even failed to misunderstand an

order to evacuate in classical Chinese when it was backed up by the

muzzle of a breech-loader.а This little literary essay I hold in my

hands means a game of Fox-in-the-Morning.а Ever play that, Frank,

when you was a kid?"

 

"I think so," said Goodwin, laughing.а "You join hands all 'round,

and--"

 

"You do not," interrupted Keogh.а "You've got a fine sporting game

mixed up in your head with 'All Around the Rosebush.'а The spirit of

'Fox-in-the-Morning' is opposed to the holding of hands.а I'll tell

you how it's played.а This president man and his companion in play,

they stand up over in San Mateo, ready for the run, and shout:

"Fox-in-the-Morning!'а Me and you, standing here, we say:а 'Goose

and Gander!'а They say:а 'How many miles is it to London town?'а We

say:а 'Only a few, if your legs are long enough.а How many comes out?'

They say:а 'More than you're able to catch.'а And then the game

commences."

 

"I catch the idea," said Goodwin.а "It won't do to let the goose

and gander slip through your fingers, Billy; their feathers are too

valuable.а Our crowd is prepared and able to step into the shoes

of the government at once;а but with the treasury empty we'd stay

in power about as long as a tenderfoot would stick on an untamed

bronco.а We must play the fox on every foot of the coast to prevent

their getting out of the country."

 

"By the mule-back schedule," said Keogh, "it's five days down from

San Mateo.а We've got plenty of time to set our outposts.а There's

only three places on the coast where they can hope to sail from--here

and Solitas and Alazan.а They're the only points we'll have to guard.

It's as easy as a chess problem--fox to play, and mate in three

moves.а Oh, goosey, goosey, gander, whither do you wander?а By the

blessing of the literary telegraph the boodle of this benighted

fatherland shall be preserved to the honest political party that

is seeking to overthrow it."

 

The situation had been justly outlined by Keogh.а The down trail

from the capital was at all times a weary road to travel.а A jiggety-

joggety journey it was; ice-cold and hot, wet and dry.а The trail

climbed appalling mountains, wound like a rotten string about the

brows of breathless precipices, plunged through chilling snow-fed

streams, and wriggled like a snake through sunless forests teeming

with menacing insect and animal life.а After descending to the

foothills it turned to a trident, the central prong ending at Alazan.

Another branched off to Coralio; the third penetrated to Solitas.

Between the sea and the foothills stretched the five miles breadth

of alluvial coast.а Here was the flora ofthe tropics in its rankest

and most prodigal growth.а Spaces here and there had been wrested

from the jungle and planted with bananas and cane and orange groves.

The rest was a riot of wild vegetation, the home of monkeys, tapirs,

jaguars, alligators, and prodigious reptiles and insects.а Where no

road was cut a serpent could scarcely make its way through the tangle

of vines and creepers.а Across the treacherous mangrove swamps few

things without wings could safely pass.а Therefore the fugitives

could hope to reach the coast only by one of the routes named.

 

"Keep the matter quiet, Billy," advised Goodwin.а "We don't want

the Ins to know that the president is in flight.а I suppose Bob's

information is something of a scoop in the capital as yet.а Otherwise

he would not have tried to make his message a confidential one; and,

besides, everybody would have heard the news.а I'm going around now

to see Dr. Zavalla, and start a man up the trail to cut the telegraph

wire."

 

As Goodwin rose, Keogh threw his hat upon the grass by the door and

expelled a tremendous sigh.

 

"What's the trouble, Billy?" asked Goodwin, pausing.а "That's the

first time I heard you sigh."

 

"'Tis the last," said Keogh.а "With that sorrowful puff of wind

I resign myself to a life of praiseworthy but harassing honesty.

What are tintypes, if you please, to the opportunities of the great

and hilarious class of ganders and geese?а Not that I would be a

president, Frank--and the boodle he's got is too big for me to handle

--but in some ways I feel my conscience hurting me for addicting

myself to photographing a nation instead of running away with it.

Frank, did you ever see the 'bundle of muslin' that His Excellency

has wrapped up and carried off?"

 

"Isabel Guilbert?" said Goodwin, laughing.а "No, I never did.а From

what I've heard of her, though, I imagine that she wouldn't stick at

anything to carry her point.а Don't get romantic, Billy.а Sometimes

I begin to fear that there's Irish blood in your ancestry."

 

"I never saw her either," went on Keogh; "but they say she's got all

the ladies of mythology, sculpture, and fiction reduced to chromos.

They say she can look at a man once, and he'll turn monkey and climb

trees to pick coconuts for her.а Think of that president man with

Lord know how many hundreds of thousands of dollars in one hand,

and this muslin siren in the other, galloping down the hill on a

sympathetic mule amid songbirds and flowers!а And here is Billy

Keogh, because he is virtuous, condemned to the unprofitable swindle

of slandering the faces of missing links on tin for an honest living!

'Tis an injustice of nature."

 

"Cheer up," said Goodwin.а "You are a pretty poor fox to be envying

a gander.а Maybe the enchanting Guilbert will take a fancy to you and

your tintypes after we impoverish her royal escort."

 

"She could do worse," reflected Keogh; "but she won't.а 'Tis not

a tintype gallery, but a gallery of the gods that she's fitted to

adorn.а She's a very wicked lady, and the president man is in luck.

But I hear Clancy swearing in the back room for having to do all the

work." аAnd Keogh plunged for the rear of the "gallery," whistling

gaily in a spontaneous way that belied his recent sigh over the

questionable good luck of the flying president.

 

Goodwin turned from the main street into a much narrower one that

intersected it at a right angle.

 

These side streets were covered by a growth of thick, rank grass,

which was kept to a navigable shortness by the machetes of the

police.а Stone sidewalks, little more than a ledge in width, ran

along the base of the mean and monotonous adobe houses.а At the

outskirts of the village these streets dwindled to nothing; and here

were set the palm-thatched huts of the Caribs and the poorer natives,

and the shabby cabins of negroes from Jamaica and the West India

islands.а A few structures raised their heads above the red-tiled

roofs of the one-story houses--the bell tower of the ~Calaboza~,

the Hotel de los Extranjeros, the residence of the Vesuvius Fruit

Company's agent, the store and residence of Bernard Brannigan,

a ruined cathedral in which Columbus had once set foot, and, most

imposing of all, the Casa Morena--the summer "White House" of

the President of Anchuria.а On the principal street running along

the beach--the Broadway of Coralio--were the larger stores, the

government ~bodega~ and post-office, the ~cuartel~, the rum-shops

and the market place.

 

On his way Goodwin passed the house of Bernard Brannigan.а It was a

modern wooden building, two stories in height.а The ground floor was

occupied by Brannigan's store, the upper one contained the living

apartments.а A wide cool porch ran around the house half way up its

outer walls.а A handsome, vivacious girl neatly dressed in flowing

white leaned over the railing and smiled down upon Goodwin.а She was

no darker than many an Andalusian of high descent; and she sparkled

and glowed like a tropical moonlight.

 

"Good evening, Miss Paula," said Goodwin, taking off his hat, with

his ready smile.а There was little difference in his manner whether

he addressed women or men.а Everybody in Coralio liked to receive

the salutation of the big American.

 

"Is there any news, Mr. Goodwin?а Please don't say no.а Isn't it

warm?а I feel just like Mariana in her moated grange--or was it a

range?--it's hot enough."

 

"No, there's no news to tell, I believe," said Goodwin, with a

mischievous look in his eye, "except that old Geddie is getting

grumpier and crosser every day.а If something doesn't happen to

relieve his mind I'll have to quit smoking on his back porch--and

there's no other place available that is cool enough."

 

"He isn't grumpy," said Paula Brannigan, impulsively, "when he--"

 

But she ceased suddenly, and drew back with a deepening color;

for her mother had been a ~mestizo~ lady, and the Spanish blood

had brought to Paula a certain shyness that was an adornment to

the other half of her demonstrative nature.

 

 

 

II

 

The Lotus And The Bottle

 

Willard Greddie, consul for the United States in Coralio, was working

leisurely on his yearly report.а Goodwin, who had strolled in as he

did daily for a smoke on the much coveted porch, had found him so

absorbed in his work that he departed after roundly abusing the

consul for his lack of hospitality.

 

"I shall complain to the civil service department," said Goodwin;--

"or is it a department?--perhaps it's only a theory.а One gets neither

civility nor service from you.а You won't talk; and you won't set out

anything to drink.а What kind of a way is that of representing your

government?"

 

Goodwin strolled out and across to the hotel to see if he could bully

the quarantine doctor into a game on Coralio's solitary billiard

table.а His plans were completed for the interception of the

fugitives from the capital; and now it was but a waiting game that

he had to play.

 

The consul was interested in his report.а He was only twenty-four;

and he had not been in Coralio long enough for his enthusiasm to cool

in the heat of the tropics--a paradox that may be allowed between

Cancer and Capricorn.

 

So many thousand bunches of bananas, so mnay thousand oranges and

coconuts, so many ounces of gold dust, pounds of rubber, coffee,

indigo and sarparilla--actually, exports were twenty per cent greater

than for the previous year!

 

A little thrill of satisfaction ran through the consul.а Perhaps,

he thought, the State Department, upon reading his introduction,

would notice--and then he leaned back in his chair and laughed.

He was getting as bad as the others.а For the moment he had forgotten

that Coralio was an insignificant republic lying along the by-ways

of a second-rate sea.а He thought of Gregg, the quarantine doctor,

who subscribed for the London ~Lancet~, expecting to find it quoting

his reports to the home Board of Health concerning the yellow fever

germ.а The consul knew that not one in fifty of his acquaintances in

the States had ever heard of Coralio.а He knew that two men, at any

rate, would have to read his report--some underling in the State

Department and a compositor in the Public Printing Office.а Perhaps

the typesticker would note the increase of commerce in Coralio, and

speak of it, over the cheese and beer, to a friend.

 

He had just written:а "Most unaccountable is the supineness of the

large exporters in the United States in permitting the French and

German houses to practically control the trade interests of this

rich and productive country"--when he heard the hoarse notes of

a steamer's siren.

 

Geddie laid down his pen and gathered his Panama hat and umbrella.

By the sound he knew it to be the ~Valhalla~, one of the line of

fruit vessels plying for the Vesuvius Company.а Down to ~ninos~ of

five years, every one in Coralio could name you each incoming steamer

by the note of her siren.

 

The consul sauntered by a roundabout, shaded way to the beach.

By reason of long practice he gauged his stroll so accurately that

by the time he arrived on the sandy shore the boat of the customs

officials was rowing back from the steamer, which had been boarded

and inspected according to the laws of Anchuria.

 

There is no harbor at Coralio.а Vessels of the draught of the

~Valhalla~ must ride at anchor a mile from shore.а When they take on

fruit it is conveyed on lighters and freighter sloops.а At Solitas,

where there was a fine harbor, ships of many kinds were to be seen,

but in the roadstead off Coralio scarcely any save the fruiters

paused.а Now and then a tramp coaster, or a mysterious brig from

Spain, and then a tramp coaster, or a mysterious brig from Spain,

or a saucy French barque would hang innocently for a few days in

the offing.а Then the custom-house crew would become doubly vigilant

and wary.а At night a sloop or two would be making strange trips in

and out along the shore; and in the morning the stock of Three-Star

Hennessey, wines and drygoods in Coralio would be found vastly

increased.а It has also been said that the customs officials jingled

more silver in the pockets of their red-striped trousers, and that

the record books showed no increase in import duties received.

 

The custom's boat and the ~Valhalla~ gig reached the shore at the

same time.а When they grounded in the shallow water there was still

five yards of rolling surf between them and dry sand.а Then half-

clothed Caribs dashed into the water, and brought in on their backs

the ~Valhalla's~ purser, and the little native officials in their

cotton undershirts, blue trousers with red stripes, and flapping

straw hats.

 

At college Geddie had been a treasure as a first-baseman.а He now

closed his umbrella, stuck it upright in the sand, and stooped,

with his hands resting upon his knees.а The purser, burlesquing

the pitcher's contortions, hurled at the consul the heavy roll of

newspapers, tied with a string, that the steamer always brought for

him.а Geddie leaped high and caught the roll with a sounding "thwack."

The loungers on the beach--about a third of the population of the

town--laughed and applauded delightedly.а Every week they expected

to see that roll of papers delivered and received in that same

manner, and they were never disappointed.а Innovations did not

flourish in Coralio.

 

The consul re-hoisted his umbrella and walked back to the consulate.

 

This home of a great nation's representative was a wooden structure

of two rooms, with a native-built gallery of poles, bamboo and

nipa palm running on three sides of it.а One room was the official

apartment, furnished chastely with a flat-top desk, a hammock, and

three uncomfortable cane-seated chairs.а Engravings of the first and

latest president of the country represented hung against the wall.

The other room was the consul's living apartment.

 

It was eleven o'clock when he returned from the beach, and therefore

breakfast time.а Chanca, the Carib woman who cooked for him, was just

serving the meal on the side of the gallery facing the sea--a spot

famous as the coolest in Coralio.а The breakfast consisted of shark's

fin soup, stew of land crabs, breadfruit, a boiled iguana steak,

aquacates, a freshly cut pineapple, claret and coffee.

 

Geddie took his seat, and unrolled with luxurious laziness his bundle

of newspapers.а Here in Coralio for two days or longer he would read

the goings-on in the world very much as we of the world read those

whimsical contributions to inexact science that assume to portray the

doings of the Martians.а After he had finished with the papers they

would be sent on the rounds of the other English-speaking residents

of the town.

 

The paper that came first to his hand was one of those bulky

mattresses of printed stuff upon which the readers of certain

New York journals are supposed to take their Sabbath literary nap.

Opening this the consul rested it upon the table, supporting its

weight with the aid of the back of a chair.а Then he partook of his

meal deliberately, turning the leaves from time to time and glancing

half idly at the contents.

 

Presently he was struck by something familiar to him in a picture--

a half-page, badly printed reproduction of a photograph of a vessel.

Languidly interested, he leaned for a nearer scrutiny and a view of

the florid headlines of the column next to the picture.

 

Yes; he was not mistaken.а The engraving was of the eight-hundred-ton

yacht ~Idalia~, belonging to "that prince of good fellows, Midas of

the money market, and society's pink of perfection, J. Ward Tolliver."

 

Slowly sipping his black coffee, Geddie read the column of print.

Following a listed statement of Mr. Tolliver's real estate and bonds,

came a description of the yacht's furnishings, and then the grain of

news no bigger than a mustard seed.а Mr. Tolliver, with a party of

favored guests, would sail the next day on a six weeks' cruise along

the Central American and South American coasts and among the Bahama

Islands.а Among the guests were Mrs. Cumberland Payne and Miss Ida

Payne, of Norfolk.

 

The writer, with the fatuous presumption that was demanded of him

by his readers, had concocted a romance suited to their palates.

He bracketed the names of Miss Payne and Mr. Tolliver until he had

well-nigh read the marriage ceremony over them.а He played coyly and

insinuatingly upon the strings of "~on dit~" and "Madame Rumor" and

"a little bird" and "no one would be surprised," and ended with

congratulations.

 

Geddie, having finished his breakfast, took his papers to the edge

of the gallery, and sat there in his favorite steamer chair with his

feet on the bamboo railing.а He lighted a cigar, and looked out upon

the sea.а He felt a glow of satisfaction at finding he was so little

disturbed by what he had read.а He told himself that he had conquered

the distress that had sent him, a voluntary exile, to this far land

of the lotus.а He could never forget Ida, of course; but there was

no longer any pain in thinking about her.а When they had had that

misunderstanding and quarrel he had impulsively sought this

consulship, with the desire to retaliate upon her by detaching

himself from her world and presence.а He had succeeded thoroughly

in that.а During the twelve months of his life in Coralio no word had

passed between them, though he had sometimes heard of her through the

dilatory correspondence with the few friends to whom he still wrote.

Still he could not repress a little thrill of satisfaction at knowing

that she had not yet married Tolliver or any one else.а But evidently

Tolliver had not yet abandoned hope.

 

Well, it made no difference to him now.а He had eaten of the lotus.

He was happy and content in this land of perpetual afternoon.а Those

old days of life in the States seemed like an irritating dream.а He

hoped Ida would be as happy as he was.а The climate as balmy as that

of distant Avalon; the fetterless, idyllic round of enchanted days;

the life among this indolent, romantic people--a life full of music,

flowers, and low laughter; the influence of the imminent sea and

mountains, and the many shapes of love and magic and beauty that

bloomed in the white tropic nights--with all he was more than

content.а Also, there was Paula Brannigan.

 

Geddie intended to marry Paula--if, of course, she would consent;

but he felt rather sure that she would do that.а Somehow, he kept

postponing his proposal.а Several times he had been quite near to it;

but a mysterious something always held him back.а Perhaps it was only

the unconscious, instinctive conviction that the act would sever the

last tie that bound him to his old world.

 

He could be very happy with Paula.а Few of the native girls could be

compared with her.а She had attended a convent school in New Orleans

for two years; and when she chose to display her accomplishments no

one could detect any difference between her and the girls of Norfolk

and Manhattan.а But it was delicious to see her at home dressed, as

she sometimes was, in the native costume, with bare shoulders and

flowing sleeves.

 

Bernard Brannigan was the great merchant of Coralio.а Besides his

store, he maintained a train of pack mules, and carried on a lively

trade with the interior towns and villages.а He had married a native

lady of high Castilian descent, but with a tinge of Indian brown

showing through her olive cheek.а The union of the Irish and the

Spanish had produced, as it so often has, an offshoot of rare beauty

and variety.а They were very excellent people indeed, and the upper

story of the house was ready to be placed at the service of Geddie

and Paula as soon as he should make up his mind to speak about it.

 

By the time two hours were whiled away the consul tired of reading.

The papers lay scattered about him on the gallery.а Reclining there,

he gazed dreamily out upon an Eden.а A clump of banana plants

interposed their broad shields between him and the sun.а The gentle

slope from the consulate to the sea was covered with the dark-green

foliage of lemon-trees and orange-trees just bursting into bloom.

A lagoon pierced the land like a dark, jagged crystal, and above it a

pale ceiba-tree rose almost to the clouds.а The waving coconut palms

on the beach flared their decorative green leaves against the slate

of an almost quiescent sea.а His senses were cognizant of brilliant

scarlet and ochres and the vert of the coppice, of odors of fruit and

bloom and the smoke from Chanca's clay oven under the calabash-tree;

of the treble laughter of the native women in their huts, the song of

the robin, the salt taste of the breeze, the diminuendo of the faint

surf running along the shore--and, gradually, of a white speck,

growing to a blur, that intruded itself upon the drab prospect of

the sea.

 

Lazily interested, he watched this blur increase until it became

the ~Idalia~ steaming at full speed, coming down the coast.а Without

changing his position he kept his eyes upon the beautiful white yacht

as she drew swiftly near, and came opposite to Coralio.а Then, sitting

upright, he saw her float steadily past and on.а He had seen the

frequent splash of her polished brass work and the stripes of her

deck-awnings--so much, and no more.а Like a ship on a magic lantern

slide the ~Idalia~ had crossed the illuminated circle of the consul's

little world, and was gone.а Save for the tiny cloud of smoke that

was left hanging over the brim of the sea, she might have been an

immaterial thing, a chimera of his idle brain.

 

Geddie went into his office and sat down to dawdle over his report.

If the reading of the article in the paper had left him unshaken,

this silent passing of the ~Idalia~ had done for him still more.

It had brought the calm and peace of a situation from which all

uncertainty had been erased.а He knew that men sometimes hope without

being aware of it.а Now, since she had come two thousand miles and

had passed without a sign, not even his unconscious self need cling

to the past any longer.

 

After dinner, when the sun was low behind the mountains, Geddie

walked on the little strip of beach under the coconuts.а The wind

was blowing mildly landward, and the surface of the sea was rippled

by tiny wavelets.

 

A miniature breaker, spreading with a soft "swish" upon the sand

brought with its something round and shiny that rolled back again

as the wave receded.а The next influx beached it clear, and Geddie

picked it up.а The thing was a long-necked wine bottle of colorless

glass.а The cork had been driven in tightly to the level of the

mouth, and the end covered with dark-red sealing-wax.а The bottle

contained only what seemed to be a sheet of paper, much curled from

the manipulation it had undergone while being inserted.а In the

sealing-wax was the impression of a seal--probably of a signet-ring,

bearing the initials of a monogram; but the impression had been

hastily made, and the letters were past anything more certain than

a shrewd conjecture.а Ida Payne had always worn a signet-ring in

preference to any other finger decoration.а Geddie thought he could

make out the familiar "I P"; and a queer sensation of disquietude

went over him.а More personal and intimate was this reminder of

her than had been the sight of the vessel she was doubtless on.

He walked back to his house, and set the bottle on his desk.

 

Throwing off his hat and coat, and lighting a lamp--for the night had

crowded precipitately upon the brief twilight--he began to examine

his piece of sea salvage.

 

By holding the bottle near the light and turning it judiciously, he

made out that it contained a double sheet of note-paper filled with

close writing; further, that the paper was of the same size and shade

as that always used by Ida; and that, to the best of his belief, the

handwriting was hers.а The imperfect glass of the bottle so distorted

the rays of light that he could read no word of the writing; but

certain capital letters, of which he caught comprehensive glimpses,

were Ida's, he felt sure.

 

There was a little smile both of perplexity and amusement in Geddie's

eyes as he set the bottle down, and laid three cigars side by side

on his desk.а He fetched his steamer chair from the gallery, and

stretched himself comfortably.а He would smoke those three cigars

while considering the problem.

 

For it amounted to a problem.а He almost wished that he had not found

the bottle; but the bottle was there.а Why should it have drifted in

from the sea, whence come so many disquieting things, to disturb his

peace?

 

In this dreamy land, where time seemed so redundant, he had fallen

into the habit of bestowing much thought upon even trifling matters.

 

He bagan to speculate upon many fanciful theories concerning the

story of the bottle, rejecting each in turn.

 

Ships in danger of wreck or disablement sometimes cast forth such

precarious messengers calling for aid.а But he had seen the ~Idalia~

not three hours before, safe and speeding.а Suppose the crew had

mutinied and imprisoned the passengers below, and the message was one

begging for succor!а But, premising such an improbable outrage, would

the agitated captives have taken the pains to fill four pages of

note-paper with carefully penned arguments to their rescue.

 

Thus by elimination he soon rid the matter of the more unlikely

theories, and was reduced--though aversely--to the less assailable

ones that the bottle contained a message to himself.а Ida knew he

was in Coralio; she must have launched the bottle while the yacht

was passing and the wind blowing fairly toward the shore.

 

As soon as Geddie reached this conclusion a wrinkle came between his

brows and a stubborn look settled around his mouth.а He sat looking

out through the doorway at the gigantic fire-flies traversing the

quiet streets.

 

If this was a message to him from Ida, what could it mean save an

overture at reconciliation?а And if that, why had she not used the

same methods of the post instead of this uncertain and even flippant

means of communication?а A note in an empty bottle, cast into the

sea!а There was something light and frivolous about it, if not

actually contemptuous.

 

The thought stirred his pride, and subdued whatever emotions had been

resurrected by the finding of the bottle.

 

Geddie put on his coat and hat and walked out.а He followed a street

that led him along the border of the little plaza where a band was

playing and people were rambling, care-free and indolent.а Some

timorous ~senoritas~ scurrying past with fire-flies tangled in the

jetty braids of their hair glanced at him with shy, flattering eyes.

The air was languorous with the scent of jasmin and orange-blossoms.

 

The consul stayed his steps at the house of Bernard Brannigan.а Paula

was swinging in a hammock on the gallery.а She rose from it like a

bird from its nest.а The color came to her cheeck at the sound of

Geddie's voice.

 

He was charmed at the sight of her costume--a flounced muslin dress,

with a little jacket of white flannel, all made with neatness and

style.а He suggested a stroll, and they walked out to the old Indian

well on the hill road.а They sat on the curb, and there Geddie made

the expected but long-deferred speech.а Certain though he had been

that she would not say him nay, he was still thrilled at the

completeness and sweetness of her surrender.а Here was surely a heart

made for love and steadfastness.а Here was no caprice or questionings

or captious standards of convention.

 

When Geddie kissed Paula at her door that night he was happier than

he had ever been before.а "Here in this hollow lotus land, ever

to live and lie reclined" seemed to him, as it has seemed to many

mariners, the best as well as the easiest.а His future would be

an ideal one.а He had attained a Paradise without a serpent.а His

Eve would be indeed a part of him, unbeguiled, and therefore more

beguiling.а He had made his decision tonight, and his heart was full

of serene, assured content.

 

Geddie went back to his house whistling that finest and saddest love

song, "La Golondrina."а At the door his tame monkey leaped down from

his shelf, chattering briskly.а The consul turned to his desk to get

him some nuts he usually kept there.а Reaching in the half-darkness,

his hand struck against the bottle.а He started as if he had touched

the cold rotundity of a serpent.

 

He had forgotten that the bottle was there.

 

He lighted the lamp and fed the monkey.а Then, very deliberately,

he lighted a cigar, and took the bottle in his hand, and walked down

the path to the beach.

 

There was a moon, and the sea was glorious.а The breeze had shifted,

as it did each evening, and was now rushing steadily seaward.

 

Stepping to the water's edge, Geddie hurled the unopened bottle far

out into the sea.а It disappeared for a moment, and then shot upward

twice its length.а Geddie stood still, watching it.а The moonlight

was so bright that he could see it bobbing up and down with the

little waves.а Slowly it receded from the shore, flashing and turning

as it went.а The wind was carrying it out to sea.а Soon it became a

mere speck, doubtfully discerned at irregular intervals; and then the

mystery of it was swallowed up by the greater mystery of the ocean.

Geddie stood still upon the beach, smoking and looking out upon the

water.

 

 

"Simon!--Oh, Simon!--Wake up there, Simon!" bawled a sonorous voice

at the edge of the water.

 

Old Simon Cruz was a half-breed fisherman and smuggler who lived in a

hut on the beach.а Out of his earliest nap Simon was thus awakened.

 

He slipped on his shoes and went outside.а Just landing from one of

the ~Valhalla's~ boats was the third mate of that vessel, who was an

acquaintance of Simon's, and three sailors from the fruiter.

 

"Go up, Simon," called the mate, "and find Doctor Gregg or Mr.

Goodwin or anybody that's a friend to Mr. Geddie, and bring 'em here

at once."

 

"Saints of the skies!" said Simon, sleepily, "nothing has happened

to Mr. Geddie?"

 

"He's under that tarpauling," said the mate, pointing to the boat,

"and he's rather more than half drowned.а We seen him from the

steamer nearly a mile out from shore, swimmin' like mad after a

bottle that was floatin' in the water, outward bound.а We lowered the

gig and started for him.а He nearly had his hand on the bottle, when

he gave out and went under.а We pulled him out in time to save him,

maybe; but the doctor is the one to decide that."

 

"A bottle?" said the old man, rubbing his eyes.а He was not yet fully

awake.а "Where is the bottle?"

 

"Driftin' along out there some'eres," said the mate, jerking his

thumb toward the sea.а "Get on with you, Simon."

 

 

 

III

 

Smith

 

Goodwin and the ardent patriot, Zavalla, took all the precautions

that their foresight could contrive to prevent the escape of

President Miraflores and his companion.а The sent trusted messengers

up the coast to Solitas and Alazan to warn the local leaders of

the flight, and to instruct them to patrol the water line and arrest

the fugitives at all hazards should they reveal themselves in that

territory.а After this was done there remained only to cover

the district about Coralio and await the coming of the quarry.

The nets were well spread.а The roads were so few, the opportunities

for embarkation so limited, and the two or three probable points of

exit so well guarded that it would be strange indeed if there should

slip through the meshes so much of the country's dignity, romance,

and collateral.а The president would, without doubt, move as secretly

as possible, and endeavor to board a vessel by stealth from some

secluded point along the shore.

 

On the fourth day after the receipt of Englehart's telegram the

~Karlsefin~, a Norwegian steamer chartered by the New Orleans fruit

trade, anchored off Coralio with three horse toots of her siren.

The ~Karlesfin~ ws not one of the line operated by the Vesuvius Fruit

Company.а She was something of a dilettante, doing odd jobs for a

company that was scarcely important enough to figure as a rival to

the Vesuvius.а The movements of the ~Karlesfin~ were dependent upon

the state of the market.а Sometimes she would ply steadily between

the Spanish Main and New Orleans in the regular transport of fruit;

next she would be maing erratic trips to Mobile or Charleston, or

even as far north as New York, according to the distribution of

the fruit supply.

 

Goodwin lounged upon the beach with the susual crowd of idlers that

had gathered to view the steamer.а Now that President Miraflores

might be expected to reach the borders of his abjured country at any

time, the orders were to keep a strict and unrelenting watch.а Every

vessel that approached the shores might now be considered a possible

means of escape for the fugitives; and an eye was kept even on

the slopes and dories that belonged to the sea-going contingent

of Coralio.а Goodwin and Zavalla moved everywhere, but without

ostentation, watching the loopholes of escape.

 

The customs official crowded importantly into their boat and rowed

out to the ~Karlesfin~.а A boat from the steamer landed her purser

with his papers, and took out the quarantine doctor with his green

umbrella and clinical thermometer.а Next a swarm of Caribs began

to load upon lighters the thousands of bunches of bananas heaped

upon the shore and row them out to the steamer.а The ~Karlesfin~

had no passenger list, and was soon done with the attention of

the authorities.а The purser declared that the steamer would remain

at anchor until morning, taking on her fruit during the night.

The ~Karlesfin~ had come, he said, from New York, to which port her

latest load of oranges and coconuts had been conveyed.а Two or three

of the freighter sloops were engaged to assist in the work, for

the captain was anxious to make a quick return in order to reap

the advantage offered by a certain dearth of fruit in the States.

 

About four o'clock in the afternoon another of those marine monsters,

not very familiar in those waters, hove in sight, following the

fateful ~Idalia~--a graceful steam yacht, painted a light buff,

clean-cut as a steel engraving.а The beautiful vessel hovered off

shore, see-sawing the waves as lightly as a duck in a rain barrel.

A swift boat manned by a crew in uniform came ashore, and a stocky-

built man leaped to the sands.

 

The newcomer seemed to turn a disapproving eye upon the rather motley

congregation of native Anchurians, and made his way at once toward

Goodwin, who was the most conspicuously Anglo-Saxon figure present.

Goodwin greeted him with courtesy.

 

Conversation developed that the newly landed one was named Smith,

and that he had come in a yacht.а A meagre biography, truly; for

the yacht was most apparent; and the "Smith" not beyond a reasonable

guess before the revelation.а Yet to the eye of Goodwin, who has

seen several things, there was a discrepancy between Smith and his

yacht.а A bullet-headed man Smith was, with an oblique, dead eye

and the moustache of a cocktail-mixer.а And unless he had shifted

costumes before putting off for shore he had affronted the deck of

his correct vessel clad in a pearl-gray derby, a gay plaid suit and

vaudeville neckwear.а Men owning pleasure yachts generally harmonize

better with them.

 

Smith looked business, but he was no advertiser.а He commented upon

the scenery, remarking upon its fidelity to the pictures in the

geography; and then inquired for the United States consul.а Goodwin

pointed out the starred-and-striped bunting hanging from above the

little consulate, which was concealed behind the orange-trees.

 

"Mr. Geddie, the consul, will be sure to be there," said Goodwin.

"He was very nearly drowned a few days ago while taking a swim in the

sea, and the doctor has ordered him to remain indoors for some time."

 

Smith ploughed his way through the sand to the consulate, his

haberdashery creating violent discord against the smooth tropical

blues and greens.

 

Geddie was lounging in his hammock, somewhat pale of face and languid

in pose.а On that night when the ~Valhalla's~ boat had brought him

ashore apparently drenched to death by the sea, Doctor Gregg and his

other friends had toiled for hours to preserve the little spark of

life that remained to him.а The bottle, with its impotent message,

was gone out to sea, and the problem that it had provoked was reduced

to a simple sum in addition--one and one make two, by the rule of

arithmetic; one by the rule of romance.

 

There is a quaint old theory that man may have two souls--a

peripheral one which serves ordinarily, and a central one which

is stirred only at certain times, but then with activity and vigor.

While under the domination of the former a man will shave, vote, pay

taxes, give money to his family, buy subscription books and comport

himself on the average plan.а But let the central soul suddenly

become dominant, and he may, in the twinkling of an eye, turn upon

the partner of his joys with furious execration; he may change his

politics while you could snap your fingers; he may deal out deadly

insult to his dearest friend; he may get him, instanter, to a

monastery or a dance hall; he may elope, or hang himself--or he may

write a song or poem, or kiss his wife unasked, or give his funds

to the search of a microbe.а Then the peripheral soul will return;

and we have our safe, sane citizen again.а It is but the revolt of

the Ego against Order; and its effect is to shake up the atoms only

that they may settle where they belong.

 

Geddie's revulsion had been a mild one--no more than a swim in

a summer sea after so inglorious an object as a drifting bottle.

And now he was himself again.а Upon his desk, ready for the post,

was a letter to his government tendering his resignation as consul,

to be effective as soon as another could be appointed in his place.

For Bernard Brannigan, who never did things in a half-way manner,

was to take Geddie at once for a partner in his very profitable

and various enterprises; and Paula was happily engaged in plans for

refurnishing and decorating the upper story of the Brannigan house.

 

The consul rose from his hammock when he saw the conspicuous stranger

at this door.

 

"Keep your seat, old man," said the visitor, with an airy wave of his

large hand.а "My name's Smith; and I've come in a yacht.а You are the

consul--is that right?а A big, cool guy on the beach directed me here.

Thought I'd pay my respects to the flag."

 

"Sit down, said Geddie.а "I've been admiring your craft ever since it

came in sight.а Looks like a fast sailer.а What's her tonnage?"

 

"Search me!" said Smith.а "I don't know what she weighs in at.а But

she's got a tidy gait.а The ~Rambler~--that's her name--don't take

the dust of anything afloat.а This is my first trip on her.а I'm

taking a squint along this coast just to get an idea of the countries

where the rubber and red pepper and revolutions come from.а I had no

idea there was so much scenery down here.а Why, Central Park ain't

in it with this neck of the woods.а I'm from New York.а They get

monkeys, and coconuts, and parrots down here--is that right?"

 

"We have them all," said Geddie.а "I'm quite sure that our fauna and

flora would take a prize over Central Park."

 

"Maybe they would," admitted Smith, cheerfully.а "I haven't seen them

yet.а But I guess you've got us skinned on the animal and vegetation

question.а You don't have much travel here, do you?"

 

"Travel?" queried the consul.а "I suppose you mean passengers on

steamers.а No; very few people land in Coralio.а An investor now and

then--tourists and sightseers generally go further down the coast to

one of the larger towns where there is a harbor."

 

"I see a ship out there loading up with bananas," said Smith.а "Any

passengers come on her?"

 

"That's the ~Karlesfin~," said the consul.а "She's a tramp fruiter--

made her last trip to New York, I believe.а No; she brought no

passengers.а I saw her boat come ashore, and there was no one.а About

the only exciting recreation we have here is watching steamers when

they arrive; and a passenger on one of them generally causes the

whole town to turn out.а If you are going to remain in Coralio

a while, Mr. Smith, I'll be glad to take you around to meet some

people.а There are four or five American chaps that are good to know,

besides the native high-fliers."

 

"Thanks," said the yachtsman, "but I wouldn't put you the trouble.

I'd like to meet the guys you speak of, but I won't be here long

enough to do much knocking around.а That cool gent on the beach spoke

of a doctor; can you tell me where to find him?а The ~Rambler~ ain't

quite as steady on her feet as a Broadway hotel; and a fellow gets

a touch of seasickness now and then.а Thought I'd strike the croaker

for a handful of the little sugar pills, in case I need 'em."

 

"You will be apt to find Doctor Gregg at the hotel," said the consul.

"You can see it from the door--it's that two-story building with the

balcony, where the orange-trees are."

 

The Hotel de los Extranjeros was a dreary hostelry, in great disuse

both by strangers and friends.а It stood at a corner of the Street

of the Holy Sepulchre.а A grove of small orange-trees crowded against

one side of it, enclosed by a low, rock wall over which a tall man

might easily step.а The house was of plastered adobe, stained a

hundred shades of color by the salt breeze and the sun.а Upon its

upper balcony opened a central door and two windows containing broad

jalousies instead of sashes.

 

The lower floor communicated by two doorways with the narrow,

rock-paved sidewalk.а The ~pulperia~--or drinking shop--of the

proprietess, Madama Timotea Ortiz, occupied the ground floor.а On

the bottles of brandy, ~anisada~, Scotch "smoke," and inexpensive

wines behind the little counter the dust lay thick save where the

fingers of infrequent customers had left irregular prints.а The upper

story contained four or five guest-rooms which were rarely put to

their destined use.а Sometimes a fruitgrower, riding in from his

plantation to confer with his agent, would pass a melancholy night

in the dismal upper story; sometimes a minor native official on some

trifling government quest would have his pomp and majesty awed by

Madama's sepulchral hospitality.а But Madama sat behind her bar

content, not desiring to quarrel with Fate.а If any one required

meat, drink or lodging at the Hotel de los Extranjeros they had but

to come, and be served.а ~Esta bueno~.а If they came not, why, then,

they came not.а ~Esta bueno~.

 

As the exceptional yachtsman was making his way down the precarious

sidewalk of the Street of the Holy Sepulchre, the solitary permanent

guest of that decaying hotel sat at its door, enjoying the breeze

from the sea.

 

Doctor Gregg, the quarantine physician, was a man of fifty or sixty,

with a florid face and the longest beard between Topeka and Terra

del Fuego.а He held his position by virtue of an appointment by

the Board of Health of a seaport city in one of the Southern states.

That city feared the ancient enemy of every Southern seaport--the

yellow fever--and it was the duty of Doctor Gregg to examine crew and

passengers of every vessel leaving Coralio for preliminary symptoms.

The duties were light, and the salary, for one who lived in Coralio,

ample.а Surplus time there was in plenty; and the good doctor added

to his gains by a large private practice among the residents of the

coast.а The fact that he did not know ten words of Spanish was no

obstacle; a pulse could be felt and a fee collected without one being

a linguist.а Add to the description the facts that the doctor had

a story to tell concerning the operation of trepanning which no

listener had ever allowed him to conclude, and that he believed

in brandy as a prophylactic; and the special points of interest

possessed by Doctor Gregg will have become exhausted.

 

The doctor had dragged a chair to the sidewalk.а He was coatless,

and he leaned back against the wall and smoked, while he stroked his

beard.а Surprise came into his pale blue eyes when he caught sight

of Smith in his unusual and prismatic clothes.

 

"You're Doctor Gregg--is that right?" said Smith, feeling the dog's

head pin in his tie.а "The constable--I mean the consul, told me

you hung out at this caravansary.а My name's Smith; and I came in a

yacht.а Taking a cruise around, looking at the monkeys and pineapple-

trees.а Come inside and have a drink, Doc.а This cafe looks on the

blink, but I guess it can set out something wet."

 

"I will join you, sir, in just a taste of brandy," said Doctor Gregg,

rising quickly.а "I find that as a prophylactic a little brandy is

almost a necessity in this climate."

 

As they turned to enter the ~pulperia~ a native man, barefoot,

glided noiselessly up and addressed the doctor in Spanish.а He was

yellowish-brown, like an over-ripe lemon; he wore a cotton shirt and

ragged linen trousers girded by a leather belt.а His face was like

an animal's, live and wary, but without promise of much intelligence.

This man jabbered with animation and so much seriousness that it

seemed a pity that his words were to be wasted.

 

Doctor Gregg felt his pulse.

 

"You sick?" he inquired.

 

"~Mi mujer es enferma en la casa,~" said the man, thus endeavoring

to convey the news, in the only language open to him, that his wife

lay ill in her palm-thatched hut.

 

The doctor drew a handful of capsules filled with a white powder from

his trousers pocket.а He counted out ten of them into the native's

hand, and held up his forefinger impressively.

 

"Take one," said the doctor, "every two hours."а He then held up two

fingers, shaking them emphatically before the native's face.а Next he

pulled out his watch and ran his finger round the dial twice.а Again

the two fingers confronted the patient's nose.а "Two--two--two

hours," repeated the doctor.

 

"~Si, Senor,~" said the native, sadly.

 

He pulled a cheap silver watch from his own pocket and laid it in

the doctor's hand.а "Me bring," said he, struggling painfully with

his scant English, "other watchy tomorrow," then he departed

downheartedly with his capsules.

 

"A very ignorant race of people, sir," said the doctor, as he slipped

the watch into his pocket.а "He seems to have mistaken my directions

for taking the physic for the fee.а However, it is all right.а He owes

me an account, anyway.а The chances are that he won't bring the other

watch.а You can't depend on anything they promise you.а About that

drink, now?а How did you come to Coralio, Mr. Smith?а I was not aware

that any boats except the ~Karlesfin~ had arrived for some days."

 

The two leaned against the deserted bar; and Madama set out a bottle

without waiting for the doctor's order.а There was no dust on it.

 

After they had drank twice Smith said:

 

"You say there were no passengers on the ~Karlesfin~, Doc?а Are you

sure about that?а It seems to me I heard somebody down on the beach

say that there was one or two aboard."

 

"They were mistaken, sir.а I myself went out and put all hands

through a medical examination, as usual.а The ~Karlesfin~ sails

as soon as she gets her bananas loaded, which will be about daylight

in the morning, and she got everything ready this afternoon.а No,

sir, there was no passenger list.а Like that Three-Star?а A French

schooner landed two slooploads of it a month ago.а If any customs

duties on it went to the distinguished republic of Anchuria you may

have my hat.а If you won't have another, come out and let's sit

in the cool a while.а It isn't often we exiles get a chance to talk

with somebody from the outside world."

 

The doctor brought out another chair to the sidewalk for his new

acquaintance.а The two seated themselves.

 

"You are a man of the world," said Doctor Gregg; "a man of travel

and experience.а Your decision in a matter of ethics and, no doubt,

on the points of equity, ability and professional probity should be

of value.а I would be glad if you will listen to the history of a

case that I think stands unique in medical annals.

 

"About nine years ago, while I was engaged in the practice of

medicine in my native city, I was called to treat a case of contusion

of the skull.а I made the diagnosis that a splinter of bone was

pressing upon the brain, and that the surgical operation known as

trepanning was required.а However, as the patient was a gentleman

of wealth and position, I called in for consultation Doctor--"

 

Smithа rose from his chair, and laid a hand, soft with apology,

upon the doctor's shirt sleeve.

 

"Say, Doc," he said, solemnly, "I want to hear that story.а You've

got me interrested; and I don't want to miss the rest of it.а I know

it's a loola by the way it begins; and I want to tell it at the next

meeting of the Barney O'Flynn Association, if you don't mind.

But I've got one or two matters to attend to first.а If I get 'em

attended to in time I'll come right back and hear you spiel the rest

before bedtime--is that right?"

 

"By all means," said the doctor, "get your business attended to,

and then return.а I shall wait up for you.а You see, one of the most

prominent physicians at the consultation diagnosed the trouble as

a blood clot; another said it was an abscess, but I--"

 

"Don't tell me now, Doc.а Don't spoil the story.а Wait till I come

back.а I want to hear it as it runs off the reel--is that right?"

 

The mountains reached up their bulky shoulders to receive the level

gallop of Apollo's homing steeds, the day died in the lagoons and

in the shadowed banana groves and in the mangrove swamps, where the

great blue crabs were beginning to crawl to land for their nightly

ramble.а And it died, at last, upon the highest peaks.а Then the

brief twilight, ephemeral as the flight of a moth, came and went;

the Southern Cross peeped with its topmost eye above a row of palms,

and the fire-flies heralded with their torches and approach of

soft-footed night.

 

In the offing the ~Karlesfin~ swayed at anchor, her lights seeming

to penetrate the water to countless fathoms with their shimmering,

lanceolate reflections.а The Caribs were busy loading her by means

of the great lighters heaped full from the piles of fruit ranged upon

the shore.

 

On the sandy beach, with his back against a coconut-tree and the stubs

of many cigars lying around him, Smith sat waiting, never relaxing

his sharp gaze in the direction of the steamer.

 

The incongruous yachtsman had concentrated his interest upon the

innocent fruiter.а Twice had he been assured that no passengers had

come to Coralio on board of her.а And yet, with a persistence not to

be attributed to an idling voyager, he had appealed the case to the

higher court of his own eyesight.а Surprisingly like some gay-coated

lizard, he crouched at the foot of the coconut palm, and with the

beady, shifting eyes of the selfsame reptile, sustained his espionage

on the ~Karlesfin~.

 

On the white sands a whiter gig belonging to the yacht was drawn up,

guarded by one of the white-ducked crew.а Not far away in a ~pulperia~

on the shore-following Calle Grande three other sailors swaggerred

with their cues around Coralio's solitary billiard-table.а The boat

lay there as if under orders to be ready for use at any moment.

There was in the atmosphere a hint of expectation, of waiting for

something to occur, which was foreign to the air of Coralio.

 

Like some passing bird of brilliant plumage, Smith alights on this

palmy shore but to preen his wings for an instant and then to fly

away upon silent pinions.а When morning dawned there was no Smith,

no waiting gig, no yacht in the offing, Smith left no intimation of

his mission there, no footprints to show where he had followed the

trail of his mystery on the sands of Coralio that night.а He came;

he spake his strange jargon of the asphalt and the cafes; he sat

under the coconut-tree, and vanished.а The next morning Coralio,

Smithless, ate its fried plantain and said:а "The man of pictured

clothing went himself away."а With the ~siesta~ the incident passed,

yawning, into history.

 

So, for a time, must Smith pass behind the scenes of the play.

He comes no more to Coralio, nor to Doctor Gregg, who sits in vain,

wagging his redundant beard, waiting to enrich his derelict audience

with his moving tale of trepanning and jealousy.

 

But prosperously to the lucidity of these loose pages, Smith shall

flutter among them again.а In the nick of time he shall come to tell

us why he strewed so many anxious cigar stumps around the coconut

palm that night.а This he must do; for, when he sailed away before

the dawn in his yacht ~Rambler~, he carried with him the answer to

a riddle so big and preposterous that few in Anchuria had ventured

even to propound it.

 

 

 

IV

 

Caught

 

The plans for the detention of the flying President Miraflores and

his companion at the coast line seemed hardly likely to fail.а Doctor

Zavalla himself had gone to the port of Alazan to establish a guard

at that point.а At Solitas the Liberal patriot Varras could be

depended upon to keep close watch.а Goodwin held himself responsible

for the district about Coralio.

 

The news of the president's flight had been disclosed to no one in

the coast towns save trusted members of the ambitious political party

that was desirous of succeeding to power.а The telegraph wire running

from San Mateo to the coast had been cut far up on the mountain trail

by an emissary of Zavalla's.а Long before this could be repaired and

word received along it from the capital the fugitives would have

reached the coast and the question of escape or capture been solved.

 

Goodwin had stationed armed sentinels at frequent intervals along

the shore for a mile in each direction from Coralio.а They were

instructed to keep a vigilant lookout during the night to prevent

Miraflores from attempting to embark stealthily by means of some boat

or sloop found by chance at the water's edge.а A dozen patrols walked

the streets of Coralio unsuspected, ready to intercept the truant

official should he show himself there.

 

Goodwin was very well convinced that no precautions had been

overlooked.а He strolled about the streets that bore such high-

sounding names and were but narrow, grass-covered lanes, lending his

own aid to the vigil that had been intrusted to him by Bob Englehart.

 

The town had begun the tepid round of its nightly diversions.а A few

leisurely dandies, cald in white duck, with flowing neckties, and

swinging slim bamboo canes, threaded the grassy by-ways toward the

houses of their favored senoritas.а Those who wooed the art of music

dragged tirelessly at whining concertinas, or fingered lugubrious

guitars at doors and windows.а An occasional soldier from the

~cuartel~, with flapping straw hat, without coat or shoes, hurried

by, balancing his long gun like a lance in one hand.а From every

density of the foliage the giant tree frogs sounded their loud and

irritating clatter.а Further out, the guttural cries of marauding

baboons and the coughing of the alligators in the black estuaries

fractured the vain silence of the wood.

 

By ten o'clock the streets were deserted.а The oil lamps that had

burned, a sickly yellow, at random corners, had been extinguished

by some economical civic agent.а Coralio lay sleeping calmly between

toppling mountains and encroaching sea like a stolen babe in the arms

of its abductors.а Somewhere over in that tropical darkness--perhaps

already threading the profundities of the alluvial lowlands--the high

adventurer and his mate were moving toward land's end.а The game of

Fox-in-the-Morning should be coming soon to its close.

 

Goodwin, at his deliberate gait, passed the long, low ~cuartel~ where

Coralio's contingent of Anchuria's military force slumbered, with its

bare toes pointed heavenward.а There was a law that no civilian might

come so near the headquarters of that citadel of war after nine

o'clock, but Goodwin was always forgetting the minor statutes.

 

"~Quien vive,~" shrieked the sentinel, wrestling prodigiously with

his lengthy musket.

 

"~Americano,~" growled Goodwin, without turning his head, and passed

on, unhalted.

 

To the right he turned, and to the left up the street that ultimately

reached the Plaza Nacional.а When within the toss of a cigar stump

from the intersecting Street of the Holy Sepulchre, he stopped

suddenly in the pathway.

 

He saw the form of a tall man, clothed in black and carrying a large

valise, hurry down the cross-street in the direction of the beach.

And Goodwin's second glance made him aware of a woman at the man's

elbow on the farther side, who seemed to urge forward, if not even

to assist, her companion in their swift but silent progress.а They

were no Coralians, those two.

 

Goodwin followed at increased speed, but without any of the artful

tactics that are so dear to the heart of the sleuth.а The American

was too broad to feel the instinct of the detective.а He stood as

an agent for the people of Anchuria, and but for political reasons

he would have demanded then and there the money.а It was the design

of his party to secure the imperilled fund, to restore it to the

treasury of the country, and to declare itself in power without

bloodshed or resistance.

 

The couple halted at the door of the Hotel de los Extranjeros,

and the man struck upon the wood with the impatience of one unused

to his entry being stayed.а Madama was long in response, but after

a time her light showed, the door was opened, and the guests housed.

 

Goodwin stoodin the quiet street, lighting another cigar.а In

two minutes, a faint gleam began to show between the slats of the

jalousies in the upper story of the hotel.а "They have engaged rooms,"

said Goodwin to himself.а "So, then, their arrangements for sailing

have yet to be made."

 

At the moment there came along one Esteban Delgado, a barber,

an enemy to existing government, a jovial plotter against stagnation

in any form.а This barber was one of Coralio's saddest dogs, often

remaining out of doors as late as eleven, post meridian.а He was

a partisan Liberal; and he greeted Goodwin with flatulent importance

as a brother in the cause.а But he had something important to tell.

 

"What think you, Don Frank!" he cried, in the universal tone of the

conspirator.а "I have tonight shaved ~la barba~--what you call the

'weeskers' of the ~Presidente~ himself, of this countree!а Consider!

He sent for me to come.а In the poor ~casita~ of an old woman he

awaited me--in a verree leetle house in a dark place.а ~Carramba!~

--el Senor Presidente to make himself thus secret and obscured!

I shave a man and not see his face?а This gold piece he gave me, and

said it was to be all quite still.а I think, Don Frank, there is what

you call a chip over the bug."

 

"Have you ever seen President Miraflores before?" asked Goodwin.

 

"But once," answered Esteban.а "He is tall; and he had weeskers,

verree black and sufficient."

 

"Was any one else present when you shaved him?"

 

"An old Indian woman, Senor, that belonged with the ~casa~, and one

senorita--a ladee of so much beautee!--~ah, Dios!~"

 

"All right, Esteban," said Goodwin.а "It's very lucky that you

happened along with your tonsorial information.а The new

administration will be likely to remember you for this."

 

Then in a few words he made the barber acquainted with the crisis

into which the affairs of the nation had culminated, and instructed

him to remain outside, keeping watch upon the two sides of the hotel

that looked upon the street, and observing whether any one should

attempt to leave the house by any door or window.а Goodwin himself

went to the door through which the guests had entered, opened it and

stepped inside.

 

Madama had returned downstairs from her journey above to see after

the comfort of her lodgers.а Her candle stood upon the bar.а She was

about to take a thimbleful of rum as a solace for having her rest

disturbed.а She looked up without surprise or alarm as her third

caller entered.

 

"Ah! it is the Senor Goodwin.а Not often does he honor my poor house

with his presence."

 

"I must come oftener," said Goodwin, with a Goodwin smile.а "I hear

that your cognac is the best between Belize to the north and Rio to

the south.а Set out the bottle, Madama, and let us have the proof in

~un vasito~ for each of us."

 

"My ~aguardiente~," said Madama, with pride, "is the best.а It grows,

in beautiful bottles, in the dark places among the banana-trees.

~Si, Senor~.а Only at midnight can they be picked by sailor-men

who bring them, before daylight comes, to your back door.а Good

~aguardiente~ is a verree difficult fruit to handle, Senor Goodwin."

 

Smuggling, in Coralio, was much nearer than competition to being the

life of trade.а One spoke of it slyly, yet with a certain conceit,

when it had been well accomplished.

 

"You have guests in the house tonight," said Goodwin, laying a silver

dollar upon the counter.

 

"Why not?" said Madama, counting the change.а "Two; but the smallest

while finished to arrive.а One senor, not quite old, and one senorita

of sufficient hadsomeness.а To their rooms they have ascended, not

desiring the to-eat nor the to-drink.а Two rooms--~Numero~9 and

~Numero~ 10."

 

"I was expecting that gentleman and that lady," said Goodwin.а "I have

important ~negocios~ that must be transacted.а Will you allow me

to see them?"

 

"Why not?" sighed Madama, placidly.а "Why should not Senor Goodwin

ascend and speak to his friends?а ~Esta bueno~.а Romm ~Numero~ 9 and

romm ~Numero~ 10."

 

Goodwin loosened in his coat pocket the American revolver that he

carried, and ascended the steep, dark stairway.

 

In the hallway above, the saffron light from a hanging lamp allowed

him to select the gaudy numbers on the doors.а He turned the knob on

Number 9, entered and closed the door behind him.

 

If that was Isabel Guilbert seated by the table in that poorly

furnished room, report had failed to do her charms justice.а She

rested her head upon one hand.а Extreme fatigue was signified in

every line of her figure; and upon her countenance a deep perplexity

was written.а Her eyes were gray-irised, and of that mold that seems

to have belonged to the orbs of all the famous queens of hearts.

Their whites were singularly clear and brilliant, concealed above

the irises by heavy horizontal lids, and showing a snowy line between

them.а Such eyes denote great nobility, vigor, and, if you can

conceive of it, a most generous selfishness.а She looked up when

the American entered, with an expression of surprised inquiry, but

without alarm.

 

Goodwin took off his hat and seated himself, with his characteristic

deliberate ease, upon a corner of the table.а He held a lighted cigar

between his fingers.а He took this familiar course because he was

sure that preliminaries would be wasted upon Miss Guilbert.а He knew

her history, and the small part that the conventions had played in it.

 

"Good evening," he said.а "Now, madame, let us come to business at

once.а You will observe that I mention no names, but I know who is in

the next room, and what he carries in that valise.а That is the point

which brings me here.а I have come to dictate terms of surrender."

 

The lady neither moved nor replied, but steadily regarded the cigar

in Goodwin's hand.

 

"We," continued the dictator, thoughtfully regarding the neat buckskin

shoe on his gently swinging foot--"I speak for a considerable majority

of the people--demand the return of the stolen funds belonging to

them.а Our terms go very little further than that.а They are very

simple.а As an accredited spokesman, I promise that our interference

will cease if they are accepted.а Give up the money, and you and your

companion will be permitted to proceed wherever you will.а In fact,

assistance will be given you in the matter of securing a passage

by any outgoing vessel you may choose.а It is on my personal

responsibility that I add congratulations to the gentleman in Number

10 upon his taste in feminine charms."

 

Returning his cigar to his mouth, Goodwin observed her, and saw that

her eyes followed it and rested upon it with icy and significant

concentration.а Apparently she had not heard a word he had said.

He understood, tossed the cigar out the window, and, with an amused

laugh, slid from the table to his feet.

 

"That is better," said the lady.а "It makes it possible for me to

listen to you.а For a second lesson in good manners, you might now

tell me by whom I am being insulted."

 

"I am sorry," said Goodwin, leaning one hand on the table, "that my

time is too brief for devoting much of it to a course of etiquette.

Come, now; I appeal to you good sense.а You have shown yourself,

in more than one instance, to be well aware of what is to your

advantage.а This is an occasion that demands the exercise of your

undoubted intelligence.а There is no mystery here.а I am Frank

Goodwin; and I have come for the money.а I entered this room at a

venture.а Had I entered the other I would have had it before me now.

Do you want it in words?а The gentleman in Number 10 has betrayed

a great trust.а He has robbed his people of a large sum, and it is

I who will prevent their losing it.а I do not say who that gentleman

is; but if I should be forced to see him and he should prove to be

a certain high official of the republic, it will be my duty to arrest

him.а The house is guarded.а I am offering you liberal terms.а It is

not absolutely necessary that I confer personally with the gentleman

in the next room.а Bring me the valise containing the money, and we

will call the affair ended."

 

The lady arose from her chair and stood for a moment, thinking

deeply.

 

"Do you live here, Mr. Goodwin?" she asked, presently.

 

"Yes."

 

"What is your authority for this intrusion?"

 

"I am an instrument of the republic.а I was advised by wire of the

movements of the--gentleman in Number 10."

 

"May I ask you two or three questions?а I believe you to be a man

more apt to be truthful than--timid.а What sort of town is this--

Coralio, I think they call it?"

 

"Not much of a town," said Goodwin, smiling.а "A banana town, as they

run.а Grass huts, 'dobes, five or six two-story houses, accomodations

limited, population half-breed Spanish and Indian, Caribs and

blackamoors.а No sidewalks to speak of, no amusements.а Rather

unmoral.а That'a an offhand sketch, of course."

 

"Are there any inducements, say in a social or in a business way,

for people to reside here?"

 

"Oh, yes," answered Goodwin, smiling broadly.а "There are no

afternoon teas, no hand-organs, no department stores--and there

is no extradition treaty."

 

"He told me," went on the lady, speaking as if to herself, and with

a slight frown, "that there were towns on this coast of beauty and

importance; that there was a pleasing social order--especially an

American colony of cultured residents."

 

"There is an American colony," said Goodwin, gazing at her in some

wonder.а "Some of the members are all right.а Some are fugitives from

justice from the States.а I recall two exiled bank presidents, one

army paymaster under a cloud, a couple of manslayers, and a widow--

arsenic, I believe, was the suspicion in her case.а I myself complete

the colony, but, as yet, I have not distinguished myself by any

particular crime."

 

"Do not lose hope," said the lady, dryly; "I see nothing in your

actions tonight to guarantee you further obscurity.а Some mistake has

been made; I do not know just where.а But ~him~ you shall not disturb

tonight.а The journey has fatigued him so that he has fallen asleep,

I think, in his clothes.а You talk of stolen money!а I do not

understand you.а Some mistake has been made.а I will convince you.

Remain where you are and I will bring you the valise that you seem

to covet so, and show it to you."

 

She moved toward the closed door that connected the two rooms, but

stopped, and half turned and bestowed upon Goodwin a grave, searching

look that ended in a quizzical smile.

 

"You force my door," she said, "and you follow your ruffianly behavior

with the basest accusations; and yet"--she hesitated, as if to

reconsider what she was about to say--"and yet--it is a puzzling

thing--I am sure there has been some mistake."

 

She took a step toward the door, but Goodwin stayed her by a light

touch upon her arm.а I have said before that women turned to look

at him in the streets.а He was the viking sort of man, big, good-

looking, and with an air of kindly truculence.а She was dark and

proud, glowing or pale as her mood moved her.а I do not know if Eve

were light or dark, but if such a woman had stood in the garden

I know that the apple would have been eaten.а This woman was to be

Goodwin's fate, and he did not know it; but he must have felt the

first throes of destiny, for, as he faced her, the knowledge of what

report named her turned bitter in her throat.

 

"If there has been any mistake," he said, hotly, "it was yours.а I do

not blame the man who has lost his country, his honor, and is about

to lose the poor consolation of his stolen riches as much as I blame

you, for, by Heaven! I can very well see how he was brought to it.

I can understand, and pity him.а It is such women as you that strew

this degraded coast with wretched exiles, that make men forget their

trusts, that drag--"

 

The lady interrupted him with a weary gesture.

 

"There is no need to continue your insults," she said, coldly.

"I do not understand what you are saying, nor do I know what mad

blunder you are making; but if the inspection of the contents of

a gentleman's portmanteau will rid me of you, let us delay it no

longer."

 

She passed quickly and noiselessly into the other room, and returned

with the heavy leather valise, which she handed to the American with

an air of patient contempt.

 

Goodwin set the valise quickly upon the table and began to unfasten

the straps.а The Lady stood by, with an expression of infinite scorn

and weariness upon her face.

 

The valise opened wide to a powerful, sidelong wrench.а Goodwin

dragged out two or three articles of clothing, exposing the bulk of

its contents--package after package of tightly packed United States

bank and treasury notes of large denomination.а Reckoning from the

high figures written upon the paper bands that bound them, the total

must have come closely upon the hundred thousand mark.

 

Goodwin glanced swiftly at the woman, and saw, with surprise and

a thrill of pleasure that he wondered at, that she had experienced

an unmistakeable shock.а Her eyes grew wide, she gasped, and leaned

heavily against the table.а She had been ignorant, then, he inferred,

that her companion had looted the government treasury.а But why,

he angrily asked himself, should he be so well pleased to think this

wandering and unscrupulous singer not so black as report had painted

her?

 

A noise in the other room startled them both.а The door swung open,

and a tall, elderly, dark complexioned man, recently shaven, hurried

into the room.

 

All the pictures of President Miraflores represent him as the

possessor of a luxuriant supply of dark and carefully tended whiskers;

but the story of the barber, Esteban, had prepared Goodwin for

the change.

 

The man stumbled in from the dark room, his eyes blinking at the

lamplight, and heavy from sleep.

 

"What does this mean?" he demanded in excellent English, with a keen

and perturbed look at the American--"robbery?"

 

"Very near it," answered Goodwin.а "But I rather think I'm in time

to prevent it.а I represent the people to whom this money belongs,

and I have come to convey it back to them."а He thrust his hand into

a pocket of his loose, linen coat.

 

The other man's hand went quickly behind him.

 

"Don't draw," called Goodwin, sharply; "I've got you covered from

my pocket."

 

The lady stepped forward, and laid one hand upon the shoulder of her

hesitating companion.а She pointed to the table.а "Tell me the truth

--the truth," she said, in a low voice.а "Whose money is that?"

 

The man did not answer.а He gave a deep, long-drawn sigh, leaned

and kissed her on the forehead, stepped back into the other room

and closed the door.

 

Goodwin foresaw his purpose, and jumped for the door, but the report

of the pistol echoed as his hand touched the knob.а A heavy fall

followed, and some one swept him aside and struggled into the room

of the fallen man.

 

A desolation, thought Goodwin, greater than that derived from

the loss of cavalier and gold must have been in the heart of the

enchantress to have wrung from her, in that moment, the cry of one

turning to the all-forgiving, all-comforting earthly consoler--to

have made her call out from that bloody and dishonored room--"Oh,

mother, mother, mother!"

 

But there was an alarm outside.а The barber, Esteban, at the sound

of the shot, had raised his voice; and the shot itself had aroused

half the town.а A pattering of feet came up the street, and official

orders rang out on the still air.а Goodwin had a duty to perform.

Circumstances had made him the custodian of his adopted country's

treasure.а Swiftly cramming the money into the valise, he closed it,

leaned far out of the window and dropped it into a thick orange-tree

in the little inclosure below.

 

 

They will tell you in Coralio, as they delight in telling the

stranger, of the conclusion of that tragic flight.а They will tell

you how the upholders of the law came apace when the alarm was

sounded--the ~Comandante~ in red slippers and a jacket like a head

waiter's and girded sword, the soldiers with their interminable guns,

followed by outnumbering officers struggling into their gold and lace

epaulettes; the bare-footed policemen (the only capables in the lot),

and ruffled citizens of every hue and description.

 

They say that the countenance of the dead man was marred sadly by

the effects of the shot; but he was identified as the fallen president

by both Goodwin and the barber Esteban.а On the next morning messages

began to come over the mended telegraph wire; and the story of the

flight from the capital was given out to the public.а In San Mateo

the revolutionary party had seized the sceptre of government, without

opposition, and the ~vivas~ of the mercurial populace quickly effaced

the interest belonging to the unfortunate Miraflores.

 

They will relate to you how the new government sifted the towns

and raked the roads to find the valise containing Anchuria's surplus

capital, which the president was known to have carried with him,

but all in vain.а In Coralio Senor Goodwin himself led the searching

party which combed that town as carefully as a woman combs her hair;

but the money was not found.

 

So they buried the dead man, without honors, back of the town near

the little bridge that spans the mangrove swamp; and for a ~real~

a boy will show you his grave.а They say that the old woman in whose

hut the barber shaved the president placed the wooden slab at his

head, and burned the inscription upon it with a hot iron.

 

You will hear also that Senor Goodwin, like a tower of strength,

shielded Dona Isabel Guilbert through those subsequent distressful

days; and that his scruples as to her past career (if he had any)

vanished; and her adventuresome waywardness (if she had any) left

her, and they were wedded and were happy.

 

The American built a home on a little foothill near the town.а It is

a conglomerate structure of native woods that, exported, would be

worth a fortune, and of brick, palm, glass, bamboo and adobe.а There

is a paradise of nature about it; and something of the same sort

within.а The natives speak of its interior with hands uplifted in

admiration.а There are floors polished like mirrors and covered with

hand-woven Indian rugs of silk fibre, tall ornaments and pictures,

musical instruments and papered walls--"figure-it-to-yourself!"

they exclaim.

 

But they cannot tell you in Coralio (as you shall learn) what became

of the money that Frank Goodwin dropped into the orange-tree.а But

that shall come later; for the palms are fluttering in the breeze,

bidding us to sport and gaiety.

 

 

 

V

 

Cupid's Exile Number Two

 

The United States of America, after looking over its stock of

consular timber, selected Mr. John De Graffenreid Atwood, of

Dalesburg, Alabama, for a successor to Willard Geddie, resigned.

 

Without prejudice to Mr. Atwood, it will have to be acknowledged

that, in this instance, it was the man who sought the office.а As

with the self-banished Geddie, it was nothing less than the artful

smiles of lovely woman that had driven Johnny Atwood to the desperate

expedient of accepting office under a despised Federal Government

so that he might go far, far away and never see again the false, fair

face that had wrecked his young life.а The consulship at Coralio

seemed to offer a retreat sufficiently removed and romantic enough

to inject the necessary drama into the pastoral scenes of Dalesburg

life.

 

It was while playing the part of Cupid's exile that Johnny added his

handiwork to the long list of casualties along the Spanish Main by

his famous manipulation of the shoe market, and his unparalleled feat

of elevating the most despised and useless weed in his own country

from obscurity to be a valuable product in international commerce.

 

The trouble began, as trouble often begins instead of ending, with

a romance.а In Dalesburg there was a man named Elijah Hemstetter, who

kept a general store.а His family consisted of one daughter called

Rosine, a name that atoned much for "Hemstetter."а This young woman

was possessed of plentiful attractions, so that the young men of

the community were agitated in their bosoms.а Among the more agitated

was Johnny, the son of Judge Atwood, who lived in the big colonial

mansion on the edge of Dalesburg.

 

It would seem that the desirable Rosine should have been pleased to

return the affection of an Atwood, a name honored all over the state

long before and since the war.а It does seem that she should have

gladly consented to have been led into that stately but rather empty

colonial mansion.а But not so.а There was a cloud on the horizon, a

threatening, cumulus cloud, in the shape of a lively and shrewd young

farmer in the neighborhood who dared to enter the lists as a rival to

the high-born Atwood.

 

One night Johnny propounded to Rosine a question that is considered

of much importance by the young of the human species.а The accessories

were all there--moonlight, oleanders, magnolias, the mockingbird's

song.а Whether or no the shadow of Pinkney Dawson, that prosperous

young farmer came between them on that occasion is not known; but

Rosine's answer was unfavorable.а Mr. John De Graffenreid Atwood bowed

till his hat touched the lawn grass, and went away with his head high,

but with a sore wound in his pedigree and heart.а A Hemstetter refuse

an Atwood!а Zounds!

 

Among other accidents of that year was a Democratic president.а Judge

Atwood was a warhorse of Democracy.а Johnny persuaded him to set the

wheels moving for some foreign appointment.а He would go away--away.

Perhaps in years to come Rosine would think how true, how faithful

his love had been, and would drop a tear--maybe in the cream she

would be skimming for Pink Dawson's breakfast.

 

The wheels of politics revolved; and Johnny was appointed consul to

Coralio.а Just before leaving he dropped in at Hemstetter's to say

good-bye.а There was a queer, pinkish look about Rosine's eyes; and

had the two been alone, the United States might have had to cast

about for another consul.а But Pink Dawson was there, of course,

talking about his 400-acre orchard, and the three-mile alfalfa tract,

and the 200-acre pasture.а So Johnny shook hands with Rosine as

coolly as if he were only going to run up to Montgomery for a couple

of days.а They had the royal manner when they chose, those Atwoods.

 

"If you happen to strike anything in the way of a good investment

down there, Johnny," said Pink Dawson, "just let me know, will you?

I reckon I could lay my hands on a few extra thousands 'most any time

for a profitable deal."

 

"Certainly, Pink," said Johnny, pleasantly.а "If I strike anything of

that sort I'll let you in with pleasure."

 

So Johnny went down to Mobile and took a fruit steamer for the coast

of Anchuria.

 

When the new consul arrived in Coralio the strangeness of the scenes

diverted him much.а He was only twenty-two; and the grief of youth

was not worn like a garment as it is by older men.а It has its

seasons when it reigns; and then it is unseated for time by the

assertion of the keen senses.

 

Billy Keogh and Johnny seemed to conceive a mutual friendship at

once.а Keogh took the new consul about town and presented him to the

handful of Americans and the smaller number of French and Germans who

made up the "foreign" contingent.а And then, of course, he had to be

more formally introduced to the native officials, and have his

credentials transmitted through an interpreter.

 

There was something about the young Southerner that the sophisticated

Keogh liked.а His manner was simple almost to boyishness; but he

possessed the cool carelessness of a man of far greater age and

experience.а Neither uniforms nor titles, red tape nor foreign

languages, mountains nor sea weighed upon his spirits.а He was heir

to all ages, an Atwood, of Dalesburg; and you might know every

thought conceived to his bosom.

 

Geddie came down to the consulate to explain the duties and workings

of the office.а He and Keogh tried to interest the new consul in

their description of the work that his government expected him to

perform.

 

"It's all right," said Johnnie from the hammock that he had set up as

the official reclining place.а "If anything turns up that has to be

done I'll let you fellows do it.а You can't expect a Democrat to work

during his first term of holding office."

 

"You might look over these headings," suggested Geddie, "of the

different lines of exports you will have to keep account of.а The

fruit is classified; and there are the valuable woods, coffee,

rubber--"

 

"That last account sounds all right," interrupted Mr. Atwood.а "Sounds

as if it could be stretched.а I want to buy a new flag, a monkey, a

guitar and a barrel of pineapples.а Will the rubber account stretch

over 'em?"

 

"That's merely statistics," said Geddie, smiling.а "The expense

account is what you want.а It is supposed to have a slight elasticity.

The 'stationery' items are sometimes carelessly audited by the State

Department."

 

"We're wasting our time," said Keogh.а "This man was born to hold

office.а He penetrates to the root of the art at one step of his

eagle eye.а The true genius of government shows its hand in every

word of his speech."

 

"I didn't take this job with any intention of working," explained

Johnny, lazily.а "I wanted to go somewhere in the world where they

didn't talk about farms.а There are none here, are there?"

 

"Not the kind you are acquainted with," answered the ex-consul.

"There is no such art here as agriculture.а There never was a plow

or a reaper within the boundaries of Anchuria."

 

"This is the country for me," murmured the consul, and immediately

he fell asleep.

 

The cheerful tintypist pursued his intimacy with Johnny in spite

of open charges that he did so to obtain a preemption on a seat in

that coveted spot, the rear gallery of the consulate.а But whether

his designs were selfish or purely friendly, Keogh achieved that

desirable privilege.а Few were the nights on which the two could

not be found reposing there in the sea breeze, with their heels on

the railing, and the cigars and brandy conveniently near.

 

One evening they sat thus, mainly silent, for their talk had dwindled

before the stilling influence of an unusual night.

 

There was a great, full moon; and the sea mother-of-pearl.а Almost

every sound was hushed, for the air was but faintly stirring; and

the town lay panting, waiting for the night to cool.а Offshore lay

the fruit steamer ~Andador~, of the Vesuvius line, full-laden and

scheduled to sail at six in the morning.а There were no loiterers on

the beach.а So bright was the moonlight that the two men could see

the small pebbles shining on the beach where the gentle surf wetted

them.

 

Then down the coast, tacking close to shore, slowly swam a little

sloop, white-winged like some snowy sea fowl.а Its course lay within

twenty points of the wind's eye; so it veered in and out again in

long, slow strokes like the movements of a graceful skater.

 

Again the tactics of its crew brought it close in shore, this time

nearly opposite the consulate; and then there blew from the sloop

clear and surprising notes as if from a horn of elfland.а A fairy

bugle it might have been, sweet and silvery and unexpected, playing

with spirit the familiar air of "Home, Sweet Home."

 

It was a scene set for the land of the lotus.а The authority of the

sea and the tropics, the mystery that attends unknown sails, and the

prestige of drifting music on moonlit waters gave it an anodynous

charm.а Johnny Atwood felt it, and thought of Dalesburg; but as soon

as Keogh's mind had arrived at a theory concerning the peripatetic

solo he sprang to the railing, and his ear-rending yawp fractured

the silence of Coralio like a cannon shot.

 

"Mel-lin-ger a-hoy!"

 

The sloop was now on its outward tack; but from it came a clear,

answering hail:

 

"Good-bye, Billy... go-ing home--bye!"

 

The ~Andador~ was the sloop's destination.а No doubt some passenger

with a sailing permit from some up-the-coast point had come down

in this sloop to catch the regular fruit steamer on its return trip.

Like a coquettish pigeon the little boat tacked on its eccentric way

until at last its white sail was lost to sight against the larger

bulk of the fruiter's side.

 

"That's old H. P. Mellinger," explained Keogh, dropping back into his

chair.а "He's going back to New York.а He was a private secretary of

the late hot-foot president of this grocery and fruit stand that they

call a country.а His job's over now; and I guess old Mellinger is

glad."

 

"Why does he disappear to music, like Zo-zo, the magic queen?" asked

Johnny.а "Just to show 'em that he doesn't care?"

 

"That noise you heard is a phonograph," said Keogh.а "I sold him

that.а Mellinger had a graft in this country that was the only thing

of its kind in the world.а The tooting machine saved it for him once,

and he always carried it around with him afterward."

 

"Tell me about it," demanded Johnny, betraying interest.

 

"I'm no disseminator of narratives," said Keogh.а "I can use language

for purposes of speech; but when I attempt a discourse the words come

out as they will, and they may make sense when they strike the

atmosphere, or they may not."

 

"I want to hear about the graft," persisted Johnny, "You've got no

right to refuse.а I've told you all about every man, woman and

hitching post in Dalesburg."

 

"You shall hear it," said Keogh.а "I said my instincts of narrative

were perplexed.а Don't you believe it.а It's an art I've acquired

along with many other of the graces and sciences."

 

 

 

VI

 

The Phonograph and the Graft

 

"What was this this graft? asked Johnny, with the impatience of

the great public to whom tales are told.

 

"'Tis contrary to art and philosophy to give you the information,"

said Keogh, calmly.а "The art of narrative consists in concealing

from your audience everything it wants to know until after you expose

your favorite opinions on topics foreign to the subject.а A good

story is like a bitter pill with the sugar coating inside of it.

I will begin, if you please, with a horoscope located in the Cherokee

Nation; and end with a moral tune on the phonograph.

 

"Me and Henry Horsecollar brought the first phonograph to this

country.а Henry was a quarter-breed, quarter-back cherokee, educated

East in the idioms of football, and West in contraband whiskey, and

a gentleman, the same as you and me.а He was easy and romping in

his ways; a man about six foot, with a kind of rubber-tire movement.

Yes, he was a little man about five foot five, or five foot eleven.

He was what you would call a medium tall man of average smallness.

Henry had quit college once, and the Muscogee jail three times--the

last-named institution on account of introducing and selling whisky

in the territories.а Henry Horsecollar never let any cigar stores

come up and stand behind him.а He didn't belong to that tribe of

Indians.

 

"Henry and me met at Texarkana, and figured out this phonograph

scheme.а He had $360 which came to him out of a land allotment

in the reservation.а I had run down from Little Rock on account

of a distressful scene I had witnessed on the street there.а A man

stood on a box and passed around some gold watches, screw case,

stem-winders, Elgin movement, very elegant.а Twenty bucks they cost

you over the counter.а At three dollars the crowd fought for the

tickers.а The man happened to find a valise full of them handy, and

he passed them out like putting hot biscuits on a plate.а The backs

were hard to unscrew, but the crowd put its ear to the case, and

they ticked mollifying and agreeable.а Three of these watches were

genuine tickers; the rest were only kickers. аHey?а Why, empty cases

with one of them horny black bugs that fly around electric lights

in 'em.а Them bugs kick off minutes and seconds industrious and

beautiful.а So, this man I was speaking of cleaned up $288; and then

he went away, because he knew that when it came time to wind watches

in Little Rock an entomologist would be needed, and he wasn't one.

 

"So, as I say, Henry had $360 and I had $288.а The idea of introducing

the phonograph to South America was Henry's; but I took to it freely,

being fond of machinery of all kinds.

 

"'The Latin races,' says Henry, explaining easy in the idioms he

learned at college, 'are peculiarly adapted to be victims of the

phonograph.а They yearn for music and color and gaiety.а They give

wampum to the hand-organ man and the four-legged chicken in the tent

when they're three months behind with the grocery and the bread-fruit

tree."

 

"'Then,' says I, 'we'll export canned music to the Latins; but I'm

mindful of Mr. Julius Caesar's account of 'em where he says:а ~"Omnia

Gallia in tres partes divisa est"~; which is the same as to say, "We

will need all of our gall in devising means to tree them parties."'

 

"I hated to make a show of education; but I was disinclined to be

overdone in syntax by a mere Indian, a member of a race to which we

owe nothing except the land on which the United States is situated.

 

"We bought a fine phonograph in Texarkana--one of the best make--and

half a trunkful of records.а We packed up, and took the T. and P.

for New Orleans.а From that celebrated center of molasses and

disfranchised coon songs we took a steamer for South America.

 

"We landed at Solitas, forty miles up the coast from here.а 'Twas

a palatable enough place to look at.а The houses were clean and white;

and to look at 'em stuck around among the scenery they reminded you

of hard-boiled eggs served with lettuce.а There was a block of

skyscraper mountains in the suburbs; and they kept pretty quiet,

like they had crept up there and were watching the town.а And the sea

was remarking 'Sh-sh-sh' on the beach; and now and then a ripe coconut

would drop kerblip in the sand; and that was all there was doing.

Yes, I judge that town was considerably on the quiet.а I judge that

after Gabriel quits blowing his horn, and the car starts, with

Philadelphia swinging to the last strap, and Pine Gully, Arkansas,

hanging onto the rear step, this town of Solitas will wake up and ask

if anybody spoke.

 

"The captain went ashore with us, and offered to conduct what he

seemed to like to call the obsequies.а He introduced Henry and me to

the United States Consul, and a roan man, the head of the Department

of Mercenary and Licentious Dispostions, the way it read upon his

sign.

 

"'I thouch here again a week from today,' says the captain.

 

"'By that time,' we told him, 'we'll be amassing wealth in the

interior towns with our galvanized prima donna and correct imitations

of Sousa's band excavating a march from a tin mine.'

 

"'Ye'll not,' says the captain.а 'Ye'll be hypnotized.а Any gentleman

in the audience who kindly steps upon the stage and looks this country

in the eye will be converted to the hypothesis that he's but a fly

in the Elgin creamery.а Ye'll be standing knee deep in the surf

waiting for me, and your machine for making Hamburger steak out of

the hitherto respected art of music will be playing "There's no place

like home."'

 

"Henry skinned a twenty off his roll, and received from the Bureau

of Mercenary Dispositions a paper bearing a red seal and a dialect

story, and no change.

 

"Then we got the consul full of red wine, and struck him for a

horoscope.а He was a thin, youngish kind of man, I should say past

fifty, sort of French-Irish in his affections, and puffed up with

disconsolation.а Yes, he was a flattened kind of man, in whom drink

lay stagnant, inclined to corpulence and misery.а Yes, I think he

was a kind of Dutchman, being very sad and genial in his ways.

 

"'The marvelous invention,' he says, 'entitled the phonograph, has

never invaded these shores.а The people have never heard it.а They

would not believe it if they should.а Simple-hearted children of

nature, progress has never condemned them to accept the work of

a can-opener as an overture, and rag-time might incite them to a

bloody revolution.а But you can try the experiment.а The best chance

you have is that the populace may not wake up when you play.а There's

two ways,' says the consul, 'they may take it.а They may become

inebriated with attention, like an Atlanta colonel listening to

"Marching Through Georgia," or they will get excited and transpose

the key of the music with an axe and yourselves into a dungeon.а In

the latter case,' says the consul, 'I'll do my duty by cabling to the

State Department, and I'll wrap the Stars and Stripes around you when

you come to be shot, and threaten them with the vengeance of the

greatest gold export and financial reserve nation on earth.а The flag

is full of bullet holes now,' says the consul, 'made in that way.

Twice before,' says the consul, 'I have cabled our government for a

couple of gunboats to protect American citizens.а The first time the

Department sent me a pair of gum boots.а The other time was when a man

named Pease was going to be executed here.а They referred that appeal

to the Secretary of Agriculture.а Let us now disturb the senor behind

the bar for a subsequence of the red wine.'

 

"Thus soliloquized the consul of Solitas to me and Henry Horsecollar.

 

"But, notwithstanding, we hired a room that afternoon in the Calle de

los Angeles, the main street that runs along the shore, and put our

trunks there.а 'Twas a good-sized room, dark and cheerful, but small.

'Twas on a various street, diversified by houses and conservatory

plants.а The peasantry of the city passed to and fro on the fine

pasturage between the sidewalks.а 'Twas, for the world, like an opera

chorus when the Royal Kafoozlum is about to enter.

 

"We were rubbing the dust off the machine and getting fixed to start

business the next day, when a big, fine-looking white man in white

clothes stopped at the door and looked in.а We extended the

invitations, and he walked inside and sized us up.а He was chewing

a long cigar, and wrinkling his eyes, meditative, like a girl trying

to decide which dress to wear to the party.

 

"'New York?' he says to me finally.

 

"'Originally, and from time to time,' I says.а 'Hasn't it rubbed off

yet?'

 

"'It's simple,' says he, 'when you know how.а It's the fit of

the vest.а They don't cut vests right anywhere else.а Coats, maybe,

but not vests.'

 

"The white man looks at Henry Horsecollar and hesitates.

 

"'Injun,' says Henry; 'tame Injun.'

 

"'Mellinger,' says the man--'Homer P. Mellinger.а Boys, you're

confiscated.а You're babes in the wood without a chaperon or referee,

and it's my duty to start you going.а I'll knock out the props and

launch you proper in the pellucid waters of this tropical mud puddle.

You'll have to be christened, and if you'll come with me I'll break

a bottle of wine across your bows, according to Hoyle.'

 

"Well, for two days Homer P. Mellinger did the honors.а That man cut

ice in Anchuria.а He was It.а He was the Royal Kafoozlum.а If me and

Henry was babes in the wood, he was a Robin Redbreast from the topmost

bough.а Him and me and Henry Horsecollar locked arms, and toted that

phonograph around, and had wassail and diversions.а Everywhere we

found doors open we went inside and set the machine going, and

Mellinger called upon the people to observe the artful music and his

two lifelong friends, the Senores Americanos.а The opera chorus was

agitated with esteem, and followed us from house to house.а There was

a different kind of drink to be had with every tune.а The natives

had acquirements of a pleasant thing in the way of a drink that gums

itself to the recollection.а They chop off the end of a green coconut,

and pour in on the juice of it French brandy and other adjuvants.

We had them and other things.

 

"Mine and Henry's money was counterfeit.а Everything was on Homer

P. Mellinger.а That man could find rolls of bills concealed in places

on his person where Hermann the Wizard couldn't have conjured out a

rabbit or an omelette.а He could have founded universities, and made

orchid collections, and then had enough left to purchase the colored

vote of his country.а Henry and me wondered what his graft was.а One

evening he told us.

 

"'Boys, said he, I've deceived you.а You think I'm a painted

butterfly; but in fact I'm the hardest worked man in this country.

Ten years ago I landed on its shores; and two years ago on the point

of its jaw.а Yes, I guess I can get the decision over this ginger cake

commonwealth at the end of any round I choose.а I'll confide in you

because you are my countrymen and guests, even if you have assaulted

my adopted shores with the worst system of noises ever set to music.

 

"'My job is private secretary to the president of this republic;

and my duties are running it.а I'm not headlined in the bills, but I'm

the mustard in the salad dressing just the same.а There isn't a law

goes before Congress, there isn't a concession granted, there isn't

an import duty levied but what H. P. Mellinger he cooks and seasons

it.а In the front office I fill the president's inkstand and search

visiting statesmen for dirks and dynamite; but in the back room I

dictate the policy of the government.а You'd never guess in the world

how I got my pull.а It's the only graft of its kind on earth.а I'll

put you wise.а You remember the old top-liner in the copy book--

Honesty is the Best Policy?"а That's it.а I'm working honestly for a

graft.а I'm the only honest man in the republic.а The government knows

it; the people know it; the boodlers know it; the foreign investors

know it.а I make the government keep its faith. аIf a man is promised

a job he gets it.а If outside capital buys a concession it gets

the goods.а I run the monopoly of square dealing here.а There's no

competition.а If Colonel Diogenes were to flash his lantern in this

precinct he'd have my address inside of two minutes.а There isn't big

money in it, but it's a sure thing, and lets a man sleep of nights.'

 

"Thus Homer P. Mellinger made oration to me and Henry Horsecollar.

And, later, he divested himself of this remark:

 

"'Boys, I'm to hold a ~soiree~ this evening with a gang of leading

citizens, and I want your assistance.а You bring the musical corn

sheller and give the affair the outside appearance of a function.

There's important business on hand, but it mustn't show. аI can talk

to you people.а I've been pained for years on account of not having

anybody to blow off and brag to.а I get homesick sometimes, and I'd

swap the entire perquisites of office for just one hour to have a

stein and a caviar sandwich somewhere on Thirty-fourth Street, and

stand and watch the street cars go by, and smell the peanut roaster

at old Giuseppe's fruit stand.'

 

"'Yes,' said I, 'there's fine caviar at Billy Renfrew's cafe, corner

of Thirty-fourth and--'

 

"'God knows it,' interrupts Mellinger, 'and if you'd told me you knew

Billy Renfrew I'd have invented tons of ways of making you happy.

Billy was my side-kicker in New York.а There is a man who never knew

what crooked was.а Here I am working Honesty for a graft, but that

man loses money on it.а Carrambos!а I get sick at times of this

country.а Everything's rotten.а From the executive down to the coffee

pickers, they're plotting to down each other and skin their friends.

If a mule driver takes off his hat to an official, that man figures

it out that he's a popular idol, and set his pegs to stir up a

revolution and upset the administration.а It's one of my little chores

as private secretary to smell out these revolutions and affix the

kibosh before they break out and scratch the paint off the government

property.а That's why I'm down here now in this mildewed coast town.

The governor of the district and his crew are plotting to uprise.

I've got every one of their names, and they're invited to listen

to the phonograph tonight, compliments of H. P. M.а That's the way

I'll get them in a bunch, and things are on the program to happen

to them.'

 

"We three were sitting at table in the cantina of the Purified Saints.

Mellinger poured out wine, and was looking some worried; I was

thinking.

 

"'They're a sharp crowd,' he says, kind of fretful.а 'They're

capitalized by a foreign syndicate after rubber, and they're loaded

to the muzzle for bribing.а I'm sick,' goes on Mellinger, 'of comic

opera.а I want to smell East River and wear suspenders again.а At

times I feel loke throwing up my job, but I'm d--n fool enough to

be sort of proud of it.а "There's Mellinger," they say here.а "~Por

dios!~ you can't touch him with a million."а I'd like to take that

record back and show it to Billy Renfrow some day; and that tightens

my grip whenever I see a fat thing that I could corral just by

winking one eye--and losing my graft.а By--, they can't monkey

with me.а They know it.а What money I get I make honest and spend it.

Some day, I'll make a pile and go back and eat caviar with Billy.

Tonight I'll show you how to handle a bunch of corruptionists.а I'll

show them what Mellinger, private secretary, means when you spell it

with the cotton and tissue paper off.'

 

"Mellinger appears shaky, and breaks his glass against the neck of

the bottle.

 

"I says to myself, 'White man, if I'm not mistaken there's been a

bait laid out where the tail of your eye could see it.'

 

"That night, according to arrangements, me and Henry took the

phonograph to a room in a 'dobe house in a dirty side street, where

the grass was knee high.а 'Twas a long room, lit with smoky oil lamps.

There was plenty of chairs, and a table at the back end.а We set the

phonograph on the table.а Mellinger was there, walking up and down,

disturbed in his predicaments.а He chewed cigars and spat 'em out,

and he bit the thumb nail of his left hand.

 

"By and by the invitations to the musicale come sliding in by pairs

and threes and spade flushes.а Their color was of a diversity, running

from a three-day's smoked meerschaum to a patent-leather polish.

They were as polite as wax, being devastated with enjoyments to give

Senor Mellinger the good evenings.а I understood their Spanish talk

--I ran a pumping engine two years in a Mexican silver mine, and had

it pat--but I never let on.

 

"Maybe fifty of 'em had come, and was seated, when in slid the king

bee, the governor of the district.а Mellinger met him at the door,

and escorted him to the grand stand.а When I saw that Latin man I

knew that Mellinger, private secretary, had all the dances on his card

taken.а That was a big, squashy man, the color of a rubber overshoe,

and he had an eye like a head waiter's.

 

"Mellinger explained, fluent, in the Castilian idioms, that his soul

was disconcerted with joy at introducing to his respected friends

America's greatest invention, the wonder of the age.а Henry got the

cue and run on an elegant brass-band record and the festivities became

initiated.а The governor man had a bit of English under his hat, and

when the music was choked off he says:

 

"'Ver-r-ree fine.а ~Gr-r'r-r-racias~, the American gentlemen, the so

esplendeed moosic as to playee.'

 

"The table was a long one, and Henry and me sat at the end of it next

the wall.а The governor sat at the other end.а Homer P. Mellinger

stood at the side of it.а I was just wondering how Mellinger was

going to handle his crowd, when the home talent suddenly opened the

services.

 

"That governor man was suitable for uprisings and policies.а I judge

he was a ready kind of man, who took his own time.а Yes, he was full

of attention and immediateness.а He leaned his hands on the table and

imposed his face toward the secretary man.

 

"'Do the American senors understand Spanish?' he asks in his native

accents.

 

"'They do not,' says Mellinger.

 

"'Then listen,' goes on the Latin man, prompt.а 'The musics are

of sufficient prettiness, but not of necessity.а Let us speak

of business.а I well know why we are here, since I observe my

compatriots.а You had a whisper yesterday, Senor Mellinger, of our

proposals.а Tonight we will speak out.а We know that you stand in

the president's favor, and we know your influence.а The government

will be changed.а We know the worth of your services.а We esteem

your friendship and aid so much that'--Mellinger praises his hand,

but the governor man bottles him up.а 'Do not speak until I have

done.'

 

"The governor man then draws a package wrapped in paper from his

pocket, and lays it on the table by Mellinger's hand.

 

"'In that you will find fifty thousand dollars in money of your

country.а You can do nothing against us, but you can be worth that

for us.а Go back to the capital and obey our instructions.а Take

that money now.а We trust you.а You will find with it a paper giving

in detail the work you will be expected to do for us.а Do not have

the unwiseness to refuse.'

 

"'The governor man paused, with his eyes fixed on Mellinger, full

of expressions and observances.а I looked at Mellinger, and was glad

Billy Renfrew couldn't see him then.а The sweat was popping out on his

forehead, and he stood dumb, tapping the little package with the ends

of his fingers.а The colorado-maduro gang was after his graft.а He had

only to change his politics, and stuff five fingers in his inside

pocket.

 

"Henry whispers to me and wants the pause in the program interpreted.

I whisper back:а 'H. P. is up against a bribe, senator's size, and the

coons have got him going.'а I saw Mellinger's hand moving closer to

the package.а 'He's weakening,' I whispered to Henry.а 'We'll remind

him,' says Henry, 'of the peanut-roaster on Thirty-fourth Street,

New York."

 

"Henry stooped down and got a record from the basketful we'd brought,

slid it in the phonograph, and started her off.а It was a cornet solo,

very neat and beautiful, and the name of it was 'Home, Sweet Home.'

Not one of them fifty odd men in the room moved while it was playing,

and the governor man kept his eyes steady on Mellinger.а I saw

Mellinger's head go up little by little and his hand came creeping

away from the package.а Not until the last note sounded did anybody

stir.а And there Homer P. Mellinger takes up the bundle of boodle

and slams it in the governor man's face.

 

"'That's my answer,' says Mellinger, private secretary, 'and there'll

be another in the morning.а I have proofs of conspiracy against every

man of you.а The show is over, gentlemen.'

 

"'There's one more act,' puts in the governor man.а 'You are a

servant, I believe, employed by the president to copy letters and

answer raps at the door.а I am governor here.а Senores, I call upon

you in the name of the cause to seize this man.'

 

"That brindled gang of conspirators shoved back their chairs and

advanced in force.а I could see where Mellinger had made a mistake in

massing his enemy so as to make a grand-stand play.а I think he made

another one, too; but we can pass that, Mellinger's idea of a graft

and mine being different, according to estimations and points of view.

 

"There was only one window and door in that room, and they were in

the front end.а Here was fifty odd Latin men coming in a bunch to

obstruct the legislation of Mellinger.а You may say there were three

of us, for me and Henry, simultaneous, declared New York City and

the Cherokee Nation in sympathy with the weaker party.

 

"Then it was that Henry Horsecollar rose to a point of disorder and

intervened, showing, admirable, the advantages of education as applied

to the American Indian's natural intellect and native refinement.

He stood up and smoothed back his hair on each side with his hands

as you have seen little girls do when they play.

 

"'Get behind me, both of you,' says Henry

 

"'What's it to be, chief?' I asked.

 

"'I'm going to buck center,' says Henry, in his football idioms.

There isn't a tackle in the lot of them.а Follow me close, and rush

the game.'

 

"'Then that cultured Red Man exhaled an arrangement of sounds with

his mouth that made the Latin aggregation pause, with thoughtfulness

and hesitations.а The matter of his proclamation seemed to be a

cooperation of the Carlisle war-whoop with the Cherokee college yell.

He went at the chocolate team like a bean out of a little boy's nigger

shooter.а His right elbow laid out the governor man on the gridiron,

and he made a lane the length of the crowd so wide that a woman

could have carried a stepladder through it without striking against

anything.а All Mellinger and me had to do was to follow.

 

"It took us just three minutes to get out of that street around

to military headquarters, where Mellinger had things his own way.

A colonel and a battalion of bare-toed infantry turned out and went

back to the scene of the musicale with us, but the conspirator gang

was gone.а But we recaptured the phonograph with honors of war, and

marched back to the ~cuartel~ with it playing 'All Coons Look Alike

to Me.'

 

"The next day Mellinger takes me and Henry to one side, and begins

to shed tens and twenties.

 

"'I want to buy that phonograph,' says he.а I liked that last tune

it played at the ~soiree~.'

 

"'This is more money than the machine is worth,' says I.

 

"'Tis government expense money,' says Mellinger.а The government pays

for it, and it's getting the tune-grinder cheap.'

 

"Me and Henry knew that pretty well.а We knew that it had saved Homer

P. Mellinger's graft when he was on the point of losing it; but we

never let him know we knew it.

 

"'Now you boys better slide off further down the coast for a while,'

says Mellinger, 'till I get the screws put on these fellows here.

If you don't they'll give you trouble.а And if you ever happen to see

Billy Renfrew again before I do, tell him I'm coming back to New York

as soon as I can make a stake--honest.'

 

"Me and Henry laid low until the day the steamer came back.а When we

saw the captain's boat on the beach we went down and stood in the edge

of the water.а The captain grinned when he saw us.

 

"'I told you you'd be waiting,' he says. 'Where's the Hamburger

machine?'

 

"'Itа staysа behind,' I says, 'to play "Home, Sweet Home."'

 

"'I told you so,' says the captain again. 'Climb in the boat.'

 

"And that," said Keogh, "is the way me and Henry Horsecollar

introduced the phonograph into this country.а Henry went back to

the States, but I've been rummaging around in the tropics ever since.

They say Mellinger never travelled a mile after that without his

phonograph.а I guess it kept him reminded about his graft whenever

he saw the siren voice of the boodler tip him the wink with a bribe

in his hand."

 

"I suppose he's taking it home with him as a souvenir, remarked the

consul.

 

"Not as a souvenir," said Keogh.а "He'll need two of 'em in New York,

running day and night."

 

 

 

VII

 

Money Maze

 

The new administration of Anchuria entered upon its duties and

privileges with enthusiasm.а Its first act was to send an agent

to Coralio with imperative orders to recover, if possible, the sum

of money ravished from the treasury by the ill-fated Miraflores.

 

Colonel Emilio Falcon, the private secretary of Losada, the new

president, was despatched from the capital upon this important

mission.

 

The position of private secretary to a tropical president is

a responsible one.а He must be a diplomat, a spy, a ruler of men,

a body-guard to his chief, and a smeller-out of plots and nascent

revolutions.а Often he is the power behind the throne, the dictator

of policy; and a president chooses him with a dozen times the care

with which he selects a matrimonial mate.

 

Colonel Falcon, a handsome and urbane gentleman of Castilian courtesy

and debonnaire manners, came to Coralio with the task before him of

striking upon the cold trail of the lost money.а There he conferred

with the military authorities, who had received instructions to

cooperate with him in the search.

 

Colonel Falcon established his headquarters in one of the rooms of

the Casa Morena.а Here for a week he held informal sittings--much as

if he were a kind of unified grand jury--and summoned before him all

those whose testimony might illumine the financial tragedy that had

accompanied the less momentous one of the late president's death.

 

Two or three who were thus examined, among whom was the barber

Esteban, declared that they had identified the body of the president

before its burial.

 

"Of a truth," testified Esteban before the mighty secretary, "it was

he, the president.а Consider!--how could I shave a man and not see his

face?а He sent for me to shave him in a small house.а He had a beard

very black and thick.а Had I ever seen the president before?а Why not?

I saw him once ride forth in a carriage from the ~vapor~ in Solitas.

When I shaved him he gave me a gold piece, and said there was to be no

talk.а But I am a Liberal--I am devoted to my country--and I spake of

these things to Senor Goodwin."

 

"It is known," said Colonel Falcon, smoothly, "that the late President

took with him an American leather valise, containing a large amount of

money.а Did you see that?"

 

"~De veras~--no," Esteban answered.а "The light in the little house

was but a small lamp by which I could scarcely see to shave the

President.а Such a thing there may have been, but I did not see it.

No.а Also in the room was a young lady--a senorita of much beauty--

that I could see even in so small a light.а But the money, senor, or

the thing in which it was carried--that I did not see."

 

The ~comandante~ and other officers gave testimony that they had been

awakened and alarmed by the noise of a pistol-shot in the Hotel de

los Extranjeros.а Hurrying thither to protect the peace and dignity

of the republic, they found a man lying dead, with a pistol clutched

in his hand.а Beside him was a young woman, weeping sorely.а Senor

Goodwin was also in the room when they entered it.а But of the valise

of money they saw nothing.

 

Madame Timotea Ortiz, the proprietress of the hotel in which the game

of Fox-in-the-Morning had been played out, told of the coming of the

two guests to her house.

 

"To my house they came," said she--"one ~senor~ not quite old, and

one ~senorita~ of sufficient handsomeness.а They desired not to eat

or to drink--not even of my ~aguardiente~, which is the best.а To

their rooms they ascended--~Numero Nueve~ and ~Numero Diez~.а Later

came Senor Goodwin, who ascended to speak with them.а Then I heard

a great noise like that of a ~canon~, and they said that the ~pobre

Presidente~ had shot himself.а ~Esta bueno~.а I saw nothing of money

or of the thing you call ~veliz~ that you say he carried it in."

 

Colonel Falcon soon came to the reasonable conclusion that if any one

in Coralio could furnish a clue to the vanished money, Frank Goodwin

must be the man.а But the wise secretary pursued a different course

in seeking information from the American.а Goodwin was a powerful

friend to the new administration, and one who was not to be carelessly

dealt with in respect to either his honesty or his courage.а Even

the private secretary of His Excellency hesitated to have this rubber

prince and mahogany baron haled before him as a common citizen

of Anchuria.а So he sent Goodwin a flowery epistle, each word-petal

dripping with honey, requesting the favor of an interview.а Goodwin

replied with an invitation to dinner at his own house.

 

Before the hour named the American walked over to the Casa Morena,

and greeted his guest frankly and friendly.а Then the two strolled,

in the cool of the afternoon, to Goodwin's home in the environs.

 

The American left Colonel Falcon in a big, cool, shadowed room

with a floor of inlaid and polished woods that any millionaire

in the States Would have envied, excusing himself for a few minutes.

He crossed a ~patio~, shaded with deftly arranged awnings and plants,

and entered a long room looking upon the sea in the opposite wing

of the house.а The broad jalousies were opened wide, and the ocean

breeze flowed in through the room, an invisible current of coolness

and health.а Goodwin's wife sat near one of the windows, making

a water-color sketch of the afternoon seascape.

 

Here was a woman who looked to be happy.а And more--she looked to

be content.а Had a poet been inspired to pen just similes concerning

her favor, he would have likened her full, clear eyes, with their

white-encircled, gray irises, to moonflowers.а With none of the

goddesses whose traditional charms have become coldly classic

would the discerning rhymester have compared her.а She was purely

Paradisaic, not Olympian.а If you can imagine Eve, after the eviction,

beguiling the flaming warriors and serenely reentering the Garden,

you will have her.а Just so human, and still so harmonious with Eden

seemed Mrs. Goodwin.

 

When her husband entered she looked up, and her lips curved and

parted; her eyelids fluttered twice or thrice--a movement remindful

(Proesy forgive us!) of the tail-wagging of a faithful dog--and a

little ripple went through her like the commotion set up in a weeping

willow by a puff of wind.а Thus she ever acknowledged his coming,

were it twenty times a day.а If they who sometimes sat over their wine

in Coralio, reshaping old, diverting stories of the madcap career

of Isabel Guilbert, could have seen the wife of Frank Goodwin that

afternoon in the estimable aura of her happy wifehood, they might

have disbelieved, or have agreed to forget, those graphic annals of

the life of the one for whom their president gave up his country and

his honor.

 

"I have brought a guest to dinner," said Goodwin.а "One Colonel

Falcon, from San Mateo.а He is come on government business.а I do not

think you will care to see him, so I prescribe for you one of those

convenient and indisputable feminine headaches."

 

"He has come to inquire about the lost money, has he not?" asked

Mrs. Goodwin, going on with her sketch.

 

"A good guess!" acknowledged Goodwin.а "He has been holding an

inquisition among the natives for three days.а I am next on his list

of witnesses, but as he feels shy about dragging one of Uncle Sam's

subjects before him, he consents to give it the outward appearance

of a social function.а He will apply the torture over my own wine

and provender."

 

"Has he found any one who saw the valise of money?"

 

"Not a soul.а Even Madama Ortiz, whose eyes are so sharp for the sight

of a revenue official, does not remember that there was any baggage."

 

Mrs. Goodwin laid down her brush and sighed.

 

"I am so sorry, Frank," she said, "that they are giving you so much

trouble about the money.а But we can't let them know about it, can

we?"

 

"Not without doing our intelligence a great injustice," said Goodwin,

with a smile and a shrug that he had picked up from the natives.

"~Americano~, though I am, they would have me in the ~calaboza~ in

half an hour if they knew we had appropriated that valise.а No; we

must appear as ignorant about the money as the other ignoramuses in

Coralio."

 

"Do you think that this man they have sent suspects you?" she asked,

with a little pucker of her brows.а "He'd better not," said the

American, carelessly.а "It's lucky that no one caught a sight of the

valise except myself.а As I was in the rooms when the shot was fired,

it is not surprising that they should want to investigate my part

in the affair rather closely.а But there's no cause for alarm.

This colonel is down on the list of events for a good dinner, with

a dessert of American 'bluff' that will end the matter, I think."

 

Mrs. Goodwin rose and walked to the window. Goodwin followed and

stood by her side.а She leaned to him, and rested in the protection

of his strength, as she had always rested since that dark night

on which he had first made himself her tower of refuge.а Thus they

stood for a little while.

 

Straight through the lavish growth of tropical branch and leaf and

vine that confronted them had been cunningly trimmed a vista, that

ended at the cleared environs of Coralio, on the banks of the mangrove

swamp.а At the other end of the aerial tunnel they could see the grave

and wooden headpiece that bore the name of the unhappy President

Miraflores.а From this window when the rains forbade the open,

and from the green and shady slopes of Goodwin's fruitful lands when

the skies were smiling, his wife was wont to look upon that grave

with a gentle sadness that was now scarcely a mar to her happiness.

 

"I loved him so, Frank!" she said, "even after that terrible flight

and its awful ending.а And you have been so good to me, and have made

me so happy.а It has all grown into such a strange puzzle.а If they

were to find out that we got the money do you think they would force

you to make the amount good to the government?"

 

"They would undoubtedly try," answered Goodwin.а "You are right about

its being a puzzle.а And it must remain a puzzle to Falcon and all

his countrymen until it solves itself.а You and I, who know more than

any one else, only know half of the solution.а We must not let even

a hint about this money get abroad.а Let them come to the theory that

the president concealed it in the mountains during his journey, or

that he found means to ship it out of the country before he reached

Coralio.а I don't think that Falcon suspects me.а He is making

a closer investigation, according to his orders, but he will find out

nothing."

 

Thus they spake together.а Had any one overheard or overseen them

as they discussed the lost funds of Anchuria there would have been

a second puzzle presented.а For upon the faces and in the bearing

of each of them was visible (if countenances are to be believed) Saxon

honesty and pride and honorable thoughts.а In Goodwin's steady eye

and firm lineaments, molded into material shape by the inward spirit

of kindness and generosity and courage, there was nothing reconcilable

with his words.

 

As for his wife, physiognomy championed her even in the face of their

accusive talk.а Nobility was in her guise; purity was in her glance.

The devotion that she manifested had not even the appearance of that

feeling that now and then inspires a woman to share the guilt of

her partner out of the pathetic greatness other love.а No, there was

a discrepancy here between what the eye would have seen and the ear

have heard.

 

Dinner was served to Goodwin and his guest in the patio, under cool

foliage and flowers. аThe American begged the illustrious secretary

to excuse the absence of Mrs. Goodwin, who was suffering, he said,

from a headache brought on by a slight ~calentura~.

 

After the meal they lingered, according to the custom, over their

coffee and cigars.а Colonel Falcon, with true Castilian delicacy,

waited for his host to open the question that they had met to discuss.

He had not long to wait.а As soon as the cigars were lighted,

the American cleared the way by inquiring whether the secretary's

investigations in the town had furnished him with any clue to

the lost funds.

 

"I have found no one yet," admitted Colonel Falcon, "who even had

sight of the valise or the money.а Yet I have persisted.а It has

been proven in the capital that President Miraflores set out

from San Mateo with one hundred thousand dollars belonging to the

government, accompanied by Senorita Isabel Guilbert, the opera singer.

The Government, officially and personally, is loathe to believe,"

concluded Colonel Falcon, with a smile, "that our late President's

tastes would have permitted him to abandon on the route, as excess

baggage, either of the desirable articles with which his flight was

burdened."

 

"I suppose you would like to hear what I have to say about the

affair," said Goodwin, coming directly to the point.а "It will not

require many words."

 

"On that night, with others of our friends here, I was keeping

a lookout for the president, having been notified of his flight

by a telegram in our national cipher from Englehart, one of our

leaders in the capital.а About ten o'clock that night I saw a man

and a woman hurrying along the streets.а They went to the Hotel de

los Extranjeros, and engaged rooms.а I followed them upstairs, leaving

Esteban, who had come up, to watch outside.а The barber had told me

that he had shaved the beard from the president's face that night;

therefore I was prepared, when I entered the rooms, to find him

with a smooth face.а When I apprehended him in the name of the people

he drew a pistol and shot himself instantly.а In a few minutes many

officers and citizens were on the spot.а I suppose you have been

informed of the subsequent facts."

 

Goodwin paused.а Losada's agent maintained an attitude of waiting,

as if he expected a continuance.

 

"And now," went on the American, looking steadily into the eyes of

the other man, and giving each word a deliberate emphasis, "you will

oblige me by attending carefully to what I have to add.а I saw no

valise or receptacle of any kind, or any money belonging to the

Republic of Anchuria.а If President Miraflores decamped with any funds

belonging to the treasury of this country, or to himself, or to any

one else, I saw no trace of it in the house or elsewhere, at that time

or at any other.а Does that statement cover the ground of the inquiry

you wished to make of me?"

 

Colonel Falcon bowed, and described a fluent curve with his cigar.

His duty was performed.а Goodwin was not to be disputed.а He was

a loyal supporter of the government, and enjoyed the full confidence

of the new president.а His rectitude had been the capital that had

brought him fortune in Anchuria, just as it had formed the lucrative

"graft" of Mellinger, the secretary of Miraflores.

 

"I thank you, ~Senor~ Goodwin, " said Falcon, "for speaking plainly.

But, ~Senor~ Goodwin, I am instructed to pursue every clue that

presents itself in this matter.а There is one that I have not yet

touched upon.а Our friends in France, senor, have a saying, '~Cherchez

la femme~,' when there is a mystery without a clue.а But here we do

not have to search.а The woman who accompanied the late President

in his flight must surely--"

 

"I must interrupt you there," interposed Goodwin.а "It is true that

when I entered the hotel for the purpose of intercepting President

Miraflores I found a lady there.а I must beg of you to remember that

that lady is now my wife.а I speak for her as I do for myself.а She

knows nothing of the fate of the valise or of the money that you

are seeking.а You will say to his excellency that I guarantee her

innocence.а I do not need to add to you, Colonel Falcon, that I do

not care to have her questioned or disturbed."

 

Colonel Falcon bowed again.

 

"~Por supuesto~, no!" he cried.а And to indicate that the inquiry

was ended he added:а "And now, senor, let me beg of you to show me

that sea view from your galeria of which you spoke.а I am a lover

of the sea."

 

In the early evening Goodwin walked back to the town with his guest,

leaving him at the corner of the Calle Grande.а As he was returning

homeward one "Beelzebub" Blythe, with the air of a courtier and

the outward aspect of a scarecrow, pounced upon him hopefully from

the door of a ~pulperia~.

 

Blythe had been re-christened "Beelzebub" as an acknowledgement of

the greatness of his fall.а Once in some distant Paradise Lost, he had

foregathered with the angels of the earth.а But Fate had hurled him

headlong down to the tropics, where flamed in his bosom a fire that

was seldom quenched.а In Coralio they called him a beach-comber; but

he was, in reality, a categorical idealist who strove to anamorphosize

the dull verities of life by the means of brandy and rum.а As

Beelzebub, himself, might have held in his clutch with unwitting

tenacity his harp or crown during his tremendous fall, so his namesake

had clung to his gold-rimmed eyeglasses as the only souvenir of his

lost estate.а These he wore with impressiveness and distinction while

he combed beaches and extracted toll from his friends.а By some

mysterious means he kept his drink-reddened face always smoothly

shaven.а For the rest he sponged gracefully upon whomsoever he could

for enough to keep him pretty drunk, and sheltered from the rains and

night dews.

 

"Hallo, Goodwin!" called the derelict, airily.а "I was hoping I'd

strike you.а I wanted to see you particularly.а Suppose we go where

we can talk.а Of course you know there's a chap down here looking up

the money old Miraflores lost."

 

"Yes," said Goodwin, "I've been talking with him.а Let's go into

Espada's place.а I can spare you ten minutes."

 

They went into the ~pulperia~ and sat at a little table upon stools

with rawhide tops.

 

"Have a drink?" said Goodwin.

 

"They can't bring it too quickly," said Blythe. "I've been in

a drought ever since morning. Hi!--~muchacho!--el aguardiente por

aca~."

 

"Now, what do you want to see me about?" asked Goodwin, when the

drinks were before them.

 

"Confound it, old man," drawled Blythe, "why do you spoil a golden

moment like this with business?а I wanted to see you--well, this

has the preference."а He gulped down his brandy, and gazed longingly

into the empty glass.

 

"Have another?" suggested Goodwin.

 

"Between gentlemen," said the fallen angel, "I don't quite like

your use of that word 'another.'а It isn't quite delicate.а But

the concrete idea that the word represents is not displeasing."

 

The glasses were refilled.а Blythe sipped blissfully from his, as

he began to enter the state of a true idealist.

 

"I must trot along in a minute or two," hinted Goodwin.а "Was there

anything in particular?"

 

Blythe did not reply at once.

 

"Old Losada would make it a hot country," he remarked at length, "for

the man who swiped that gripsack of treasury boodle, don't you think?"

 

"Undoubtedly, he would," agreed Goodwin calmly, as he rose leisurely

to his feet.а "I'll be running over to the house, now old man.а Mrs.

Goodwin is alone.а There was nothing important you had to say, was

there?"

 

"That's all," said Blythe.а "Unless you wouldn't mind sending in

another drink from the bar as you go out. Old Espada has closed my

account to profit and loss. And pay for the lot, will you, like a

good fellow?"

 

"All right," said Goodwin.а "~Buenas noches~."

 

"Beezlebub" Blythe lingered over his cups, polishing his eyeglasses

with a disreputable handkerchief.

 

"I thought I could do it, but I couldn't," he muttered to himself

after a time.а "A gentleman can't blackmail the man that he drinks

with."

 

 

 

VIII

 

The Admiral

 

Spilled milk draws few tears from an Anchurian administration.

Many are its lacteal sources; and the clocks' hands point forever

to milking time.а Even the rich cream skimmed from the treasury by

the bewitched Miraflores did not cause the newly installed patriots

to waste time in unprofitable regrets.а The government philosophically

set about supplying the deficiency by increasing the import duties

and by "suggesting" to wealthy private citizens that contributions

according to their means would be considered patriotic and in order.

Prosperity was expected to attend the reign of Losada, the new

president.а The ousted office-holders and military favorites

organized a new "Liberal" party, and began to lay their plans

for a re-succession.а Thus the game of Anchurian politics began, like

a Chinese comedy, to unwind slowly its serial length.а Here and there

Mirth peeps for an instant from the wings and illumines the florid

lines.

 

A dozen quarts of champagne in conjunction with an informal sitting

of the president and his cabinet led to the establishment of the navy

and the appointment of Felipe Carrera as its admiral.

 

Next to the champagne the credit of the appointment belongs to Don

Sabas Placido, the newly confirmed Minister of War.

 

The president had requested a convention of his cabinet for the

discussion of questions politic and for the transaction of certain

routine matters of state.а The session had been signally tedious;

the business and the wine prodigiously dry.а A sudden, prankish humor

of Don Sabas, impelling him to the deed, spiced the grave affairs

of state with a whiff of agreeable playfulness.а In the dilatory

order of business had come a bulletin from the coast department

of Orilla del Mar reporting the seizure by the custom-house officers

at the town of Coralio of the sloop ~Estrella del Noche~ and her cargo

of drygoods, patent medicines, granulated sugar and three-star brandy.

Also six Martini rifles and a barrel of American whiskey.а Caught

in the act of smuggling, the sloop with its cargo was now, according

to law, the property of the republic.

 

The Collector of Customs, in making his report, departed from the

conventional forms so far as to suggest that the confiscated vessel

be converted to the use of the government.а The prize was the first

capture to the credit of the department in ten years.а The collector

took opportunity to pat his department on the back.

 

It often happened that government officers required transportation

from point to point along the coast, and means were usually lacking.

Furthermore, the sloop could be manned by a loyal crew and employed

as a coast guard to discourage the pernicious art of smuggling.а The

collector also ventured to nominate one to whom the charge of the boat

could be safely intrusted--a young man of Coralio, Felipe Carrera--

not, be it understood, one of extreme wisdom, but loyal and the best

sailor along the coast.

 

It was upon this hint that the Minister of War acted, executing a

rare piece of drollery that so enlivened the tedium of the executive

session.

 

In the consultation of this small, maritime banana republic was

a forgotten section that provided for the maintenance of a navy.

This provision--with many other wiser ones--had lain inert since

the establishment of the republic.а Anchuria had no navy and had

no use for one.а It was characteristic of Don SabasЧa man at once

merry, learned, whimsical and audacious--that he should have disturbed

the dust of this musty and sleeping statute to increase the humor

of the world by so much as a smile from his indulgent colleagues.

 

With delightful mock seriousness the Minister of War proposed the

creation of a navy.а He argued its need and the glories it might

achieve with such gay and witty zeal that the travesty overcame with

its humor even the swart dignity of President Losada himself.

 

The champagne was bubbling trickily in the veins of the mercurial

statesmen.а It was not the custom of the grave governors of Anchuria

to enliven their sessions with a beverage so apt to cast a veil

of disparagement over sober affairs.а The wine had been a thoughtful

compliment tendered by the agent of the Vesuvius Fruit Company as

a token of amicable relations--and certain consummated deals--between

that company and the republic of Anchuria.

 

The jest was carried to its end.а A formidable, official document was

prepared, encrusted with chromatic seals and jaunty with fluttering

ribbons, bearing the florid signatures of state.а This commission

conferred upon el Senor Don Felipe Carrera the title of Flag Admiral

of the Republic of Anchuria.а Thus within the space of a few minutes

and the dominion of a dozen "extra dry" the country took its place

among the naval powers of the world, and Felipe Carrera became

entitled to a salute of nineteen guns whenever he might enter port.

 

The southern races are lacking in that particular kind of humor that

finds entertainment in the defects and misfortunes bestowed by Nature.

Owing to this defect in their constitution they are not moved to

laughter (as are their northern brothers) by the spectacle of the

deformed, the feeble-minded or the insane.

 

Felipe Carrera was sent upon earth with but half his wits.а Therefore,

the people of Coralio called him "~El pobrecito loco~" the poor little

crazed one"--saying that God had sent but half of him to earth,

retaining the other half.

 

A sombre youth, glowering, and speaking only at the rarest times,

Felipe was but negatively "loco."а On shore he generally refused all

conversation.а He seemed to know that he was badly handicapped on

land, where so many kinds of understanding are needed; but on the

water his one talent set him equal with most men.а Few sailors whom

God had carefully and completely made could handle a sailboat as well.

Five points nearer the wind than the best of them he could sail his

sloop.а When the elements raged and set other men to cowering, the

deficiencies of Felipe seemed of little importance.а He was a perfect

sailor, if an imperfect man.а He owned no boat, but worked among the

crews of the schooners and sloops that skimmed the coast, trading and

freighting fruit out to the steamers where there was no harbor.а It

was through his famous skill and boldness on the sea, as well as for

the pity felt for his mental imperfections, that he was recommended by

the collector as a suitable custodian of the captured sloop.

 

When the outcome of Don Sabas' little pleasantry arrived in the form

of the imposing and preposterous commission, the collector smiled.

He had not expected such prompt and overwhelming response to

his recommendation.а He despatched a ~muchacho~ at once to fetch

the future admiral.

 

The collector waited in his official quarters.а His office was in

the Calle Grande, and the sea breezes hummed through its windows all

day.а The collector, in white linen and canvas shoes, philandered with

papers on an antique desk.а A parrot, perched on a pen rack, seasoned

the official tedium with a fire of choice Castilian imprecations.

Two rooms opened into the Collector's.а In one the clerical force of

young men of variegated complexions transacted with glitter and parade

their several duties.а Through the open door of the other room could

be seen a bronze babe, guiltless of clothing, that rollicked upon the

floor.а In a grass hammock a thin woman, tinted a pale lemon, played

a guitar and swung contentedly in the breeze.а Thus surrounded by

the routine of his high duties and the visible tokens of agreeable

domesticity, the collector's heart was further made happy by the power

placed in his hands to brighten the fortunes of the "innocent" Felipe.

 

Felipe came and stood before the collector.а He was a lad of twenty,

not ill-favored in looks, but with an expression of distant and

pondering vacuity.а He wore white cotton trousers, down the seams

of which he had sewed red stripes with some vague aim at military

decoration.а A flimsy blue shirt fell open at his throat; his feet

were bare; he held in his hand the cheapest of straw hats from the

States.

 

"Senor Carrera," said the collector, gravely, producing the showy

commission, "I have sent for you at the president's bidding.а This

document that I present to you confers upon you the title of Admiral

of this great republic, and gives you absolute command of the naval

forces and fleet of our country.а You may think, friend Felipe, that

we have no navy--but yes!а The sloop the ~Estrella del Noche~, that

my brave men captured from the coast smugglers, is to be placed under

your command.а The boat is to be devoted to the services of your

country.а You will be ready at all times to convey officials of the

government to points along the coast where they may be obliged to

visit.а You will also act as a coast-guard to prevent, as far as you

may be able, the crime of smuggling.а You will uphold the honor and

prestige of your country at sea, and endeavor to place Anchuria among

the proudest naval powers of the world.а These are your instructions

as the Minister of War desires me to convey them to you.а ~Por Dios!~

I do not know how all this is to be accomplished, for not one word

did his letter contain in respect to a crew or to the expenses of this

navy.а Perhaps you are to provide a crew yourself, Senor Admiral--I do

not know--but it is a very high honor that has descended upon you.а I

now hand you your commission.а When you are ready for the boat I will

give orders that she shall be made over into your charge.а That is as

far as my instructions go."

 

Felipe took the commission that the collector handed to him.а He gazed

through the open window at the sea for a moment, with his customary

expression of deep but vain pondering.а Then he turned without having

spoken a word, and walked swiftly away through the hot sand of the

street.

 

"~Pobrecito loco!~" sighed the collector; and the parrot on the pen

racks screeched "Loco!Чloco!Чloco!"

 

The next morning a strange procession filed through the streets

to the collector's office.а At its head was the admiral of the navy.

Somewhere Felipe had raked together a pitiful semblance of a military

uniform--a pair of red trousers, a dingy blue short jacket heavily

ornamented with gold braid, and an old fatigue cap that must have been

cast away by one of the British soldiers in Belize and brought away

by Felipe on one of his coasting voyages.а Buckled around his waist

was an ancient ship's cutlass contributed to his equipment by Pedro

Lafitte, the baker, who proudly asserted its inheritance from his

ancestor, the illustrious buccaneer.а At the admiral's heels tagged

his newly shipped crew--three grinning, glossy, black Caribs, bare to

the waist, the sand spurting in showers from the spring of their naked

feet.

 

Briefly and with dignity Felipe demanded his vessel of the collector.

And now a fresh honor awaited him.а The collector's wife, who played

the guitar and read novels in the hammock all day, had more than

a little romance in her placid, yellow bosom.а She had found in

an old book an engraving of a flag that purported to be the naval

flag of Anchuria.а Perhaps it had so been designed by the founders

of the nation; but, as no navy had ever been established, oblivion

had claimed the flag.а Laboriously with her own hands she had made

a flag after the pattern--a red cross upon a blue-and-white ground.

he presented it to Felipe with these words:а "Brave sailor, this flag

is of your country.а Be true, and defend it with your life.а Go you

with God."

 

For the first time since his appointment the admiral showed a flicker

of emotion.а He took the silken emblem, and passed his hand reverently

over its surface, "I am the admiral," he said to the collector's lady.

Being on land he could bring himself to no more exuberant expression

of sentiment.а At sea with the flag at the masthead of his navy, some

more eloquent exposition of feelings might be forthcoming.

 

Abruptly the admiral departed with his crew.а For the next three days

they were busy giving the ~Estrella del Noche~ a new coat of white

paint trimmed with blue.а And then Felipe further adorned himself by

fastening a handful of brilliant parrot's plumes in his cap.а Again

he tramped with his faithful crew to the collector's office and

formally notified him that the sloop's name had been changed to ~El

Nacional~.

 

During the next few months the navy had its troubles.а Even an admiral

is perplexed to know what to do without any orders.а But none came.

Neither did any salaries.а ~El Nacional~ swung idly at anchor.

 

When Felipe's little store of money was exhausted he went to the

collector and raised the question of finances.

 

"Salaries!" exclaimed the collector, with hands raised; "~Valgame

Dios~! not one ~centavo~ of my own pay have I received for the last

seven months.а The pay of an admiral, do you ask?а ~Quien sabe~?

Should it be less than three thousand ~pesos~?а ~Mira~! you will see

a revolution in this country very soon.а A good sign of it is when

the government calls all the time for ~pesos, pesos, pesos~, and pays

none out."

 

Felipe left the collector's office with a look almost of content

on his sombre face.а A revolution would mean fighting, and then

the government would need his services.а It was rather humiliating

to be an admiral without anything to do, and have a hungry crew at your

heels begging for ~reales~ to buy plantains and tobacco with.

 

When he returned to where his happy-go-lucky Caribs were waiting

they sprang up and saluted, as he had drilled them to do.а "Come,

~muchachos~," said the admiral; "it seems that the government is poor.

It has no money to give us.а We will earn what we need to live upon.

Thus will we serve our country.а Soon"--his heavy eyes almost lighted

up--"it may gladly call upon us for help."

 

Thereafter ~El Nacional~ turned out with the other coast craft and

became a wage-earner.а She worked with the lighters freighting bananas

and oranges out to the fruit steamers that could not approach nearer

than a mile from the shore.а Surely a self-supporting navy deserves

red letters in the budget of any nation.

 

After earning enough at freighting to keep himself and his crew

in provisions for a week Felipe would anchor the navy and hang about

the little telegraph office, looking like one of the chorus of an

insolvent comic opera troupe besieging the manager's den.а A hope for

orders from the capital was always in his heart.а That his services

as admiral had never been called into requirement hurt his pride and

patriotism.а At every call he would inquire, gravely and expectantly,

for despatches.а The operator would pretend to make a search, and

then reply:

 

"Not yet, it seems, ~Senor el Almirante--poco tiempo~!"

 

Outside in the shade of the lime-trees the crew chewed sugar cane

or slumbered, well content to serve a country that was contented

with so little service.

 

One day in the early summer the revolution predicted by the collector

flamed out suddenly.а It had long been smoldering.а At the first note

of alarm the admiral of the navy force and fleet made all sail for

a larger port on the coast of a neighboring republic, where he traded

a hastily collected cargo of fruit for its value in cartridges for the

five Martini rifles, the only guns that the navy could boast.а Then

to the telegraph office sped the admiral.а Sprawling in his favorite

corner, in his fast-decaying uniform, with his prodigious sabre

distributed between his red legs, he waited for the long-delayed,

but now soon expected, orders.

 

"Not yet, ~Senor el Almirante~" the telegraph clerk would call to him

--"~poco tiempo~!"

 

At the answer the admiral would plump himself down with a great

rattling of scabbard to await the infrequent tick of the little

instrument on the table.

 

"They will come," would be his unshaken reply; "I am the admiral."

 

 

 

IX

 

The Flag Paramount

 

At the head of the insurgent party appeared that Hector and learned

Theban of the southern republics, Don Sabas Placido.а A traveller,

a soldier, a poet, a scientist, a statesman and a connoisseur--the

wonder was that he could content himself with the petty, remote life

of his native country.

 

"It is a whim of Placido's," said a friend who knew him well,

"to take up political intrigue.а It is not otherwise than as if he

had come upon a new tempo in music, a new bacillus in the air, a new

scent, or rhyme, or explosive.а He will squeeze this revolution dry

of sensations, and a week afterward will forget it, skimming the seas

of the world in his brigantine to add to his already world-famous

collections.а Collections of what?а ~Por Dios~! of everything from

postage stamps to prehistoric stone idols."

 

But, for a mere dilettante, the aesthetic Placido seemed to be

creating a lively row.а The people admired him; they were fascinated

by his brilliancy and flattered by his taking an interest in so small

a thing as his native country.а They rallied to the call of his

lieutenants in the capital, where (somewhat contrary to arrangements)

the army remained faithful to the government.а There was also lively

skirmishing in the coast towns.а It was rumored that the revolution

was aided by the Vesuvius Fruit Company, the power that forever stood

with chiding smile and uplifted finger to keep Anchuria in the class

of good children.а Two of its steamers, the ~Traveler~ and the

~Salvador~, were known to have conveyed insurgent troops from point

to point along the coast.

 

As yet there had been no actual uprising in Coralio.а Military law

prevailed, and the ferment was bottled for the time.а And then came

the word that everywhere the revolutionists were encountering defeat.

In the capital the president's forces triumphed; and there was a rumor

that the leaders of the revolt had been forced to fly, hotly pursued.

 

In the little telegraph office at Coralio there was always

a gathering of officials and loyal citizens, awaiting news from

the seat of government.а One morning the telegraph key began clicking,

and presently the operator called, loudly:а "One telegram for

~el Almirante~, Don Senor Felipe Carrera!"

 

There was a shuffling sound, a great rattling of tin scabbard, and

the admiral, prompt at his spot of waiting, leaped across the room

to receive it.

 

The message was handed to him.а Slowly spelling it out, he found it

to be his first official order--thus running:

 

а "Proceed immediately with your vessel to mouth of Rio Ruiz;

а transport beef and provisions to barracks at Alforan.

аааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааа ~Martinez, General.~"

 

Small glory, to be sure, in this, his country's first call.а But

it had called, and joy surged in the admiral's breast.а He drew his

cutlass belt to another buckle hole, roused his dozing crew, and in

a quarter of an hour ~El Nacional~ was tacking swiftly down coast in

a stiff landward breeze.

 

The Rio Ruiz is a small river, emptying into the sea ten miles below

Coralio.а That portion of the coast is wild and solitary.а Through

a gorge in the Cordilleras rushes the Rio Ruiz, cold and bubbling,

to glide at last, with breadth and leisure, through an alluvial morass

into the sea.

 

In two hours ~El Nacional~ entered the river's mouth.а The banks

were crowded with a disposition of formidable trees.а The sumptuous

undergrowth of the tropics overflowed the land, and drowned itself

in the fallow waters.

 

Silently the sloop entered there, and met a deeper silence.а Brilliant

with greens and ochres and floral, scarlets, the umbrageous mouth

of the Rio Ruiz furnished no sound or movement save of the sea-going

water as it purled against the prow of the vessel.а Small chance there

seemed of wresting beef or provisions from that empty solitude.

 

The admiral decided to cast anchor, and, at the chain's rattle,

the forest was stimulated to instant and resounding uproar.а The mouth

of the Rio Ruiz had only been taking a morning nap.а Parrots and

baboons screeched and barked in the trees; a whirring and a hissing

and a booming marked the awakening of animal life; a dark blue bulk

was visible for an instant, as a startled tapir fought his way through

the vines.

 

The navy, under orders, hung in the mouth of the little river for

hours.а The crew served the dinner of shark's fin soup, plantains,

crab gumbo and sour wine.а The admiral, with a three-foot telescope,

closely scanned the impervious foliage fifty yards away.

 

It was nearly sunset when a reverberating "hal-lo-o-o!" came from

the forest to their left.а It was answered; and three men, mounted

upon mules, crashed through the tropic tangle to within a dozen yards

of the river's bank.а There they dismounted; and one, unbuckling

his belt, struck each mule a violent blow with his sword scabbard,

so that they, with a fling of heels, dashed back again into

the forest.

 

Those were strange-looking men to be conveying beef and provisions.

One was a large and exceedingly active man, of striking presence.а He

was of the purest Spanish type, with curling, gray-besprinkled, dark

hair, blue, sparkling eyes, and the pronounced air of a ~caballero

grande~.а The other two were small, brown-faced men, wearing white

military uniforms, high riding boots and swords.а The clothes of all

were drenched, bespattered and rent by the thicket.а Some stress of

circumstance must have driven them, ~diable a quatre~, through flood,

mire and jungle.

 

"~O-he! Senor Almirante~," called the large man.а "Send to us your

boat."

 

The dory was lowered, and Felipe, with one of the Caribs, rowed toward

the left bank.

 

The large man stood near the water's brink, waist deep in the curling

vines.а As he gazed upon the scarecrow figure in the stern of the dory

a sprightly interest beamed upon his mobile face.

 

Months of wageless and thankless service had dimmed the admiral's

splendor.а His red trousers were patched and ragged.а Most of the

bright buttons and yellow braid were gone from his jacket.а The visor

of his cap was torn, and depended almost to his eyes.а The admiral's

feet were bare.

 

"Dear Admiral," cried the large man, and his voice was like a blast

from a horn, "I kiss your hands.а I knew we could build upon your

fidelity.а You had our despatch--from General Martinez.а A little

nearer with your boat, dear Admiral.а Upon these devils of shifting

vines we stand with the smallest security."

 

Felipe regarded him with a stolid face.

 

"Provisions and beef for the barracks at Alforan," he quoted.

 

"No fault of the butchers, ~Almirante mio~, that the beef awaits you

not.а But you are come in time to save the cattle.а Get us aboard your

vessel, senor, at once.а You first, ~caballeros--a priesa!~а Come back

for me.а The boat is too small."

 

The dory conveyed the two officers to the sloop, and returned for

the large man.

 

"Have you so gross a thing as food, good Admiral?" he cried, when

aboard.а "And, perhaps, coffee?а Beef and provisions!а ~Nombre de

Dios!~ a little longer and we could have eaten one of those mules that

you, Colonel Rafael, saluted so feelingly with your sword scabbard at

parting.а Let us have food; and then we will sail--for the barracks

at Alforan--no?"

 

The Caribs prepared a meal, to which the three passengers of ~El

Nacional~ set themselves with famished delight.а About sunset, as was

its custom, the breeze veered and swept back from the mountains, cool

and steady, bringing a taste of the stagnant lagoons and mangrove

swamps that guttered the lowlands.а The mainsail of the sloop was

hoisted and swelled to it, and at that moment they heard shouts and

a waxing clamor from the bosky profundities of the shore.

 

"The butchers, my dear Admiral," said the large man, smiling, "too

late for the slaughter."

 

Further than his orders to his crew, the admiral was saying nothing.

The topsail and jib were spread, and the sloop elided out of the

estuary.а The large man and his companions had bestowed themselves

with what comfort they could about the bare deck.а Belike, the thing

big in their minds had been their departure from that critical shore;

and now that the hazard was so far reduced their thoughts were loosed

to the consideration of further deliverance.а But when they saw the

sloop turn and fly up coast again they relaxed, satisfied with the

course the admiral had taken.

 

The large man sat at ease, his spirited blue eye engaged in

the contemplation of the navy's commander.а He was trying to estimate

this sombre and fantastic lad, whose impenetrable stolidity puzzled

him.а Himself a fugitive, his life sought, and chafing under the smart

of defeat and failure, it was characteristic of him to transfer

instantly his interest to the study of a thing new to him.а It was

like him, too, to have conceived and risked all upon this last

desperate and madcap scheme--this message to a poor, crazed ~fanatico~

cruising about with his grotesque uniform and his farcical title.

But his companions had been at their wits' end; escape had seemed

incredible; and now he was pleased with the success of the plan they

had called crack-brained and precarious.

 

The brief, tropic twilight seemed to slide swiftly into the pearly

splendor of a moonlit night.а And now the lights of Coralio appeared,

distributed against the darkening shore to their right.а The admiral

stood, silent, at the tiller; the Caribs, like black panthers, held

the sheets, leaping noiselessly at his short commands.а The three

passengers were watching intently the sea before them, and when at

length they came in sight of the bulk of a steamer lying a mile out

from the town, with her lights radiating deep into the water, they

held a sudden voluble and close-headed converse.а The sloop was

speeding as if to strike midway between ship and shore.

 

The large man suddenly separated from his companions and approached

the scarecrow at the helm.

 

"My dear Admiral," he said, "the government has been exceedingly

remiss.а I feel all the shame for it that only its ignorance of your

devoted service has prevented it from sustaining.а An inexcusable

oversight has been made.а A vessel, a uniform and a crew worthy

of your fidelity shall be furnished you.а But just now, dear Admiral,

there is business of moment afoot.а The steamer lying there is the

~Salvador~.а I and my friends desire to be conveyed to her, where we

are sent on the government's business.а Do us the favor to shape your

course accordingly."

 

Without replying, the admiral gave a sharp command, and put the tiller

hard to port.а ~El Nacional~ swerved, and headed straight as an

arrow's course for the shore.

 

"Do me the favor," said the large man, a trifle restively,

"to acknowledge, at least, that you catch the sound of my words."

It was possible that the fellow might be lacking in senses as well

as intellect.

 

The admiral emitted a croaking, harsh laugh, and spake.

 

"They will stand you," he said, "with your face to a wall and shoot

you dead.а That is the way they kill traitors.а I knew you when you

stepped into my boat.а I have seen your picture in a book.а You are

Sabas Placido, traitor to your country.а With your face to a wall.

So, you will die.а I am the admiral, and I will take you to them.

With your face to a wall.а Yes."

 

Don Sabas half turned and waved his hand, with a ringing laugh,

toward his fellow fugitives.а "To you, ~caballeros~, I have related

the history of that session when we issued that 0! so ridiculous

commission.а Of a truth our jest has been turned against us.а Behold

the Frankenstein's monster we have created!"

 

Don Sabas glanced toward the shore.а The lights of Coralio were

drawing near.а He could see the beach, the warehouse of the ~Bodega

Nacional~, the long, low ~cuartel~ occupied by the soldiers, and

behind that, gleaming in the moonlight, a stretch of high adobe wall.

He had seen men stood with their faces to that wall and shot dead.

 

Again he addressed the extravagant figure at the helm.

 

"It is true," he said,а "that I am fleeing the country.а But, receive

the assurance that I care very little for that.а Courts and camps

everywhere are open to Sabas Placido.а ~Vaya!~ what is this molehill

of a republic--this pig's head of a country--to a man like me?а I am

a ~paisano~ of everywhere.а In Rome, in London, in Paris, in Vienna,

you will hear them say:а 'Welcome back, Don Sabas.' Come!--~tonto~--

baboon of a boy--admiral, whatever you call yourself, turn your boat.

Put us on board the ~Salvador~, and here is your pay--five hundred

pesos in money of the ~Estados Unidos~--more than your lying

government will pay you in twenty years."

 

Don Sabas pressed a plump purse against the youth's hand.а The admiral

gave no heed to the words or the movement.а Braced against the helm,

he was holding the sloop dead on her shoreward course.а His dull face

was lit almost to intelligence by some inward conceit that seemed to

afford him joy, and found utterance in another parrot-like cackle.

 

"That is why they do it," he said--"so that you will not see the guns.

They fire--boom!--and you fall dead.а With your face to the wall.

Yes."

 

The admiral called a sudden order to his crew.а The lithe, silent

Caribs made fast the sheets they held, and slipped down the hatchway

into the hold of the sloop.а When the last one had disappeared, Don

Sabas, like a big, brown leopard, leaped forward, closed and fastened

the hatch and stood, smiling.

 

"No rifles, if you please, dear admiral," he said.а "It was a whimsey

of mine once to compile a dictionary of the Carib ~lengua~.а So,

I understood your order.а Perhaps now you will--"

 

He cut short his words, for he heard the dull "swish" of iron scraping

along tin.а The admiral had drawn the cutlass of Pedro Lafitte,

and was darting upon him.а The blade descended, and it was only by

a display of surprising agility that the large man escaped, with only

a bruised shoulder, the glancing weapon.а He was drawing his pistol

as he sprang, and the next instant he shot the admiral down.

 

Don Sabas stooped over him, and rose again.

 

"In the heart," he said briefly.а "~Senores~, the navy is abolished."

 

Colonel Rafael sprang to the helm, and the other officer hastened to

loose the mainsail sheets.а The boom swung round; ~El Nacional~ veered

and began to tack industriously for the ~Salvador~.

 

"Strike that flag, senor," called Colonel Rafael.а "Our friends on

the steamer will wonder why we are sailing under it."

 

"Well said," cried Don Sabas.а Advancing to the mast he lowered the

flag to the deck, where lay its too loyal supporter.а Thus ended the

Minister of War's little piece of after-dinner drollery, and by the

same hand that began it.

 

Suddenly Don Sabas gave a great cry of joy, and ran down the slanting

deck to the side of Colonel Rafael. аAcross his arm he carried the

flag of the extinguished navy.

 

"~Mire! mire! senor.а Ah, ~Dios!~а Already can I hear that great bear

of an Oestreicher~ shout, ~'Du hast mein herz gebrochen!' Mire!~

Of my friend, Herr Grunitz, of Vienna, you have heard me relate.

That man has travelled to Ceylon for an orchid--to Patagonia for

a headdress --to Benares for a slipper--to Mozambique for a spearhead

to add to his famous collections.а Thou knowest, also, ~amigo~ Rafael,

that I have been a gatherer of curios.а My collection of battle flags

of the world's navies was the most complete in existence until last

year.а Then Herr Grunitz secured two, 0! such rare specimens.а One

of a Barberry state, and one of the Makarooroos, a tribe on the west

coast of Africa.а I have not those, but they can be procured.а But

this flag, senor--do you know what it is?а Name of God! do you know?

See that red cross upon the blue and white ground!а You never saw

it before?а ~Seguramente no~.а It is the naval flag of your country.

~Mire!~а This rotten tub we stand upon is its navy--that dead cockatoo

lying there was its commander--that stroke of cutlass and single

pistol shot a sea battle.а All a piece of absurd foolery, I grant you

--but authentic.а There has never been another flag like this, and

there never will be another.а No.а It is unique in the whole world.

Yes.а Think of what that means to a collector of flags!а Do you know,

~Coronel mio~, how many golden crowns Herr Grunitz would give for this

flag?а Ten thousand, likely.а Well, a hundred thousand would not buy

it.а Beautiful flag!а Only flag!а Little devil of a most heaven-born

flag!а ~O'he!~ old grumbler beyond the ocean.а Wait till Don Sabas

comes again to the Konigin Strasse.а He will let you kneel and touch

the folds of it with one finger.а ~O-he!~ old spectacled ransacker

of the world!"

 

Forgotten was the impotent revolution, the danger, the loss, the gall

of defeat.а Possessed solely by the inordinate and unparalleled

passion of the collector, he strode up and down the little deck,

clasping to his breast with one hand the paragon of a flag.а He

snapped his fingers triumphantly toward the east.а He shouted the

paean to his prize in trumpet tones, as though he would make old

Grunitz hear in his musty den beyond the sea.

 

They were waiting, on the ~Salvador~, to welcome them.а The sloop came

close alongside the steamer where her sides were sliced almost to the

lower deck for the loading of fruit.а The sailors of the ~Salvador~

grappled and held her there.

 

Captain McLeod leaned over the side.

 

"Well, ~senor~, the jig is up, I'm told."

 

"The jig is up?" Don Sabas looked perplexed for a moment.а "That

revolution--ah, yes!"а With a shrug of his shoulders he dismissed

the matter.

 

The captain learned of the escape and the imprisoned crew.

 

"Caribs!" he said; "no harm in them."а He slipped down into the sloop

and kicked loose the hasp of the hatch.а The black fellows came

tumbling up, sweating but grinning.

 

"Hey! black boys!" said the captain, in a dialect of his own; "you

sabe, catchy boat and vamos back same place quick."

 

They saw him point to themselves, the sloop and Coralio.а "Yas, yas!"

they cried, with broader grins and many nods.

 

The four--Don Sabas, the two officers and the captain--moved to quit

the sloop.а Don Sabas lagged a little behind, looking at the still

form of the late admiral, sprawled in his paltry trappings.

 

"~Pobrecito loco~," he said softly.

 

He was a brilliant cosmopolite and a ~cognoscente~ of high rank;

but, after all, he was of the same race and blood and instinct as

this people.а Even as the simple ~paisanos~ of Coralio had said it,

so said Don Sabas.а Without a smile, he looked, and said, "The poor

little crazed one!"

 

Stooping he raised the limp shoulders, drew the priceless and

induplicable flag under them and over the breast, pinning it there

with the diamond star of the Order of San Carlos that he took from

the collar of his own coat.

 

He followed after the others, and stood with them upon the deck of

the ~Salvador~.а The sailors that steadied ~El Nacional~ shoved her

off.а The jabbering Caribs hauled away at the rigging; the sloop

headed for the shore.

 

And Herr Grunitz's collection of naval flags was still the finest

in the world.

 

 

 

X

 

The Shamrock and the Palm

 

One night when there was no breeze, and Coralio seemed closer than

ever to the gratings of Avernus, five men were grouped about the door

of the photograph establishment of Keogh and Clancy.а Thus, in all

the scorched and exotic places of the earth, Caucasians meet when

the day's work is done to preserve the fulness of their heritage

by the aspersion of alien things.

 

Johnny Atwood lay stretched upon the grass in the undress uniform of

a Carib, and prated feebly of cool water to be had in the cucumber-

wood pumps of Dalesburg.а Doctor Gregg, through the prestige of

his whiskers and as a bribe against the relation of his imminent

professional tales, was conceded the hammock that was swung between

the door jamb and a calabash-tree.а Keogh had moved out upon the grass

a little table that held the instrument for burnishing completed

photographs.а He was the only busy one of the group.а Industriously

from between the cylinders of the burnisher rolled the finished

depictments of Coralio's citizens.а Blanchard, the French mining

engineer, in his cool linen viewed the smoke of his cigarette through

his calm glasses, impervious to the heat.а Clancy sat on the steps,

smoking his short pipe.а His mood was the gossip's; the others were

reduced, by the humidity, to the state of disability desirable in

an audience.

 

Clancy was an American with an Irish diathesis and cosmopolitan

proclivities.а Many businesses had claimed him, but not for long.

The roadster's blood was in his veins.а The voice of the tintype was

but one of the many callings that had wooed him upon so many roads.

Sometimes he could be persuaded to oral construction of his voyages

into the informal and egregious.а Tonight there were symptoms of

divulgement in him.

 

"'Tis elegant weather for filibustering'," he volunteered.а "It

reminds me of the time I struggled to liberate a nation from the

poisonous breath of a tyrant's clutch.а 'Twas hard work. 'Tis

straining to the back and makes corns on the hands."

 

"I didn't know you had ever lent your sword to an oppressed people,"

murmured Atwood, from the grass.

 

"I did," said Clancy; "and they turned it into a plowshare."

 

"What country was so fortunate as to secure your aid?" airily inquired

Blanchard.

 

"Where's Kamchatka?" asked Clancy, with seeming irrelevance.

 

"Why, off Siberia somewhere in the Arctic regions," somebody answered,

doubtfully.

 

"I thought that was the cold one," said Clancy, with a satisfied nod.

"I'm always gettin' the two names mixed.а 'Twas Guatemala, then--the

hot one--I've been filibusterin' with.а Ye'll find that country on

the map.а 'Tis in the district known as the tropics.а By the foresight

of Providence, it lies on the coast so the geography men could run the

names of the towns off into the water.а They're an inch long, small

type, composed of Spanish dialects, and, 'tis my opinion, of the same

system of syntax that blew up the ~Maine~.а Yes, 'twas that country

I sailed against, single-handed, and endeavored to liberate it from

a tyrannical government with a single-barrelled pickaxe, unloaded

at that.а Ye don't understand, of course.а 'Tis a statement demandin'

elucidation and apologies.

 

"'Twas in New Orleans one morning about the first ofJune; I was

standing down on the wharf, looking about at the ships in the river.

There was a little steamer moored right opposite me that seemed about

ready to sail.а The funnels of it were throwing out smoke, and a gang

of roustabouts were carrying aboard a pile of boxes that was stacked

up on the wharf.а The boxes were about two feet square, and something

like four feet long, and they seemed to be pretty heavy.

 

"I walked over, careless, to the stack of boxes.а I saw one of them

had been broken in handlin'.а 'Twas curiosity made me pull up

the loose top and look inside.а The box was packed full of Winchester

rifles.а 'So, so,' says I to myself; 'somebody's gettin' a twist

on the neutrality laws.а Somebody's aidin' with munitions of war.

I wonder where the popguns are goin'?'

 

"I heard somebody cough, and I turned around.а There stood a little,

round, fat man with a brown face and white clothes, a first-class-

looking little man, with a four-karat diamond on his finger and

his eye full of interrogations and respects.а I judged he was a kind

of foreigner--may be from Russia or Japan or the archipelagoes.

 

"'Hist!' says the round man, full of concealments and confidences.

'Will the senor respect the discoveryments he has made, that the mans

on the ship shall not be acquaint?а The senor will be a gentleman

that shall not expose one thing that by accident occur.'

 

"'Monseer,' says I--for I judged him to be a kind of Frenchman--

'receive my most exasperated assurances that your secret is safe with

James Clancy.а Furthermore, I will go so far as to remark, Veev la

Liberty--veev it good and strong.а Whenever you hear of a Clancy

obstructin' the abolishment of existin' governments you may notify

me by return mail.'

 

"'The senor is good,' says the dark, fat man, smilin' under his black

mustache. 'Wish you to come aboard my ship and drink of wine a glass.'

 

"Bein' a Clancy, in two minutes me and the foreigner man were seated

at a table in the cabin of the steamer, with a bottle between us.а I

could hear the heavy boxes bein' dumped into the hold.а I judged that

cargo must consist of at least 2,000 Winchesters.а Me and the brown

man drank the bottle of stuff, and he called the steward to bring

another.а When you amalgamate a Clancy with the contents of a bottle

you practically instigate secession.а I had heard a good deal about

these revolutions in them tropical localities, and I begun to want

a hand in it.

 

"'You goin' to stir things up in your country, ain't you, monseer?'

says I, with a wink to let him know I was on.

 

"'Yes, yes,' said the little man, pounding his fist on the table.

'A change of the greatest will occur.а Too long have the people been

oppressed with the promises and the never-to-happen things to become.

The great work it shall be carry on.а Yes.а Our forces shall in the

capital city strike of the soonest.а ~Carrambos!~'

 

"'~Carrambos~ is the word,' says I, beginning to invest myself with

enthusiasm and more wine, 'likewise veeva, as I said before.а May the

shamrock of old--I mean the banana-vine or the pie-plant, or whatever

the imperial emblem may be of your down-trodden country, wave

forever.'

 

"'A thousand thank-yous,' says the round man, 'for your emission of

amicable utterances.а What our cause needs of the very most is mans

who will the work do, to lift it along.а Oh, for one thousands strong,

good mans to aid the General De Vega that he shall to his country

bring those success and glory!а It is hard--oh, so hard to find good

mans to help in the work.'

 

"'Monseer,' says I, leanin' over the table and graspin' his hand,

I don't know where your country is, but me heart bleeds for it.а The

heart of a Clancy was never deaf to the sight of an oppressed people.

The family is filibusterers by birth, and foreigners by trade.а If you

can use James Clancy's arms and his blood in denuding your shores of

the tyrant's yoke they're yours to command.'

 

"General De Vega was overcome with joy to confiscate my condolence

of his conspiracies and predicaments.а He tried to embrace me across

the table, but his fatness, and the wine that had been in the bottles,

prevented.а Thus was I welcomed into the ranks of filibustery.а Then

the general man told me his country had the name of Guatemala, and was

the greatest nation laved by any ocean whatever anywhere.а He looked

at me with tears in his eyes, and from time to time he would emit the

remark, 'Ah! big, strong, brave mans!а That is what my country need.'

 

"General De Vega, as was the name by which he denounced himself,

brought out a document for me to sign, which I did, makin' a fine

flourish and curlycue with the tail of the 'y.'

 

"'Your passage-money,' says the general, business-like, 'shall from

your pay be deduct.'

 

"''Twill not,' says I, haughty.а I'll pay my own passage.'а A hundred

and eighty dollars I had in my inside pocket, and 'twas no common

filibuster I was goin' to be, filibusterin' for me board and clothes.

 

"The steamer was to sail in two hours, and I went ashore to get some

things together I'd need.а When I came aboard I showed the general

with pride the outfit.а 'Twas a fine Chinchilla overcoat, Arctic

overshoes, fur cap and earmuffs, with elegant fleece-lined gloves

and woollen muffler.

 

"~'Carrambos!~ says the little general.а 'What clothes are these that

shall go to the tropic?'а And then the little spalpeen laughs, and he

calls the captain, and the captain calls the purser, and they pipe up

the chief engineer, and the whole gang leans against the cabin and

laughs at Clancy's wardrobe for Guatemala.

 

"I reflects a bit, serious, and asks the general again to denominate

the terms by which his country is called.а He tells me, and I see then

that 'twas the t'other one, Kamchatka, I had in mind.а Since then I've

had difficulty in separatin' the two nations in name, climate and

geographic disposition.

 

"I paid my passage--twenty-four dollars, first cabin--and ate at

table with the officer crowd.а Down on the lower deck was a gang

of second-class passengers, about forty of them, seemin' to be Dagoes

and the like.а I wondered what so many of them were goin' along for.

 

"Well, then, in three days we sailed alongside that Guatemala. 'Twas

a blue country, and not yellow as 'tis miscolored on the map.а We

landed at a town on the coast, where a train of cars was waitin' for

us on a dinky little railroad.а The boxes on the steamer were brought

ashore and loaded on the cars.а The gang of Dagoes got aboard, too,

the general and me in the front car.а Yes, me and General De Vega

headed the revolution, as it pulled out of the seaport town.а That

train travelled about as fast as a policeman goin' to a riot.а It

penetrated the most conspicuous lot of fuzzy scenery ever seen outside

a geography.а We run some forty miles in seven hours, and the train

stopped.а There was no more railroad.а 'Twas a sort of camp in a damp

gorge full of wildness and melancholies.а They was grading and

choppin' out the forests ahead to continue the road.а 'Here,' says

I to myself, 'is the romantic haunt of the revolutionists.а Here will

Clancy, by the virtue that is in a superior race and the inculcation

of Fenian tactics, strike a tremendous blow for liberty.'

 

"They unloaded the boxes from the train and begun to knock the tops

off.а From the first one that was open I saw General De Vega take the

Winchester rifles and pass them around to a squad of morbid soldiery.

The other boxes was opened next, and, believe me or not, divil another

gun was to be seen.а Every other box in the load was full of pickaxes

and spades.

 

"And then--sorrow be upon them tropics--the proud Clancy and

the dishonored Dagoes, each one of them, had to shoulder a pick or

a spade, and march away to work on that dirty little railroad.а Yes;

'twas that the Dagoes shipped for, and 'twas that the filibusterin'

Clancy signed for, though unbeknownst to himself at the time.а In

after days I found out about it.а It seems 'twas hard to get hands

to work on that road.а The intelligent natives of the country was

too lazy to work.а Indeed, the saints know, 'twas unnecessary.а By

stretchin' out one hand, they could seize the most delicate and costly

fruits of the earth, and, by stretchin' out the other, they could

sleep for days at a time without hearin' a seven o'clock whistle

or the footsteps of the rent man upon the stairs.а So, regular, the

steamers travelled to the United States to seduce labor.а Usually the

imported spade-slingers died in two or three months from eatin' the

over-ripe water and breathing the violent tropical scenery.а Wherefore

they made them sign contracts for a year, when they hired them, and

put an armed guard over the poor devils to keep them from runnin'

away.

 

"'Twas thus I was double-crossed by the tropics through a family

failing of goin' out of the way to hunt disturbances.

 

"They gave me a pick, and I took it, meditating an insurrection on

the spot; but there was the guards handling the Winchesters careless,

and I come to the conclusion that discretion was the best part of

filibusterin'.а There was about a hundred of us in the gang starting

out to work, and the word was given to move.а I steps out of the ranks

and goes up to that General De Vega man, who was smokin' a cigar and

gazin' upon the scene with satisfactions and glory.а He smiles at me

polite and devilish.а 'Plenty work,' says he, 'for big, strong mans

in Guatemala.а Yes.а Thirty dollars in the month.а Good pay.а Ah, yes.

You strong, brave man.а Bimeby we push those railroad in the capital

very quick.а They want you go work now.а ~Adios~, strong mans.'

 

"'Monseer,' says I, lingerin', 'will you tell a poor little Irishman

this:а When I set foot on your cockroachy steamer, and breathed

liberal and revolutionary sentiments into your sour wine, did you

think I was conspirin' to sling a pick on your contemptuous little

railroad?а And when you answered me with patriotic recitations,

humping up the star-spangled cause of liberty, did you have

meditations of reducin' me to the ranks of the stump-grubbin' Dagoes

in the chain-gangs of your vile and grovelin' country?'

 

'The general man expanded his rotundity and laughed considerable.

Yes, he laughed very long and loud, and I, Clancy, stood and waited.

 

"'Comical mans!' he shouts, at last.а 'So you will kill me from the

laughing.а Yes; it is hard to find the brave, strong mans to aid my

country.а Revolutions?а Did I speak of r-r-revolutions?а Not one

word.а I say, big, strong man is need in Guatemala.а So. The mistake

is of you.а You have looked in those one box containing those gun

for the guard.а You think all boxes is contain gun?а No.

 

"'There is not war in Guatemala.а But work?а Yes.а Good. Thirty dollar

in the month.а You shall shoulder one pickaxe, senor, and dig for

the liberty and prosperity of Guatemala.а Off to your work.а The guard

waits for you.'

 

"'Little, fat, poodle dog of a brown man,' says I, quiet, but full of

indignations and discomforts, 'things shall happen to you.а Maybe not

right away, but as soon as J. Clancy can formulate somethin' in the

way of repartee.'

 

"The boss of the gang orders us to work.а I tramps off with the

Dagoes, and I hears the distinguished patriot and kidnapper laughin'

hearty as we go.

 

"Tis a sorrowful fact, for eight weeks I built railroads for that

misbehavin' country.а I filibustered twelve hours a day with a heavy

pick and a spade, choppin' away the luxurious landscape that grew

upon the right of way.а We worked in swamps that smelled like there

was a leak in the gas mains, trampin' down a fine assortment of

the most expensive hothouse plants and vegetables.а The scene was

tropical beyond the wildest imagination of the geography man.а The

trees was all sky-scrapers; the underbrush was full of needles and

pins; there was monkeys jumpin' around and crocodiles and pink-tailed

mockin'-birds, and ye stood knee-deep in the rotten water and grabbled

roots for the liberation of Guatemala.а Of nights we would build

smudges in camp to discourage the mosquitoes, and sit in the smoke,

with the guards pacin' all around us.а There was two hundred men

working on the road--mostly Dagoes, nigger-men, Spanish-men and

Swedes.а Three or four were Irish.

 

"One old man named Halloran--a man of Hibernian entitlements and

discretions, explained it to me.а He had been working on the road

a year.а Most of them died in less than six months.а He was dried up

to gristle and bone, and shook with chills every third night.а "'When

you first come,' says he, 'ye think ye'll leave right away.а But they

hold out your first month's pay for your passage over, and by that

time the tropics has its grip on ye.а Ye're surrounded by a ragin'

forest full of disreputable beasts--lions and baboons and anacondas--

waiting to devour ye.а The sun strikes ye hard, and melts the marrow

in your bones.а Ye get similar to the lettuce--eaters the poetry-books

speaks about.а Ye forget the elevated sintiments of life, such as

patriotism, revenge, disturbances of the peace and the dacint love of

a clane shirt.а Ye do your work, and ye swallow the kerosene ile and

rubber pipestems dished up to ye by the Dago cook for food.а Ye light

your pipeful, and say to yourself, "Nixt week I'll break away," and ye

go to sleep and call yersilf a liar, for ye know yell never do it.'

 

а'Who is this general man,' asks I, 'that calls himself De Vega?'

 

"'Tis the man,' says Halloran, 'who is tryin' to complete the

finishin' of the railroad.а 'Twas the project of a private

corporation, but it busted, and then the government took it up.

De Vegy is a big politician, and wants to be president.а The people

want the railroad completed, as they're taxed mighty on account of it.

The De Vegy man is pushing it along as a campaign move.'

 

"''Tis not my way,' says I, 'to make threats against any man, but

there's an account to be settled between the railroad man and James

O'Dowd Clancy.'

 

"''Twas that way I thought, mesilf, at first,' Halloran says, with

a big sigh, 'until I got to be a lettuce-eater.а The fault's wid these

tropics.а They rejuices a man's system.а 'Tis a land, as the poet

says, "Where it always seems to be after dinner."а I does me work

and smokes me pipe and sleeps.а There's little else in life, anyway.

Ye'll get that way yersilf, mighty soon.а Don't be harborin' any

sentiments at all, Clancy.'

 

"'I can't help it,' says I; I'm full of 'em.а I enlisted in the

revolutionary army of this dark country in good faith to fight for

its liberty, honors, and silver candlesticks; instead of which I am

set to amputatin' its scenery and grubbin' its roots.а 'Tis the

general man will have to pay for it.'

 

"Two months I worked on that railroad before I found a chance to get

away.а One day a gang of us was sent back to the end of the completed

line to fetch some picks that had been sent down to Port Barrios to

be sharpened.а They were brought on a hand-car, and I noticed, when

I started away, that the car was left there on the track.

 

"That night, about twelve, I woke up Halloran and told him my scheme.

 

"'Run away?' says Halloran.а 'Good Lord, Clancy, do ye mean it?а Why,

I ain't got the nerve.а It's too chilly, and I ain't slept enough.

Run away?а I told you, Clancy, I've eat the lettuce.а I've lost my

grip.а 'Tis the tropics that's done it.а 'Tis like the poet says:

"Forgotten are our friends that we have left behind; in the hollow

lettuce-land we will live and lay reclined."а You better go on,

Clancy.а I'll stay, I guess.а It's too early and cold, and I'm

sleepy.'

 

"So I had to leave Halloran.а I dressed quiet, and slipped out

of the tent we were in.а When the guard came along I knocked him

over, like a ninepin, with a green coconut I had, and made for the

railroad.а I got on that hand-car and made it fly.а 'Twas yet a while

before daybreak when I saw the lights of Port Barrios about a mile

away.а I stopped the hand-car there and walked to the town.а I stepped

inside the corporations of that town with care and hesitations.

I was not afraid of the army of Guatemala, but me soul quaked at

the prospect of a hand-to-hand struggle with its employment bureau.

'Tis a country that hires its help easy and keeps 'em long.а Sure I

can fancy Missis America and Missis Guatemala passin' a bit of gossip

some fine, still night across the mountains.а 'Oh, dear,' says Missis

America, 'and it's a lot of trouble I'm havin' ag'in with the help,

senora, ma'am.'а 'Laws, now!' says Missis Guatemala, 'you don't say

so, ma'am! now, mine never think ofleavin me--te-he! ma'am,' snickers

Missis Guatemala.

 

"I was wonderin' how I was goin' to move away from them tropics

without bein' hired again.а Dark as it was, I could see a steamer

ridin' in the harbor, with smoke emergin' from her stacks.а I turned

down a little grass street that run down to the water.а On the beach

I found a little brown nigger-man just about to shove off in a skiff.

 

"'Hold on, Sambo,' says I, 'savve English?'

 

"'Heap plenty, yes,' says he, with a pleasant grin.

 

"'What steamer is that?' I asks him, 'and where is it going?а And

what's the news, and the good word and the time of day?'

 

" 'That steamer the ~Conchita~,' said the brown man, affable and easy,

rollin' a cigarette.а 'Him come from New Orleans for load banana.

Him got load last night.а I think him sail in one, two hour.а Verree

nice day we shall be goin' have.а You hear some talkee 'bout big

battle, maybe so?а You think catchee General De Vega, senor?а Yes?

No?'

 

"'How's that, Sambo?' says I.а 'Big battle?а What battle?а Who wants

catchee General De Vega?а I've been up at my old gold mines in the

interior for a couple of months, and haven't heard any news.'

 

"'Oh,' says the nigger-man, proud to speak the English, 'verree great

revolution in Guatemala one week ago.а General De Vega, him try be

president.а Him raise armee--one--five--ten thousand mans for fight

at the government.а Those one government send five--forty--hundred

thousand soldier to suppress revolution.а They fight big battle

yesterday at Lomagrande--that about nineteen or fifty mile in the

mountain.а That government soldier wheep General De Vega--oh, most

bad.а Five hundred--nine hundred--two thousand of his mans is kill.

That revolution is smash suppress--bust--very quick.а General De Vega,

him r-r-run away fast on one big mule.а Yes, ~carrambos!~а The

general, him r-r-run away, and his armee is kill.а That government

soldier, they try find General De Vega verree much.а They want catchee

him for shoot.а You think they catchee that general, senor?'

 

"'Saints grant it!' says I.а ''Twould be the judgment of Providence

for settin' the warlike talent of a Clancy to gradin' the tropics

with a pick and shovel.а But 'tis not so much a question of

insurrections now, me little man, as 'tis of the hired-man problem.

'Tis anxious I am to resign a situation of responsibility and trust

with the white wings department of your great and degraded country.

Row me in your little boat out to that steamer, and I'll give ye five

dollars--sinker pacers--sinker pacers,' says I, reducing the offer

to the language and denomination of the tropic dialects.

 

"'Cinco pesos,' repeats the little man.а Five dollee, you give?'

 

"'Twas not such a bad little man.а He had hesitations at first,

sayin' that passengers leavin' the country had to have papers and

passports, but at last he took me out alongside the steamer.

 

"Day was just breakin' as we struck her, and there wasn't a soul to

be seen on board.а The water was very still, and the nigger-man gave

me a lift from the boat, and I climbed onto the steamer where her side

was sliced to the deck for loadin' fruit.а The hatches was open, and

I looked down and saw the cargo of bananas that filled the hold to

within six feet of the top.а I thinks to myself, 'Clancy, you better

go as a stowaway.а It's safer.а The steamer men might hand you back

to the employment bureau.а The tropic'll get you, Clancy, if you

don't watch out.'

 

"So I jumps down easy among the bananas, and digs out a hole to hide

in among the bunches.а In an hour or so I could hear the engines

goin', and feel the steamer rockin', and I knew we were off to sea.

They left the hatches open for ventilation, and pretty soon it was

light enough in the hold to see fairly well.а I got to feelin'

a bit hungry, and thought I'd have a light fruit lunch, by way

of refreshment.а I creeped out of the hole I'd made and stood up

straight.а Just then I saw another man crawl up about ten feet away

and reach out and skin a banana and stuff it into his mouth.а 'Twas

a dirty man, black-faced and ragged and disgraceful of aspect.а Yes,

the man was a ringer for the pictures of the fat Weary Willie in the

funny papers.а I looked again, and saw it was my general man--De Vega,

the great revolutionist, mule-rider and pickaxe importer.а When he

saw me the general hesitated with his mouth filled with banana and

his eyes the size of coconuts.

 

"'Hist!' I says.а 'Not a word, or they'll put us off and make us walk.

"Veev la Liberty!"' I adds, copperin' the sentiment by shovin' a

banana into the source of it.а I was certain the general wouldn't

recognize me.а The nefarious work of the tropics had left me lookin'

different.а There was half an inch of roan whiskers coverin' me face,

and me costume was a pair of blue overalls and a red shirt.

 

"'How you come in the ship, senor?' asked the general as soon as he

could speak.

 

"'By the back door--whist!' says I.а ''Twas a glorious blow for

liberty we struck,' I continues; 'but we was overpowered by numbers.

Let us accept our defeat like brave men and eat another banana.'

 

"'Were you in the cause of liberty fightin', senor?' says the general,

sheddin' tears on the cargo.

 

"'To the last,' says I.а ''Twas I led the last desperate charge

against the minions of the tyrant.а But it made them mad, and we was

forced to retreat.а 'Twas I, general, procured the mule upon which

you escaped.а Could you give that ripe bunch a little boost this way,

general?а It's a bit out of my reach.а Thanks.'

 

"'Say you so, brave patriot?' said the general, again weepin'.а 'Ah,

~Dios!~а And I have not the means to reward your devotion.а Barely

did I my life bring away.а ~Carrambos!~ what a devil's animal was that

mule, senor!а Like ships in one storm was I dashed about.а The skin

on myself was ripped away with the thorns and vines.а Upon the bark

of a hundred trees did that beast of the infernal bump, and cause

outrage to the legs of mine.а In the night to Port Barrios I came.

I dispossess myself of that mountain of mule and hasten along the

water shore.а I find a little boat to be tied.а I launch myself and

row to the steamer.а I cannot see any mans on board, so I climbed one

rope which hang at the side.а I then myself hide in the bananas.

Surely, I say, if the ship captains view me, they shall throw me again

to those Guatemala.а Those things are not good.а Guatemala will shoot

General De Vega.а Therefore, I am hide and remain silent.а Life itself

is glorious.а Liberty, it is pretty good; but so good as life I do not

think.'

 

"Three days, as I said, was the trip to New Orleans.а The general man

and me got to be cronies of the deepest dye.а Bananas we ate until

they were distasteful to the sight and an eyesore to the palate, but

to bananas alone was the bill of fare reduced.а At night I crawls out,

careful, on the lower deck, and gets a bucketful of fresh water.

 

"That General De Vega was a man inhabited by an engorgement of words

and sentences.а He added to the monotony of the voyage by divestin'

himself of conversation.а He believed I was a revolutionist of his

own party, there bein' as he told me, a good many Americans and other

foreigners in its ranks.а 'Twas a braggart and a conceited little

gabbler it was, though he considered himself a hero.а 'Twas on himself

he wasted all his regrets at the failing of his plot.а Not a word did

the little balloon have to say about the other misbehaving idiots that

had been shot, or run themselves to death in his revolution.

 

"The second day out he was feelin' pretty braggy and uppish for a

stowed-away conspirator that owed his existence to a mule and stolen

bananas.а He was tellin' me about the great railroad he had been

buildin', and he relates what he calls a comic incident about a fool

Irishman he inveigled from New Orleans to sling a pick on his little

morgue of a narrow-gauge line.а 'Twas sorrowful to hear the little,

dirty general tell the opprobrious story of how he put salt upon the

tail of that reckless and silly bird, Clancy.а Laugh, he did, hearty

and long.а He shook with laughin', the black-faced rebel and outcast,

standing neck-deep in bananas, without friends or country.

 

"'Ah, senor,' he snickers, 'to death you would have laughed at that

drollest Irish.а I say to him:а "Strong, big mans is need very much

in Guatemala."а "I will blows strike for your down-pressed country,"

he say.а "That shall you do," I tell him.а Ah! it was an Irish so

comic.а He sees one box break upon the wharf that contain for the

guard a few gun.а He think there is gun in all the box.а But that is

all pickaxe.а Yes.а Ah! senor, could you the face of that Irish have

seen when they set him to the work!'

 

"'Twas thus the ex-boss of the employment bureau contributed to the

tedium of the trip with merry jests and anecdote.а But now and then

he would weep upon the bananas and make oration about the lost cause

of liberty and the mule.

 

"'Twas a pleasant sound when the steamer bumped against the pier in

New Orleans.а Pretty soon we heard the pat-a-pat of hundreds of bare

feet, and the Dago gang that unloads the fruit jumped on the deck and

down into the hold.а Me and the general worked a while at passing up

the bunches, and they thought we were part of the gang.а After about

an hour we managed to slip off the steamer onto the wharf.

 

"'Twas a great honor on the hands of an obscure Clancy, havin' the

entertainment of the representative of a great foreign filibustering

power.а I first bought for the general and myself many long drinks

and things to eat that were not bananas.а The general man trotted

along at my side, leaving all the arrangements to me.а I led him

up to Lafayette Square and set him on a bench in the little park.

Cigarettes I had bought for him, and he humped himself down on the

seat like a little, fat, contented hobo.а I look him over as he sets

there, and what I see pleases me. аBrown by nature and instinct, he

is now brindled with dirt and dust.а Praise to the mule, his clothes

is mostly strings and flaps.а Yes, the looks of the general man is

agreeable to Clancy.

 

"I asks him, delicate, if, by any chance, he brought away anybody's

money with him from Guatemala.а He sighs and humps his shoulders

against the bench.а Not a cent.а All right.а Maybe, he tells me,

some of his friends in the tropic outfit will send him funds later.

The general was as clear a case of no visible means as I ever saw.

 

"I told him not to move from the bench, and then I went up to the

corner of Poydras and Carondelet.а Along there is O'Hara's beat.

In five minutes along comes O'Hara, a big, fine man, red-faced,

with shinin' buttons, swinging his club.а 'Twould be a fine thing

for Guatemala to move into O'Hara's precinct.а 'Twould be a fine bit

of recreation for Danny to suppress revolutions and uprisins once or

twice a week with his club.

 

"'Is 5046 workin' yet, Danny?' says I, walking up to him.

 

"'Overtime,' says O'Hara, looking over me suspicious.а 'Want some

of it?'

 

"Fifty-forty-six is the celebrated city ordinance authorizing arrest,

conviction and imprisonment of persons that succeed in concealing

their crimes from the police.

 

"'Don't ye know Jimmy Clancy?' says I.а 'Ye pink-gilled monster.'

So, when O'Hara recognized me beneath the scandalous exterior bestowed

upon me by the tropics, I backed him into a doorway and told him what

I wanted, and why I wanted it.а 'All right, Jimmy,' says O'Hara.а 'Go

back and hold the bench.а I'll be along in ten minutes.'

 

"In that time O'Hara strolled through Lafayette Square and spied two

Weary Willies disgracin' one of the benches.а In ten minutes more

J. Clancy and General De Vega, late candidate for the presidency of

Guatemala, was in the station house.а The general is badly frightened,

and calls upon me to proclaim his distinguishments and rank.

 

"'The man,' says I to the police, 'used to be a railroad man.а He's

on the bum now.а 'Tis a little bughouse he is, on account of losin'

his job.'

 

"'~Carrambos!~' says the general, fizzin' like a little soda-fountain,

'you fought, senor, with my forces in my native country.а Why do you

say the lies?а You shall say I am the General De Vega, one soldier,

one ~caballero~--'

 

"'Railroader,' says I again.а 'On the hog.а No good.а Been livin' for

three days on stolen bananas.а Look at him.а Ain't that enough?'

 

"Twenty-five dollars or sixty days, was what the recorder gave the

general.а He didn't have a cent, so he took the time.а They let me go,

as I knew they would, for I had money to show, and O'Hara spoke for

me.а Yes; sixty days he got.а 'Twas just so long as I slung a pick

for the great country of Kam--Guatemala."

 

Clancy paused.а The bright starlight showed a reminiscent look of

happy content on his seasoned features.а Keogh leaned in his chair

and gave his partner a slap on his thinly clad back that sounded

like the crack of the surf on the sands.

 

"Tell 'em, ye divil," he chuckled, "how you got even with the tropical

general in the way of agricultural maneuverings."

 

"'Having no money," concluded Clancy, with unction, "they set him

to work his fine out with a gang from the parish prison clearing

Ursulines Street.а Around the corner was a saloon decorated genially

with electric fans and cool merchandise.а I made that me headquarters,

and every fifteen minutes I'd walk around and take a look at the

little man filibusterin' with a rake and shovel.а 'Twas just such

a hot broth of a day as this has been.а And I'd call at him 'Hey,

monseer!' and he'd look at me black, with the damp showin' through

his shirt in places.

 

"'Fat, strong mans,' says I to General De Vega, 'is needed in New

Orleans.а Yes.а To carry on the good work.а Carrambos!а Erin go

bragh!"

 

 

 

XI

 

The Remnants of the Code

 

Breakfast in Coralio was at eleven.а Therefore the people did not go

to market early.а The little wooden market-house stood on a patch of

short-trimmed grass, under the vivid green foliage of a bread-fruit

tree.

 

Thither one morning the venders leisurely convened, bringing their

wares with them.а A porch or platform six feet wide encircled the

building, shaded from the mid-morning sun by the projecting, grass-

thatched roof.а Upon this platform the venders were wont to display

their goods--newly killed beef, fish, crabs, fruit of the country,

cassava, eggs, ~dulces~ and high, tottering stacks of native tortillas

as large around as the sombrero of a Spanish grandee.

 

But on this morning they whose stations lay on the seaward side

of the market-house, instead of spreading their merchandise formed

themselves into a softly jabbering and gesticulating group.а For there

upon their space of the platform was sprawled, asleep, the unbeautiful

figure of "Beelzebub" Blythe.а He lay upon a ragged strip of cocoa

matting, more than ever a fallen angel in appearance.а His suit of

coarse flax, soiled, bursting at the seams, crumpled into a thousand

diversified wrinkles and creases, inclosed him absurdly, like the garb

of some effigy that had been stuffed in sport and thrown there after

indignity had been wrought upon it.а But firmly upon the high bridge

of his nose reposed his gold-rimmed glasses, the surviving badge of

his ancient glory.

 

The sun's rays, reflecting quiveringly from the rippling sea upon his

face, and the voices of the market-men woke "Beelzebub" Blythe.а He

sat up, blinking, and leaned his back against the wall of the market.

Drawing a blighted silk handkerchief from his pocket, he assiduously

rubbed and burnished his glasses.а And while doing this he became

aware that his bedroom had been invaded, and that polite brown and

yellow men were beseeching him to vacate in favor of their market

stuff.

 

If the senor would have the goodness--a thousand pardons for bringing

to him molestation--but soon would come the ~compradores~ for the

day's provisions--surely they had ten thousand regrets at disturbing

him!

 

In this manner they expanded to him the intimation that he must clear

out and cease to clog the wheels of trade.

 

Blythe stepped from the platform with the air of a prince leaving

his canopied couch.а He never quite lost that air, even at the lowest

point of his fall.а It is clear that the college of good breeding does

not necessarily maintain a chair of morals within its walls.

 

Blythe shook out his wry clothing, and moved slowly up the Calle

Grande through the hot sand.а He moved without a destination in

his mind.а The little town was languidly stirring to its daily life.

Golden-skinned babies tumbled over one another in the grass.а The sea

breeze brought him appetite, but nothing to satisfy it.а Throughout

Coralio were its morning odors--those from the heavily fragrant

tropical flowers and from the bread baking in the outdoor ovens of

clay and the pervading smoke of their fires.а Where the smoke cleared,

the crystal air, with some of the efficacy of faith, seemed to remove

the mountains almost to the sea, bringing them so near that one might

count the scarred glades on their wooded sides.а The light-footed

Caribs were swiftly gliding to their tasks at the waterside.а Already

along the bosky trails from the banana groves files of horses were

slowly moving, concealed, except for their nodding heads and plodding

legs, by the bunches of green-golden fruit heaped upon their backs.

On doorsills sat women combing their long, black hair and calling, one

to another, across the narrow thoroughfares.а Peace reigned in Coralio

--arid and bald peace; but still peace.

 

On that bright morning when Nature seemed to be offering the lotus

on the Dawn's golden platter "Beelzebub" Blythe had reached rock

bottom.а Further descent seemed impossible.а That last night's slumber

in a public place had done for him.а As long as he had had a roof

to cover him there had remained, unbridged, the space that separates

a gentleman from the beasts of the jungle and the fowls of the air.

But now he was little more than a whimpering oyster led to be devoured

on the sands of a Southern sea by the artful walrus, Circumstance,

and the implacable carpenter, Fate.

 

To Blythe money was now but a memory.а He had drained his friends

of all that their good-fellowship had to offer; then he had squeezed

them to the last drop of their generosity; and at last, Aaron-like,

he had smitten the rock of their hardening bosoms for the scattering,

ignoble drops of Charity itself.

 

He had exhausted his credit to the last real.а With the minute

keenness of the shameless sponger he was aware of every source in

Coralio from which a glass of rum, a meal or a piece of silver could

be wheedled.а Marshalling each such source in his mind, he considered

it with all the thoroughness and penetration that hunger and thirst

lent him for the task.а All his optimism failed to thresh a grain of

hope from the chaff of his postulations.а He had played out the game.

That one night in the open had shaken his nerves.а Until then there

had been left to him at least a few grounds upon which he could base

his unblushing demands upon his neighbors' stores.а Now he must beg

instead of borrowing.а The most brazen sophistry could not dignify

by the name of "loan" the coin contemptuously flung to a beachcomber

who slept on the bare boards of the public market.

 

But on this morning no beggar would have more thankfully received

a charitable coin, for the demon thirst had him by the throat--the

drunkard's matutinal thirst that requires to be slaked at each morning

station on the road to Tophet.

 

Blythe walked slowly up the street, keeping a watchful eye for any

miracle that might drop manna upon him in his wilderness.а As he

passed the popular eating house of Madama Vasquez, Madama's boarders

were just sitting down to freshly baked bread, ~aguacates~, pines

and delicious coffee that sent forth odorous guarantee of its quality

upon the breeze.аа Madama was serving; she turned her shy, stolid,

melancholy gaze for a moment out the window; she saw Blythe, and

her expression turned more shy and embarrassed.а "Beelzebub" owed

her twenty pesos.а He bowed as he had once bowed to less embarrassed

dames to whom he owed nothing, and passed on.

 

Merchants and their clerks were throwing open the solid wooden doors

of their shops.а Polite but cool were the glances they cast upon

Blythe as he lounged tentatively by with the remains of his old jaunty

air; for they were his creditors almost without exception.

 

At the little fountain in the ~plaza~ he made an apology for a toilet

with his wetted handkerchief.а Across the open square filed the

dolorous line of friends to the prisoners in the calaboza, bearing

the morning meal of the immured.а The food in their hands roused small

longing in Blythe.

 

It was drink that his soul craved, or money to buy it.а In the streets

he met many with whom he had been friends and equals, and whose

patience and liberality he had gradually exhausted.а Willard Geddie

and Paula cantered past him with the coolest of nods, returning from

their daily horseback ride along the old Indian road.а Keogh passed

him at another corner, whistling cheerfully and bearing a prize of

newly laid eggs for the breakfast of himself and Clancy.а The jovial

scout of Fortune was one of Blythe's victims who had plunged his hand

oftenest into his pocket to aid him.а But now it seemed that Keogh,

too, had fortified himself against further invasions.а His curt

greeting and the ominous light in his full, gray eye quickened the

steps of "Beelzebub," whom desperation had almost incited to attempt

an additional "loan."

 

Three drinking shops the forlorn one next visited in succession.

In all of these his money, his credit and his welcome had long since

been spent; but Blythe felt that he would have fawned in the dust at

the feet of an enemy that morning for one draught of ~aguardiente~.

In two of the ~pulperias~ his courageous petition for drink was met

with a refusal so polite that it stung worse than abuse.а The third

establishment had acquired something of American methods; and here

he was seized bodily and cast out upon his hands and knees.

 

This physical indignity caused a singular change in the man.

As he picked himself up and walked away, an expression of absolute

relief came upon his features.а The specious and conciliatory

smile that had been graven there was succeeded by a look of calm

and sinister resolve.а "Beelzebub" had been floundering in the sea

of improbability, holding by a slender life-line to the respectable

world that had cast him overboard.а He must have felt that with this

ultimate shock the line had snapped, and have experienced the welcome

ease of the drowning swimmer who has ceased to struggle.

 

Blythe walked to the next corner and stood there while he brushed

the sand from his garments and repolished his glasses.

 

"I've got to do it--oh, I've got to do it," he told himself, aloud.

"If I had a quart of rum I believe I could stave it off yet--for a

little while.а But there's no more rum for--'Beelzebub,' as they call

me.а By the flames of Tartarus! if I'm to sit at the right hand of

Satan somebody has got to pay the court expenses.а You'll have to pony

up, Mr. Frank Goodwin.а You're a good fellow; but a gentleman must

draw the line at being kicked into the gutter.а Blackmail isn't a

pretty word, but it's the next station on the road I'm travelling."

 

With purpose in his steps Blythe now moved rapidly through the town

by way of its landward environs.а He passed through the squalid

quarters of the improvident negroes and on beyond the picturesque

shacks of the poorer mestizos.а From many points along his course he

could see, through the umbrageous glades, the house of Frank Goodwin

on its wooded hill.а And as he crossed the little bridge over the

lagoon he saw the old Indian, Galvez, scrubbing at the wooden slab

that bore the name of Miraflores.а Beyond the lagoon the lands of

Goodwin began to slope gently upward.а A grassy road, shaded by

a munificent and diverse array of tropical flora wound from the edge

of an outlying banana grove to the dwelling.а Blythe took this road

with long and purposeful strides.

 

Goodwin was seated on his coolest gallery, dictating letters to his

secretary, a sallow and capable native youth.а The household adhered

to the American plan of breakfast; and that meal had been a thing of

the past for the better part of an hour.

 

The castaway walked to the steps, and flourished a hand.

 

"Good morning, Blythe,а said Goodwin, looking up.а "Come in and have

a chair.а Anything I can do for you?"

 

"I want to speak to you in private."

 

Goodwin nodded at his secretary, who strolled out under a mango tree

and lit a cigarette.а Blythe took the chair that he had left vacant.

 

"I want some money," he began, doggedly.

 

"I'm sorry," said Goodwin, with equal directness, "but you can't have

any.а You're drinking yourself to death, Blythe.а Your friends have

done all they could to help you to brace up.а You won't help yourself.

There's no use furnishing you with money to ruin yourself with any

longer."

 

"Dear man," said Blythe, tilting back his chair, "it isn't a question

of social economy now.а It's past that.а I like you, Goodwin; and I've

come to stick a knife between your ribs.а I was kicked out of Espada's

saloon this morning; and Society owes me reparation for my wounded

feelings."

 

"I didn't kick you out."

 

"No--but in a general way you represent Society; and in a particular

way you represent my last chance.а I've had to come down to it, old

man--I tried to do it a month ago when Losada's man was here turning

things over; but I couldn't do it then.а Now it's different.а I want

a thousand dollars, Goodwin; and you'll have to give it to me."

 

"Only last week," said Goodwin, with a smile, "a silver dollar was

all you were asking for."

 

"An evidence," said Blythe, flippantly, "that I was still virtuous--

though under heavy pressure.а The wages of sin should be something

higher than a peso worth forty-eight cents.а Let's talk business.

I am the villain in the third act; and I must have my merited,

if only temporary, triumph.а I saw you collar the late president's

valiseful of boodle.а Oh, I know it's blackmail; but I'm liberal

about the price.а I know I'm a cheap villain--one of the regular

sawmill-drama kind--but you're one of my particular friends, and

I don't want to stick you hard."

 

"Suppose you go into the details," suggested Goodwin, calmly

arranging his letters on the table.

 

"All right," said "Beelzebub."а "I like the way you take it.

I despise histrionics; so you will please prepare yourself for

the facts without any red fire, calcium or grace notes on

the saxophone.

 

"On the night that His Fly-by-night Excellency arrived in town I was

very drunk.а You will excuse the pride with which I state that fact;

but it was quite a feat for me to attain that desirable state.

Somebody had left a cot out under the orange trees in the yard of

Madama Ortiz's hotel.а I stepped over the wall, laid down upon it,

and fell asleep.а I was awakened by an orange that dropped from

the tree upon my nose; and I laid there for a while cursing Sir Isaac

Newton, or whoever it was that invented gravitation, for not confining

his theory to apples.

 

"And then along came Mr. Miraflores and his true-love with the

treasury in a valise, and went into the hotel.а Next you hove in

sight, and held a pow-wow with the tonsorial artist who insisted

upon talking shop after hours.а I tried to slumber again; but once

more my rest was disturbed--this time by the noise of the popgun

that went off upstairs.а Then that valise came crashing down into

an orange tree just above my head; and I arose from my couch, not

knowing when it might begin to rain Saratoga trunks.а When the army

and the constabulary began to arrive, with their medals and

decorations hastily pinned to their pajamas, and their snickersnees

drawn, I crawled into the welcome shadow of a banana plant.а I

remained there for an hour, by which time the excitement and the

people had cleared away.а And then, my dear Goodwin--excuse me--I saw

you sneak back and pluck that ripe and juicy valise from the orange

tree.а I followed you, and saw you take it to your own house.а A

hundred-thousand-dollar crop from one orange tree in a season about

breaks the record of the fruit-growing industry.

 

"Being a gentleman at that time, of course I never mentioned the

incident to any one.а But this morning I was kicked out of a saloon,

my code of honor is all out at the elbows, and I'd sell my mother's

prayer-book for three fingers of ~aguardiente~.а I'm not putting

on the screws hard.а It ought to be worth a thousand to you for me

to have slept on that cot through the whole business without waking

up and seeing anything."

 

Goodwin opened two more letters, and made memoranda in pencil on them.

Then he called "Manuel!" to his secretary, who came, spryly.

 

"The ~Ariel~--when does she sail?" asked Goodwin.а "Senor," answered

the youth, "at three this afternoon.а She drops down-coast to Punta

Soledad to complete her cargo of fruit.а From there she sails for New

Orleans without delay."

 

"~Bueno!~" said Goodwin.а "These letters may wait yet awhile."

 

The secretary returned to his cigarette under the mango tree.

 

In round numbers," said Goodwin, facing Blythe squarely, "how much

money do you owe in this town, not including the sums you have

'borrowed' from me?"

 

"Five hundred--at a rough guess," answered Blythe, lightly.

 

"Go somewhere in the town and draw up a schedule of your debts," said

Goodwin.а "Come back here in two hours, and I will send Manuel with

the money to pay them.а I will also have a decent outfit of clothing

ready for you.а You will sail on the ~Ariel~ at three.а Manuel will

accompany you as far as the deck of the steamer.а There he will hand

you one thousand dollars in cash.а I suppose that we needn't discuss

what you will be expected to do in return?"

 

"Oh, I understand," piped Blythe, cheerily.а "I was asleep all the

time on the cot under Madama Ortiz's orange trees; and I shake off

the dust of Coralio forever.а I'll play fair.а No more of the lotus

for me.а Your proposition is 0. K.а Youre a good fellow, Goodwin; and

I let you off light.а I'll agree to everything.а But in the meantime

--I've a devil of a thirst on, old man--"

 

"Not a ~centavo~," said Goodwin, firmly, "until you are on board the

~Ariel~.а You would be drunk in thirty minutes if you had money now."

 

But he noticed the blood-streaked eyeballs, the relaxed form and

the shaking hands of "Beelzebub"; and he stepped into the dining

room through the low window, and brought out a glass and a decanter

of brandy.

 

"Take a bracer, anyway, before you go," he proposed, even as a man

to the friend whom he entertains.

 

"Beelzebub" Blythe's eyes glistened at the sight of the solace for

which his soul burned.а Today for the first time his poisoned nerves

had been denied their steadying dose; and their retort was a mounting

torment.а He grasped the decanter and rattled its crystal mouth

against the glass in his trembling hand.а He flushed the glass,

and then stood erect, holding it aloft for an instant.а For one

fleeting moment he held his head above the drowning waves of

his abyss.а He nodded easily at Goodwin, raised his brimming glass

and murmured a "health" that men had used in his ancient Paradise

Lost.а And then so suddenly that he spilled the brandy over his hand,

he set down his glass, untasted.

 

"In two hours," his dry lips muttered to Goodwin, as he marched down

the steps and turned his face toward the town.

 

In the edge of the cool banana grove "Beelzebub" halted, and snapped

the tongue of his belt buckle into another hole.

 

"I couldn't do it," he explained, feverishly, to the waving banana

fronds.а "I wanted to, but I couldn't.а A gentleman can't drink with

the man that he blackmails."

 

 

 

XII

 

Shoes

 

John De Graffenreid Atwood ate of the lotus, root, stem, and flower.

The tropics gobbled him up.а He plunged enthusiastically into his

work, which was to try to forget Rosine.

 

Now, they who dine on the lotus rarely consume it plain.а There is

a sauce ~au diable~ that goes with it; and the distillers are the

chefs who prepare it.а And on Johnny's menu card it read "brandy."

With a bottle between them, he and Billy Keogh would sit on the porch

of the little consulate at night and roar out great, indecorous songs,

until the natives, slipping hastily past, would shrug a shoulder and

mutter things to themselves about the "~Americanos diablos~."

 

One day Johnny's ~mozo~ brought the mail and dumped it on the table.

Johnny leaned from his hammock, and fingered the four or five letters

dejectedly.а Keogh was sitting on the edge of the table chopping

lazily with a paper knife at the legs of a centipede that was crawling

among the stationery.а Johnny was in that phase of lotus-eating when

all the world tastes bitter in one's mouth.

 

"Same old thing!" he complained.а "Fool people writing for information

about the country.а They want to know all about raising fruit, and how

to make a fortune without work.а Half of 'em don't even send stamps

for a reply.а They think a consul hasn't anything to do but write

letters.а Slit those envelopes for me, old man, and see what they

want.а I'm feeling too rocky to move."

 

Keogh, acclimated beyond all possibility of ill-humor, drew his chair

to the table with smiling compliance on his rose-pink countenance,

and began to slit open the letters.а Four of them were from citizens

in various parts of the United States who seemed to regard the consul

at Coralio as a cyclopedia of information.а They asked long lists

of questions, numerically arranged, about the climate, products,

possibilities, laws, business chances, and statistics of the country

in which the consul had the honor of representing his own government.

 

"Write 'em, please, Billy," said that inert official, "just a line,

referring them to the latest consular report.а Tell 'em the State

Department will be delighted to furnish the literary gems.а Sign my

name.а Don't let your pen scratch, Billy; it'll keep me awake."

 

"Don't snore," said Keogh, amiably, "and I'll do your work for you.

You need a corps of assistants, anyhow.а Don't see how you ever get

out a report.а Wake up a minute--here's one more letter--it's from

your own town, too--ЧDalesburg."

 

"That so?" murmured Johnny showing a mild and obligatory interest.

"What's it about?"

 

"Postmaster writes," explained Keogh.а "Says a citizen of the town

wants some facts and advice from you.а Says the citizen has an idea

in his head of coming down where you are and opening a shoe store.

Wants to know if you think the business would pay.а Says he's heard

of the boom along this coast, and wants to get in on the ground

floor."

 

In spite of the heat and his bad temper, Johnny's hammock swayed

with his laughter.а Keogh laughed too; and the pet monkey on the top

shelf of the bookcase chattered in shrill sympathy with the ironical

reception of the letter from Dalesburg.

 

"Great bunions!" exclaimed the consul.а "Shoe store!а What'll they ask

about next, I wonder?а Overcoat factory, I reckon.а Say, Billy--of our

3,000 citizens, how many do you suppose ever had on a pair of shoes?"

 

Keogh reflected judicially.

 

"Let's see--there's you and me and--"

 

"Not me," said Johnny, promptly and incorrectly, holding up a foot

encased in a disreputable deerskin ~zapato~.а "I haven't been a victim

to shoes in months."

 

"But you've got 'em, though," went on Keogh.а "And there's Goodwin

and Blanchard and Geddie and old Lutz and Doc Gregg and that Italian

that's agent for the banana company, and there's old Delgado--no; he

wears sandals.а And, oh, yes; there's Madama Ortiz, 'what kapes the

hotel'--she had on a pair of red kid slippers at the ~baile~ the other

night.а And Miss Pasa, her daughter, that went to school in the States

--she brought back some civilized notions in the way of footgear.а And

there's the ~comandante's~ sister that dresses up her feet on feast-

days--and Mrs. Geddie, who wears a two with a Castilian instep--and

that's about all the ladies.а Let's see--don't some of the soldiers at

the ~cuartel~--no:а that's so; they're allowed shoes only when on the

march.а In barracks they turn their little toeses out to grass."

 

"'Bout right," agreed the consul.а "Not over twenty out of the three

thousand ever felt leather on their walking arrangements.а Oh, yes;

Coralio is just the town for an enterprising shoe store--that doesn't

want to part with its goods.а Wonder if old Patterson is trying to

jolly me!а He always was full of things he called jokes.а Write him

a letter, Billy.а I'll dictate it.а We'll jolly him back a few."

 

Keogh dipped his pen, and wrote at Johnny's dictation.а With many

pauses, filled in with smoke and sundry travellings of the bottle

and glasses, the following reply to the Dalesburg communication was

perpetrated:

 

а MR. OBADIAH PATTERSON,

а Dalesburg, Ala.

 

а ~Dear Sir~:а in reply to your favor of July 2d.а I have the honor

а to inform you that, according to my opinion, there is no place on

а the habitable globe that presents to the eye stronger evidence of

а the need of a first-class shoe store than does the town of Coralio.

а There are 3,000 inhabitants in the place, and not a single shoe

а store!а The situation speaks for itself.а This coast is rapidly

а becoming the goal of enterprising business men, but the shoe

а business is one that has been sadly overlooked or neglected.

а In fact, there are a considerable number of our citizens actually

а without shoes at present.

 

а Besides the want above mentioned, there is also a crying need

а for a brewery, a college of higher mathematics, a coal yard, and a

а clean and intellectual Punch and Judy show.а I have the honor to be,

 

а Your Obt. Servant,

а ~John De Graffenreid Atwood~,

а U.S. CONSUL AT CORALIO.

 

а P.S.--Hello! Uncle Obadiah.а How's the old burg racking along?

а What would the government do without you and me?а Look out for

а a green-headed parrot and a bunch of bananas soon, from your old

а friend

 

а ~Johnny~,

 

 

"I throw in that postscript," explained the consul, "so Uncle Obadiah

won't take offense at the official tone of the letter!а Now, Billy,

you get that correspondence fixed up, and send Pancho to the post-

office with it.а The ~Ariadne~ takes the mail out tomorrow if they

make up that load of fruit today."

 

The night programme in Coralio never varied.а The recreations of

the people were soporific and flat.а They wandered about, barefoot

and aimless, speaking lowly and smoking cigar or cigarette.а Looking

down on the dimly lighted ways one seemed to see a threading maze

of brunette ghosts tangled with a procession of insane fireflies.

In some houses the thrumming of lugubrious guitars added to

the depression of the ~triste~ night.а Giant tree-frogs rattled in

the foliage as loudly as the end man's "bones" in a minstrel troupe.

By nine o'clock the streets were almost deserted.

 

Not at the consulate was there often a change of bill.а Keogh would

come there nightly, for Coralio's one cool place was the little porch

of that official residence.а The brandy would be kept moving; and

before midnight sentiment would begin to stir in the heart of the

self-exiled consul.а Then he would relate to Keogh the story of his

ended romance.а Each night Keogh would listen patiently to the tale,

and be ready with untiring sympathy.

 

"But don't you think for a minute"--thus Johnny would always conclude

his woeful narrative--"that I'm grieving about that girl, Billy.а I've

forgotten her.а She never enters my mind.а If she were to enter that

door right now, my pulse wouldn't gain a beat.а That's all over long

ago."

 

"Don't I know it?" Keogh would answer.а "Of course you've forgotten

her.а Proper thing to do.а Wasn't quite 0. K. of her to listen to the

knocks that--er--Dink Pawson kept giving you."

 

"Pink Dawson!"--a word of contempt would be in Johnny's tones--"Poor

white trash!а That's what he was.а Had five hundred acres of farming

land, though; and that counted.а Maybe I'll have a chance to get back

at him some day.а The Dawsons weren't anybody.а Everybody in Alabama

knows the Atwoods.а Say, Billy--did you know my mother was a

De Graffenreid?"

 

"Why, no," Keogh would say; "is that so?"а He had heard it some three

hundred times.

 

"Fact.а The De Graffenreids of Hancock County.а But I never think

of that girl any more, do I, Billy?"

 

"Not for a minute, my boy," would be the last sounds heard by

the conqueror of Cupid.

 

At this point Johnny would fall into a gentle slumber, and Keogh would

saunter out to his own shack under the calabash tree at the edge of

the plaza.

 

In a day or two the letter from the Dalesburg postmaster and its

answer had been forgotten by the Coralio exiles.а But on the 26th day

of July the fruit of the reply appeared upon the tree of events.

 

The ~Andador~, a fruit steamer that visited Coralio regularly, drew

into the offing and anchored.а The beach was lined with spectators

while the quarantine doctor and the custom-house crew rowed out to

attend to their duties.

 

An hour later Billy Keogh lounged into the consulate, clean and cool

in his linen clothes, and grinning like a pleased shark.а "Guess

what?" he said to Johnny, lounging in his hammock.

 

"Too hot to guess," said Johnny, lazily.

 

"Your shoe-store man's come," said Keogh, rolling the sweet morsel on

his tongue, "with a stock of goods big enough to supply the continent

as far down as Tierra del Fuego.а They're carting his cases over to

the custom-house now.а Six barges full they brought ashore and have

paddled back for the rest.а Oh, ye saints in glory! won't there be

regalements in the air when he gets onto the joke and has an interview

with Mr. Consul?а It'll be worth nine years in the tropics just to

witness that one joyful moment."

 

Keogh loved to take his mirth easily.а He selected a clean place

on the matting and lay upon the floor.а The walls shook with his

enjoyment.а Johnny turned half over and blinked.

 

"Didn't tell me," he said, "that anybody was fool enough to take

that letter seriously."

 

"Four-thousand-dollar stock of goods!" gasped Keogh, in ecstasy.

"Talk about coals to Newcastle!а Why didn't he take a ship-load of

palm-leaf fans to Spitzenbergen while he was about it?а Saw the old

codger on the beach.а You ought to have been there when he put on

his specs and squinted at the five hundred or so barefooted citizens

standing around."

 

"Are you telling the truth, Billy?" asked the consul, weakly.

 

"Am I?а You ought to see the buncoed gentleman's daughter he brought

along.а Looks!а She makes the brick-dust senoritas here look like

tar-babies."

 

"Go on," said Johnny, "if you can stop that asinine giggling.а I hate

to see a grown man make a laughing hyena of himself."

 

"Name is Hemstetter," went on Keogh. "He's a--Hello! what's the matter

now?"

 

Johnny's moccasined feet struck the floor with a thud as he wriggled

out of his hammock.

 

"Get up, you idiot," he said, sternly, "or I'll brain you with this

inkstand.а That's Rosine and her father.а Gad! what a drivelling idiot

old Patterson is!а Get up, here, Billy Keogh, and help me.а What the

devil are we going to do?а Has all the world gone crazy?"

 

Keogh rose and dusted himself.а He managed to regain a decorous

demeanor.

 

"Situation has got to be met, Johnny," he said, with some success

at seriousness.а "I didn't think about its being your girl until you

spoke.а First thing to do is to get them comfortable quarters.а You

go down and face the music, and I'll trot out to Goodwin's and see

if Mrs. Goodwin won't take them in.а They've got the decentest house

in town."

 

"Bless you, Billy!" said the consul.а "I knew you wouldn't desert me.

The world's bound to come to an end, but maybe we can stave it off for

a day or two."

 

Keogh hoisted his umbrella and set out for Goodwin's house.а Johnny

put on his coat and hat.а He picked up the brandy bottle, but set it

down again without drinking, and marched bravely down to the beach.

 

In the shade of the custom-house walls he found Mr. Hemstetter

and Rosine surrounded by a mass of gaping citizens.а The customs

officers were ducking and scraping, while the captain of the Andador

interpreted the business of the new arrivals.а Rosine looked healthy

and very much alive.а She was gazing at the strange scenes around her

with amused interest.а There was a faint blush upon her round cheek

as she greeted her old admirer.а Mr. Hemstetter shook hands with

Johnny in a very friendly way.а He was an oldish, impractical man

--one of that numerous class of erratic business men who are forever

dissatisfied, and seeking a change.

 

"I am very glad to see you, John--may I call you John?" he said.

"Let me thank you for your prompt answer to our postmaster's letter

of inquiry.а He volunteered to write to you on my behalf.а I was

looking about for something different in the way of a business

in which the profits would be greater.а I had noticed in the papers

that this coast was receiving much attention from investors.а I am

extremely grateful for your advice to come.а I sold out everything

that I possess, and invested the proceeds in as fine a stock of shoes

as could be bought in the North.а You have a picturesque town here,

John. I hope business will be as good as your letter justifies me

in expecting."

 

Johnny's agony was abbreviated by the arrival of Keogh, who hurried up

with the news that Mrs. Goodwin would be much pleased to place rooms

at the disposal of Mr. Hemstetter and his daughter.а So there Mr.

Hemstetter and Rosine were at once conducted and left to recuperate

from the fatigue of the voyage, while Johnny went down to see that

the cases of shoes were safely stored in the customs warehouse pending

their examination by the officials.а Keogh, grinning like a shark,

skirmished about to find Goodwin, to instruct him not to expose to

Mr. Hemstetter the true state of Coralio as a shoe market until Johnny

had been given a chance to redeem the situation, if such a thing were

possible.

 

That night the consul and Keogh held a desperate consultation on

the breezy porch of the consulate.

 

Send em back home," began Keogh, reading Johnny's thoughts.

 

"I would," said Johnny, after a little silence; "but I've been lying

to you, Billy."

 

"All right about that," said Keogh, affably.

 

"I've told you hundreds of times," said Johnny, slowly, "that I had

forgotten that girl, haven't I?"

 

"About three hundred and seventy-five," admitted the monument

of patience.

 

"I lied," repeated the consul, "every time.а I never forgot her for

one moment.а I was an obstinate ass for running away just because she

said 'No' once.а And I was too proud a fool to go back.а I talked with

Rosine a few minutes this evening up at Goodwin's.а I found out one

thing.а You remember that farmer fellow who was always after her?"

 

"Dink Pawson?" asked Keogh.

 

"Pink Dawson.а Well, he wasn't a hill of beans to her.а She says she

didn't believe a word of the things be told her about me.а But I'm

sewed up now, Billy.а That tomfool letter we sent ruined whatever

chance I had left.а She'll despise me when she finds out that her

old father has been made the victim of a joke that a decent schoolboy

wouldn't have been guilty of.а Shoes!а Why he couldn't sell twenty

pairs of shoes in Coralio if he kept store here for twenty years.а You

put a pair of shoes on one of these Caribs or Spanish brown boys and

what'd he do?а Stand on his head and squeal until he'd kicked 'em off.

None of 'em ever wore shoes and they never will.а If I send 'em back

home I'll have to tell the whole story, and what'll she think of me?

I want that girl worse than ever, Billy, and now when she's in reach

I've lost her forever because I tried to be funny when the thermometer

was at 102."

 

"Keep cheerful," said the optimistic Keogh.а "And let 'em open

the store.а I've been busy myself this afternoon.а We can stir up a

temporary boom in foot-gear anyhow.а I'll buy six pairs when the doors

open.а I've been around and seen all the fellows and explained the

catastrophe.а They'll all buy shoes like they was centipedes.а Frank

Goodwin will take cases of 'em.а The Geddies want about eleven pairs

between 'em.а Clancy is going to invest the savings of weeks, and even

old Doc Gregg wants three pairs of alligator-hide slippers if they've

got any tens.а Blanchard got a look at Miss Hemstetter; and as he's

a Frenchman, no less than a dozen pairs will do for him."

 

"A dozen customers," said Johnny, "for a $4,000 stock of shoes!

It won't work.а There's a big problem here to figure out.а You go

home, Billy, and leave me alone.а I've got to work at it all by

myself.а Take that bottle of Three-star along with you--no, sir;

not another ounce of booze for the United States consul.а I'll sit

here tonight and pull out the think stop.а If there's a soft place

on this proposition anywhere I'll land on it.а If there isn't

there'll be another wreck to the credit of the gorgeous tropics."

 

Keogh left, feeling that he could be of no use.а Johnny laid a handful

of cigars on a table and stretched himself in a steamer chair.а When

the sudden daylight broke, silvering the harbor ripples, he was still

sitting there.а Then he got up, whistling a little tune, and took his

bath.

 

At nine o'clock he walked down to the dingy little cable office and

hung for half an hour over a blank.а The result of his application was

the following message, which he signed and had transmitted at a cost

of $33:

 

а TO PINKNEY DAWSON,

ааа Dalesburg, Ala.

 

а Draft for $100 comes to you next mail.а Ship me immediately 500

а pounds stiff, dry cockleburrs.а New use here in arts.а Market price

а twenty cents pound.а Further orders likely.а Rush.

 

 

 

XIII

 

Ships

 

Within a week a suitable building had been secured in the Calle

Grande, and Mr. Hemstetter's stock of shoes arranged upon their

shelves.а The rent of the store was moderate; and the stock made

a fine showing of neat white boxes, attractively displayed.

 

Johnny's friends stood by him loyally.а On the first day Keogh

strolled into the store in a casual kind of way about once every hour,

and bought shoes.а After he had purchased a pair each of extension

soles, congress gaiters, button kids, low-quartered calfs, dancing

pumps, rubber boots, tans of various hues, tennis shoes and flowered

slippers, he sought out Johnny to be prompted as to the names of other

kinds that he might inquire for.а The other English-speaking residents

also played their parts nobly by buying often and liberally.а Keogh

was grand marshal, and made them distribute their patronage, thus

keeping up a fair run of custom for several days.

 

Mr. Hemstetter was gratified by the amount of business done thus far;

but expressed surprise that the natives were so backward with their

custom.

 

"Oh, they're awfully shy," explained Johnny, as he wiped his forehead

nervously.а "They'll get the habit pretty soon.а They'll come with

a rush when they do come."

 

One afternoon Keogh dropped into the consul's office, chewing an

unlighted cigar thoughtfully.

 

"Got anything up your sleeve?" he inquired of Johnny.а "If you have

it's about time to show it.а If you can borrow some gent's hat in

the audience, and make a lot of customers for an idle stock of shoes

come out of it you'd better spiel.а The boys have all laid in enough

footwear to last 'em ten years; and there's nothing doing in the shoe

store but dolcy far nienty.а I just came by there.а Your venerable

victim was standing in the door, gazing through his specs at the bare

toes passing by his emporium.а The natives here have got the true

artistic temperament.а Me and Clancy took eighteen tintypes this

morning in two hours.а There's been but one pair of shoes sold all

day.а Blanchard went in and bought a pair of furlined house-slippers

because he thought he saw Miss Hemstetter go into the store.а I saw

him throw the slippers into the lagoon afterwards."

 

"There's a Mobile fruit steamer coming in tomorrow or next day," said

Johnny.а We can't do anything until then."

 

"What are you going to do--try to create a demand?"

 

"Political economy isn't your strong point," said the consul,

impudently.а "You can't create a demand.а But you can create

a necessity for a demand.а That's what I am going to do."

 

Two weeks after the consul sent his cable, a fruit steamer brought

him a huge, mysterious brown bale of some unknown commodity.а Johnny's

influence with the custom-house people was sufficiently strong for

him to get the goods turned over to him without the usual inspection.

He had the bale taken to the consulate and snugly stowed in the back

room.а That night he ripped open a corner of it and took out a handful

of the cockleburrs.а He examined them with the care with which a

warrior examines his arms before he goes forth to battle for his

lady-love and life.а The burrs were the ripe August product, as hard

as filberts, and bristling with spines as tough and sharp as needles.

Johnny whistled softly a little tune, and went out to find Billy

Keogh.

 

Later in the night, when Coralio was steeped in slumber, he and Billy

went forth into the deserted streets with their coats bulging like

balloons.а All up and down the Calle Grande they went, sowing the

sharp burrs carefully in the sand, along the narrow sidewalks, in

every foot of grass between the silent houses.а And then they took

the side streets and byways, missing none.а No place where the foot of

man, woman or child might fall was slighted.а Many trips they made to

and from the prickly hoard.а And then, nearly at the dawn, they laid

themselves down to rest calmly, as great generals do after planning

a victory according to the revised tactics, and slept, knowing that

they had sowed with the accuracy of Satan sowing tares and the

perseverance of Paul planting.

 

With the rising sun came the purveyors of fruits and meats, and

arranged their wares in and around the little market-house.а At

one end of the town near the seashore the market-house stood; and

the sowing of the burrs had not been carried that far.а The dealers

waited long past the hour when their sales usually began.а None

came to buy.а "!Que hay?~" they began to exclaim, one to another.

At their accustomed time, from every 'dobe and palm hut and grass-

thatched shack and dim ~patio~ glided women--black women, brown

women, lemon-colored women, women dun and yellow and tawny.а They

were the marketers starting to purchase the family supply of cassava,

plantains, meat, fowls, and tortillas.а Decollete they were and

bare-armed and bare-footed, with a single skirt reaching below

the knee.а Stolid and ox-eyed, they stepped from their doorways

into the narrow paths or upon the soft grass of the streets.

 

The first to emerge uttered ambiguous squeals, and raised one foot

quickly.а Another step and they sat down, with shrill cries of alarm,

to pick at the new and painful insects that had stung them upon the

feet.а "~Que picadores diablos!~" they screeched to one another across

the narrow ways.а Some tried the grass instead of the paths, but there

they were also stung and bitten by the strange little prickly balls.

They plumped down in the grass, and added their lamentations to those

of their sisters in the sandy paths.а All through the town was heard

the plaint of the feminine jabber.а The venders in the market still

wondered why no customers came.

 

Then men, lords of the earth, came forth.а They, too, began to hop,

to dance, to limp, and to curse.а They stood stranded and foolish,

or stopped to pluck at the scourge that attacked their feet and

ankles.а Some loudly proclaimed the pest to be poisonous spiders

of an unknown species.

 

And then the children ran out for their morning romp.а And now to

the uproar was added the howls of limping infants and cockleburred

childhood.а Every minute the advancing day brought forth fresh

victims.

 

Dona Maria Castillas y Buenventura de las Casas stepped from her

honored doorway, as was her daily custom, to procure fresh bread

from the ~panaderia~ across the street.а She was clad in a skirt of

flowered, yellow satin, a chemise of ruffled linen, and wore a purple

mantilla from the looms of Spain.а Her lemon-tinted feet, alas! were

bare.а Her progress was majestic, for were not her ancestors hidalgos

of Aragon?а Three steps she made across the velvety grass, and set

her aristocratic sole upon a bunch of Johnny's burrs.а Dona Maria

Castillas y Buenventura de las Casas emitted a yowl even as a

wild-cat.а Turning about, she fell upon hands and knees, and crawled

--ay, like a beast of the field she crawled back to her honorable

door-sill.

 

Don Senor Ildefonso Federico Valdazar, ~Juez de la Paz~, weighing

twenty stone, attempted to convey his bulk to the ~pulperia~ at the

corner of the plaza in order to assuage his matutinal thirst.а The

first plunge of his unshod foot into the cool grass struck a concealed

mine.а Don Ildefonso fell like a crumpled cathedral, crying out that

he had been fatally bitten by a deadly scorpion.а Everywhere were the

shoeless citizens hopping, stumbling, limping, and picking from their

feet the venomous insects that had come in a single night to harass

them.

 

The first to perceive the remedy was Esteban Delgado, the barber, a

man of travel and education.а Sitting upon a stone, he plucked burrs

from his toes, and made oration:

 

"Behold, my friends, these bugs of the devil!а I know them well.

They soar through the skies in swarms like pigeons.а These are dead

ones that fell during the night.а In Yucatan I have seen them as large

as oranges.а Yes!а There they hiss like serpents, and have wings like

bats.а It is the shoes--the shoes that one needs!а ~Zapatos--zapatos

para mi!~"

 

Esteban hobbled to Mr. Hemstetter's store, and bought shoes.а Coming

out, he swaggered down the street with impunity, reviling loudly the

bugs of the devil.а The suffering ones sat up or stood upon one foot

and beheld the immune barber.а Men, women and children took up the

cry:а "~Zapatos! zapatos!~"

 

The necessity for the demand had been created.а The demand followed.

That day Mr. Hemstetter sold three hundred pairs of shoes.

 

"It is really surprising," he said to Johnny, who came up in the

evening to help him straighten out the stock, "how trade is picking

up.а Yesterday I made but three sales."

 

"I told you they'd whoop things up when they got started," said the

consul.

 

"I think I shall order a dozen more cases of goods, to keep the stock

up," said Mr. Hemstetter, beaming through his spectacles.

 

"I wouldn't send in any orders yet," advised Johnny.а "Wait till you

see how the trade holds up."

 

Each night Johnny and Keogh sowed the crop that grew dollars by day.

At the end of ten days two-thirds of the stock of shoes had been

sold; and the stock of cockleburrs was exhausted.а Johnny cabled

to Pink Dawson for another 500 pounds, paying twenty cents per pound

as before.а Mr. Hemstetter carefully made up an order for $1500 worth

of shoes from Northern firms.а Johnny hung about the store until this

order was ready for the mail, and succeeded in destroying it before

it reached the postoffice.

 

That night he took Rosine under the mango tree by Godwin's porch,

and confessed everything.а She looked him in the eye, and said:а "You

are a very wicked man.а Father and I will go back home.а You say it

was a joke?а I think it is a very serious matter."

 

But at the end of half an hour's argument the conversation had been

turned upon a different subject.а The two were considering the

respective merits of pale blue and pink wall-paper with which the old

colonial mansion of the Atwoods in Dalesburg was to be decorated after

the wedding.

 

On the next morning Johnny confessed to Mr. Hemstetter.а The shoe

merchant put on his spectacles, and said through them:а "You strike me

as being a most extraordinary young scamp.а If I had not managed this

enterprise with good business judgment my entire stock of goods might

have been a complete loss.а Now, how do you propose to dispose of the

rest of it?"

 

When the second invoice of cockleburrs arrived Johnny loaded them and

the remainder of the shoes into schooner, and sailed down the coast

to Alazan.а There, in the same dark and diabolical manner, he repeated

his success:а and came back with a bag of money and not so much as

a shoestring.

 

And then he besought his great Uncle of the waving goatee and starred

vest to accept his resignation, for the lotus no longer lured him.

He hankered for the spinach and cress of Dalesburg.

 

The services of Mr. William Terence Keogh as acting consul, pro term.,

were suggested and accepted, and Johnny sailed with the Hemstetters

back to his native shores.

 

Keogh slipped into the sinecure of the American consulship with

the ease that never left him even in such high places.а The tintype

establishment was soon to become a thing of the past, although its

deadly work along the peaceful and helpless Spanish Main was never

effaced.а The restless partners were about to be off again, scouting

ahead of the slow ranks of Fortune.а But now they would take different

ways.а There were rumors of a promising uprising in Peru; and thither

the martial Clancy would turn his adventurous steps.а As for Keogh,

he was figuring in his mind and on quires of Government letter-heads

a scheme that dwarfed the art of misrepresenting the human countenance

upon tin.

 

"What suits me," Keogh used to say, "in the way of a business

proposition is something diversified that looks like a longer shot

than it is--something in the way of a genteel graft that isn't worked

enough for the correspondence schools to be teaching it by mail.

I take the long end; but I like to have at least as good a chance to

win as a man learning to play poker on an ocean steamer, or running

for governor of Texas on the Republican ticket.а And when I cash in

my winnings I don't want to find any widows' and orphans' chips in

my stack."

 

The grass-grown globe was the green table on which Keogh gambled.

The games he played were of his own invention.а He was no grubber

after the diffident dollar.а Nor did he care to follow it with horn

and hounds.а Rather he loved to coax it with egregious and brilliant

flies from its habitat in the waters of strange streams.а Yet Keogh

was a business man; and his schemes, in spite of their singularity,

were as solidly set as the plans of a building contractor.а In

Arthur's time Sir William Keogh would have been a Knight of the Round

Table.а In these modern days he rides abroad, seeking the Graft

instead of the Grail.

 

Three days after Johnny's departure, two small schooners appeared

off Coralio.а After some delay a boat put off from one of them, and

brought a sunburned young man ashore.а This young man had a shrewd

and calculating eye; and he gazed with amazement at the strange things

that he saw.а He found on the beach some one who directed him to the

consul's office; and thither he made his way at a nervous gait.

 

Keogh was sprawled in the official chair, drawing caricatures

of his Uncle's head on an official pad of paper.а He looked up

at his visitor.

 

"Where's Johnny Atwood?" inquired the sunburned young man, in

a business tone.

 

"Gone," said Keogh, working carefully at Uncle Sam's necktie.

 

"That's just like him," remarked the nut-brown one, leaning against

the table.а "He always was a fellow to gallivant around instead of

'tending to business.а Will he be in soon?"

 

"Don't think so," said Keogh, after a fair amount of deliberation.

"I s'pose he's out at some of his tomfoolery," conjectured the

visitor, in a tone of virtuous conviction.а "Johnny never would stick

to anything long enough to succeed.а I wonder how he manages to run

his business here, and never be 'round to look after it."

 

"I'm looking after the business just now," admitted the pro term.

consul.

 

"Are you--then, say--where's the factory?"

 

"What factory?" asked Keogh, with a mildly polite interest.

 

"Why, the factory where they use them cockleburrs.а Lord knows what

they use 'em for, anyway!а I've got the basements of both them ships

out there loaded with 'em.а I'll give you a bargain in this lot.

I've had every man, woman and child around Dalesburg that wasn't

busy pickin' 'em for a month.а I hired these ships to bring 'em over.

Everybody thought I was crazy.а Now, you can have this lot for fifteen

cents a pound, delivered on land.а And if you want more I guess old

Alabam' can come up to the demand.а Johnny told me when he left home

that if he struck anything down here that there was any money in he'd

let me in on it.а Shall I drive the ships in and hitch?"

 

A look of supreme, almost incredulous, delight dawned in Keogh's

ruddy countenance.а He dropped his pencil.а His eyes turned upon

the sunburned young man with joy in them mingled with fear lest

his ecstasy should prove a dream.

 

"For God's sake tell me," said Keogh, earnestly, "are you Dink

Pawson?"

 

"My name is Pinkney Dawson," said the cornerer of the cockleburr

market.

 

Billy Keogh slid rapturously and gently from his chair to his favorite

strip of matting on the floor.

 

There were not many sounds in Coralio on that sultry afternoon.а Among

those that were may be mentioned a noise of enraptured and unrighteous

laughter from a prostrate Irish-American, while a sunburned young man,

with a shrewd eye, looked on him with wonder and amazement.а Also the

"tramp, tramp, tramp" of many well-shod feet in the streets outside.

Also the lonesome wash of the waves that beat along the historic

shores of the Spanish Main.

 

 

 

XIV

 

Masters of Arts

 

A two-inch stub of a blue pencil was the wand with which Keogh

performed the preliminary acts of his magic.а So, with this he covered

paper with diagrams and figures while he waited for the United States

of America to send down to Coralio a successor to Atwood, resigned.

 

The new scheme that his mind had conceived, his stout heart indorsed,

and his blue pencil corroborated, was laid around the characteristics

and human frailties of the new president ofAnchuria.а These

characteristics, and the situation out of which Keogh hoped to wrest

a golden tribute, deserve chronicling contributive to the clear order

of events.

 

President Losada--many called him Dictator--was a man whose genius

would have made him conspicuous even among Anglo-Saxons, had not

that genius been intermixed with other traits that were petty and

subversive.а He had some of the lofty patriotism of Washington (the

man he most admired), the force of Napoleon, and much of the wisdom

of the sages.а These characteristics might have justified him the

assumption of the title of "The Illustrious Liberator," had they not

been accompanied by a stupendous and amazing vanity that kept him

in the less worthy ranks of the dictators.

 

Yet he did his country great service.а With a mighty grasp he shook

it nearly free from the shackles of ignorance and sloth and the vermin

that fed upon it, and all but made it a power in the council of

nations.а He established schools and hospitals, built roads, bridges,

railroads and palaces, and bestowed generous subsidies upon the arts

and sciences.а He was the absolute despot and the idol of his people.

The wealth of the country poured into his hands.а Other presidents had

been rapacious without reason.а Losada amassed enormous wealth, but

his people had their share of the benefits.

 

The joint in his armor was his insatiate passion for monuments and

tokens commemorating his glory.а In every town he caused to be erected

statues of himself bearing legends in praise of his greatness.а In

the walls of every public edifice, tablets were fixed reciting his

splendor and the gratitude of his subjects.а His statuettes and

portraits were scattered throughout the land in every house and hut.

One of the sycophants in his court painted him as St. John, with a

halo and a train of attendants in full uniform.а Losada saw nothing

incongruous in this picture, and had it hung in a church in the

capital.а He ordered from a French sculptor a marble group including

himself with Napoleon, Alexander the Great, and one or two others whom

he deemed worthy of the honor.

 

He ransacked Europe for decorations, employing policy, money and

intrigue to cajole the orders he coveted from kings and rulers.

On state occasions his breast was covered from shoulder to shoulder

with crosses, stars, golden roses, medals and ribbons.а It was said

that the man who could contrive for him a new decoration, or invent

some new method of extolling his greatness, might plunge a hand deep

into the treasury.

 

This was the man upon whom Billy Keogh had his eye.а The gentle

buccaneer had observed the rain of favors that fell upon those who

ministered to the president's vanities, and he did not deem it his

duty to hoist his umbrella against the scattering drops of liquid

fortune.

 

In a few weeks the new consul arrived, releasing Keogh from his

temporary duties.а He was a young man fresh from college, who lived

for botany alone.а The consulate at Coralio gave him the opportunity

to study tropical flora.а He wore smoked glasses, and carried a green

umbrella.а He filled the cool, back porch of the consulate with

plants and specimens so that space for a bottle and chair was not

to be found.а Keogh gazed on him sadly, but without rancor, and began

to pack his gripsack.а For his new plot against stagnation along the

Spanish Main required of him a voyage overseas.

 

Soon came the ~Karlsefin~ again--she of the trampish habits--gleaning

a cargo of coconuts for a speculative descent upon the New York

market.а Keogh was booked for a passage on the return trip.

 

"Yes, I'm going to New York," he explained to the group of his

countrymen that had gathered on the beach to see him off.а "But

I'll be back before you miss me.а I've undertaken the art education

of this piebald country, and I'm not the man to desert it while it's

in the early throes of tintypes."

 

With this mysterious declaration of his intentions Keogh boarded

the ~Karlsefin~.

 

Ten days later, shivering, with the collar of his thin coat turned

high, he burst into the studio of Carolus White at the top of a tall

building in Tenth Street, New York City.

 

Carolus White was smoking a cigarette and frying sausages over an oil

stove.а He was only twenty-three, and had noble theories about art.

 

"Billy Knight!" exclaimed White, extending the hand that was not

busy with the frying pan.а "From what part of the uncivilized world,

I wonder!"

 

"Hello, Carry," said Keogh, dragging forward a stool, and holding

his fingers close to the stove.а "I'm glad I found you so soon.а I've

been looking for you all day in the directories and art galleries.

The free-lunch man on the corner told me where you were, quick.

I was sure you'd be painting pictures yet."

 

Keogh glanced about the studio with the shrewd eye of a connoisseur

in business.

 

"Yes, you can do it," he declared, with many gentle nods of his head.

"That big one in the corner with the angels and greeh clouds and

band-wagon is just the sort of thing we want.а What would you call

that, Carry--scene from Coney Island, ain't it?"

 

'That," said White, "I had intended to call The Translation of

Elijah,' but you may be nearer right than I am."

 

"Name doesn't matter," said Keogh, largely; "it's the frame and

the varieties of paint that does the trick.а Now, I can tell you in

a minute what I want.а I've come on a little voyage of two thousand

miles to take you in with me on a scheme.а I thought of you as soon

as the scheme showed itself to me.а How would you like to go back

with me and paint a picture?а Ninety days for the trip, and five

thousand dollars for the job."

 

"Cereal food or hair-tonic posters?" asked White.

 

"It isn't an ad."

 

"What kind of a picture is it to be?"

 

"It's a long story," said Keogh.

 

"Go ahead with it.а If you don't mind, while you talk I'll just keep

my eye on these sausages.а Let 'em get one shade deeper than a Vandyke

brown and you spoil 'em."

 

Keogh explained his project.а They were to return to Coralio, where

White was to pose as a distinguished American portrait painter who

was touring in the tropics as a relaxation from his arduous and

remunerative professional labors.а It was not an unreasonable hope,

even to those who trod in the beaten paths of business, that an artist

with so much prestige might secure a commission to perpetuate upon

canvas the lineaments of the president, and secure a share of the

~pesos~ that were raining upon the caterers to his weaknesses.

 

Keogh had set his price at ten thousand dollars.а Artists had been

paid more for portraits.а He and White were to share the expenses of

the trip, and divide the possible profits.а Thus he laid the scheme

before White, whom he had known in the West before one declared for

Art and the other became a Bedouin.

 

Before long the two machinators abandoned the rigor of the bare studio

for a snug corner of a cafe.а There they sat far into the night, with

old envelopes and Keogh's stub of blue pencil between them.

 

At twelve o'clock White doubled up in his chair, with his chin on

his fist, and shut his eyes at the unbeautiful wall-paper.

 

"I'll go you, Billy," he said, in the quiet tones of decision.а "I've

got two or three hundred saved up for sausages and rent; and I'll take

the chance with you.а Five thousand!а It will give me two years in

Paris and one in Italy.а I'll begin to pack tomorrow."

 

"You'll begin in ten minutes," said Keogh.а "It's to-morrow now.а The

~Karlsefin~ starts back at four P.M.а Come on to your painting shop,

and I'll help you."

 

For five months in the year Coralio is the Newport of Anchuria.

Then only does the town possess life.а From November to March it is

practically the seat of government.а The president with his official

family sojourns there; and society follows him.а The pleasure-loving

people make the season one long holiday of amusement and rejoicing.

~Fiestas~, balls, games, sea bathing, processions and small theatres

contribute to their enjoyment.а The famous Swiss band from the capital

plays in the little plaza every evening, while the fourteen carriages

and vehicles in the town circle in funereal but complacent procession.

Indians from the interior mountains, looking like pre-historic stone

idols, come down to peddle their handiwork in the streets.а The people

throng the narrow ways, a chattering, happy, careless stream of

buoyant humanity.а Preposterous children rigged out with the

shortest of ballet skirts and gilt wings, howl, underfoot, among the

effervescent crowds.а Especially is the arrival of the presidential

party, at the opening of the season, attended with pomp, show and

patriotic demonstrations of enthusiasm and delight.

 

When Keogh and White reached their destination, on the return trip

of the ~Karlsefin~, the gay winter season was well begun.а As they

stepped upon the beach they could hear the band playing in the plaza.

The village maidens, with fireflies already fixed in their dark locks,

were gliding, barefoot and coy-eyed, along the paths.а Dandies in

white linen, swinging their canes, were beginning their seductive

strolls.а The air was full of human essence, of artificial enticement,

of coquetry, indolence, pleasure--the man-made sense of existence.

 

The first two or three days after their arrival were spent in

preliminaries.а Keogh escorted the artist about town, introducing

him to the little circle of English-speaking residents and pulling

whatever wires he could to effect the spreading of White's fame as

a painter.а And then Keogh planned a more spectacular demonstration

of the idea he wished to keep before the public.

 

He and White engaged rooms in the Hotel de los Extranjeros.а The two

were clad in new suits of immaculate duck, with American straw hats,

and carried canes of remarkable uniqueness and inutility.а Few

caballeros in Coralio--even the gorgeously uniformed officers of the

Anchurian army--were as conspicuous for ease and elegance of demeanor

as Keogh and his friend, the great American painter, Senor White.

 

White set up his easel on the beach and made striking sketches of the

mountain and sea views.а The native population formed at his rear in

a vast, chattering semicircle to watch his work.а Keogh, with his care

for details, had arranged for himself a pose which he carried out with

fidelity.а His ro1e was that of friend to the great artist, a man of

affairs and leisure.а The visible emblem of his position was a pocket

camera.

 

"For branding the man who owns it," said he, "a genteel dilettante

with a bank account and an easy conscience, a steam-yacht ain't in it

with a camera.а You see a man doing nothing but loafing around making

snap-shots, and you know right away he reads up well in 'Bradstreet.'

You notice these old millionaire boys--soon as they get through taking

everything else in sight they go to taking photographs.а People are

more impressed by a kodak than they are by a title or a four-karat

scarf-pin."а So Keogh strolled blandly about Coralio, snapping the

scenery and the shrinking senoritas, while White posed conspicuously

in the higher regions of art.

 

Two weeks after their arrival, the scheme began to bear fruit.

An aide-de-camp of the president drove to the hotel in a dashing

victoria.а The president desired that Senor White come to the Casa

Morena for an informal interview.

 

Keogh gripped his pipe tightly between his teeth.а "Not a cent

less than ten thousand," he said to the artist--"remember the price.

And in gold or its equivalent--don't let him stick you with this

bargain-counter stuff they call money here."

 

"Perhaps it isn't that he wants," said White.

 

"Get out!" said Keogh, with splendid confidence.а "I know what he

wants.а He wants his picture painted by the celebrated young American

painter and filibuster now sojourning in his down-trodden country.

Off you go."

 

The victoria sped away with the artist.а Keogh walked up and down,

puffing great clouds of smoke from his pipe, and waited.а In an hour

the victoria swept again to the door of the hotel, deposited White,

and vanished.а The artist dashed up the stairs, three at a step.

Keogh stopped smoking, and became a silent interrogation point.

 

"Landed," exclaimed White, with his boyish face flushed with elation.

"Billy, you are a wonder.а He wants a picture.а I'll tell you all

about it.а By Heavens! that dictator chap is a corker!а He's a

dictator clear down to his finger-ends.а He's a kind of combination

of Julius Caesar, Lucifer and Chauncey Depew done in sepia.а Polite

and grim--that's his way.а The room I saw him in was about ten acres

big, and looked like a Mississippi steamboat with its gilding and

mirrors and white paint.а He talks English better than I can ever

hope to.а The matter of the price came up.а I mentioned ten thousand.

I expected him to call the guard and have me taken out and shot.

He didn't move an eyelash.а He just waved one of his chestnut hands

in a careless way, and said, 'Whatever you say.'а I am to go back

tomorrow and discuss with him the details of the picture."

 

Keogh hung his head.а Self-abasement was easy to read in his downcast

countenance.

 

"I'm failing, Carry," he said, sorrowfully.а "I'm not fit to handle

these man's-size schemes any longer.а Peddling oranges in a push-cart

is about the suitable graft for me.а When I said ten thousand, I swear

I thought I had sized up that brown man's limit to within two cents.

He'd have melted down for fifteen thousand just as easy. Say--Carry--

you'll see old man Keogh safe in some nice, quiet idiot asylum, won't

you, if he makes a break like that again?"

 

The Casa Morena, although only one story in height, was a building

of brown stone, luxurious as a palace in its interior.а It stood on

a low hill in a walled garden of splendid tropical flora at the upper

edge of Coralio.а The next day the president's carriage came again

for the artist.а Keogh went out for a walk along the beach, where he

and his "picture box" were now familiar sights.а When he returned to

the hotel White was sitting in a steamer-chair on the balcony.

 

"Well," said Keogh, "did you and His Nibs decide on the kind of

a chromo he wants?"

 

White got up and walked back and forth on the balcony a few times.

Then he stopped, and laughed strangely.а His face was flushed, and

his eyes were bright with a kind of angry amusement.

 

"Look here, Billy," he said, somewhat roughly, "when you first came

to me in my studio and mentioned a picture, I thought you wanted a

Smashed Oats or a Hair Tonic poster painted on a range of mountains

or the side of a continent.а Well, either of those jobs would have

been Art in its highest form compared to the one you've steered me

against.а I can't paint that picture, Billy.а You've got to let me

out.а Let me try to tell you what that barbarian wants.а He had it

all planned out and even a sketch made of his idea.а The old boy

doesn't draw badly at all.а But, ye goddesses of Art! listen to the

monstrosity he expects me to paint.а He wants himself in the center

of the canvas, of course.а He is to be painted as Jupiter sitting

on Olympus, with the clouds at his feet.а At one side of him stands

George Washington, in full regimentals, with his hand on the

president's shoulder.а An angel with outstretched wings hovers

overhead, and is placing a laurel wreath on the president's head,

crowning him--Queen of the May, I suppose.а In the background is

to be cannon, more angels and soldiers.а The man who would paint

that picture would have to have the soul of a dog, and would deserve

to go down into oblivion without even a tin can tied to his tail

to sound his memory."

 

Little beads of moisture crept out all over Billy Keogh's brow.

The stub of his blue pencil had not figured out a contingency like

this.а The machinery of his plan had run with flattering smoothness

until now. He dragged another chair upon the balcony, and got White

back to his seat.а He lit his pipe with apparent calm.

 

"Now, sonny," he said, with gentle grimness, "you and me will have

an Art to Art talk.а You've got your art and I've got mine.а Yours

is the real Pierian stuff that turns up its nose at bock-beer signs

and oleographs of the Old Mill.а Mine's the art of Business.

аThis was my scheme, and it worked out like two-and-two.а Paint

that president man as Old King Cole, or Venus, or a landscape, or

a fresco, or a bunch of lilies, or anything he thinks he looks like.

But get the paint on the canvas and collect the spoils. You wouldn't

throw me down, Carry, at this stage of the game.а Think of that ten

thousand."

 

"I can't help thinking of it," said White, "and that's what hurts.

I'm tempted to throw every ideal I ever had down in the mire, and

steep my soul in infamy by painting that picture.а That five thousand

meant three years of foreign study to me, and I'd almost sell my soul

for that. "

 

"Now it ain't as bad as that," said Keogh, soothingly.а "It's a

business proposition.а It's so much paint and time against money.а I

don't fall in with your idea that that picture would so everlastingly

jolt the art side of the question.а George Washington was all right,

you know, and nobody could say a word against the angel.а I don't

think so bad of that group.а If you was to give Jupiter a pair of

epaulets and a sword, and kind of work the clouds around to look like

a blackberry patch, it wouldn't make such a bad battle scene.а Why,

if we hadn't already settled on the price, he ought to pay an extra

thousand for Washington, and the angel ought to raise it five

hundred."

 

"You don't understand, Billy," said White, with an uneasy laugh.

"Some of us fellows who try to paint have big notions about Art.

I wanted to paint a picture some day that people would stand before

and forget that it was made of paint.а I wanted it to creep into them

like a bar of music and mushroom there like a soft bullet.а And I

wanted 'em to go away and ask, 'What else has he done?'а And I didn't

want 'em to find a thing; not a portrait nor a magazine cover nor an

illustration nor a drawing of a girl--nothing but the picture.а That's

why I've lived on fried sausages, and tried to keep true to myself.

I persuaded myself to do this portrait for the chance it might give me

to study abroad.а But this howling, screaming caricature!а Good Lord!

can't you see how it is?"

 

"Sure," said Keogh, as tenderly as he would have spoken to a child,

and he laid a long forefinger on White's knee.а "I see.а It's bad to

have your art all slugged up like that.а I know.а You wanted to paint

a big thing like the panorama of the battle of Gettysburg.а But let me

kalsomine you a little mental sketch to consider.а Up to date we're

out $385.50 on this scheme.а Our capital took every cent both of us

could raise.а We've got about enough left to get back to New York on.

I need my share of that ten thousand.а I want to work a copper deal

in Idaho, and make a hundred thousand.а That's the business end of

the thing.а Come down off your art perch, Carry, and let's land that

hatful of dollars."

 

"Billy," said White, with an effort, "I'll try.а I won't say I'll

do it, but I'll try.а I'll go at it, and put it through if I can."

 

"That's business," said Keogh, heartily.а "Good boy!а Now, here's

another thing--rush that picture--crowd it through as quick as you

can.а Get a couple of boys to help you mix the paint if necessary.

I've picked up some pointers around town.а The people here are

beginning to get sick of Mr. President.а They say he's been too free

with concessions; and they accuse him of trying to make a dicker with

England to sell out the country.а We want that picture done and paid

for before there's any row."

 

In the great patio of Casa Morena, the president caused to be

stretched a huge canvas.а Under this White set up his temporary

studio.а For two hours each day the great man sat to him.

 

White worked faithfully.а But, as the work progressed, he had seasons

of bitter scorn, of infinite self-contempt, of sullen gloom and

sardonic gaiety.а Keogh, with the patience of a great general,

soothed, coaxed, argued--kept him at the picture.

 

At the end of a month White announced that the picture was completed--

Jupiter, Washington, angels, clouds, cannon and all.а His face was

pale and his mouth drawn straight when he told Keogh.а He said the

president was much pleased with it.а It was to be hung in the National

Gallery of Statesmen and Heroes.а The artist had been requested to

return to Casa Morena on the following day to receive payment.а At

the appointed time he left the hotel, silent under his friend's

joyful talk of their success.

 

An hour later he walked into the room where Keogh was waiting, threw

his hat on the floor, and sat upon the table.

 

"Billy," he said, in strained and laboring tones, "I've a little money

out West in a small business that my brother is running.а It's what

I've been living on while I've been studying art.а I'll draw out my

share and pay you back what you've lost on this scheme."

 

"Lost!" exclaimed Keogh, jumping up.а "Didn't you get paid for

the picture?"

 

"Yes, I got paid," said White.а "But just now there isn't any picture,

and there isn't any pay.а If you care to hear about it, here are the

edifying details.а The president and I were looking at the painting.

His secretary brought a bank draft on New York for ten thousand

dollars and handed it to me.а The moment I touched it I went wild.

I tore it into little pieces and threw them on the floor.а A workman

was repainting the pillars inside the ~patio~.а A bucket of his paint

happened to be convenient.а I picked up his brush and slapped a quart

of blue paint all over that ten-thousand-dollar nightmare.а I bowed,

and walked out.а The president didn't move or speak.а That was one

time he was taken by surprise.а It's tough on you, Billy, but I

couldn't help it."

 

There seemed to be excitement in Coralio.а Outside there was

a confused, rising murmur pierced by high-pitched cries.а "~Bajo

el traidor--Muerte el traidor!~" were the words they seemed

to form.

 

"Listen to that!" exclaimed White, bitterly; "I know that much

Spanish.а They're shouting, 'Down with the traitor!'а I heard them

before.а I felt that they meant me.а I was a traitor to Art.

The picture had to go."

 

"'Down with the blank fool' would have suited your case better,"

said Keogh, with fiery emphasis.а "You tear up ten thousand dollars

like an old rag because the way you've spread on five dollars' worth

of paint hurts your conscience.а Next time I pick a side-partner in

a scheme the man has got to go before a notary and swear he never

even heard the word 'ideal' mentioned."

 

Keogh strode from the room, white-hot.а White paid little attention

to his resentment.а The scorn of Billy Keogh seemed a trifling thing

beside the greater self-scorn he had escaped.

 

In Coralio the excitement waxed.а An outburst was imminent.а The cause

of this demonstration of displeasure was,the presence in the town of

a big, pink-cheeked Englishman, who, it was said, was an agent of his

government come to clinch the bargain by which the president placed

his people in the hands of a foreign power.а It was charged that not

only had he given away priceless concessions, but that the public debt

was to be transferred into the hands of the English, and the custom-

houses turned over to them as a guarantee.а The long-enduring people

had determined to make their protest felt.

 

On that night, in Coralio and in other towns, their ire found vent.

Veiling mobs, mercurial but dangerous, roamed the streets.а They

overthrew the great bronze statue of the president that stood in

the center of the plaza, and hacked it to shapeless pieces.а They

tore from public buildings the tablets set there proclaiming the glory

of the "Illustrious Liberator."а His pictures in the government

offices were demolished.а The mobs even attacked the Casa Morena,

but were driven away by the military, which remained faithful to

the executive.а All the night terror reigned.

 

The greatness of Losada was shown by the fact that by noon the next

day order was restored and he was still absolute.а He issued

proclamations denying positively that any negotiation of any kind had

been entered into with England.а Sir Stafford Vaughn, the pink-cheeked

Englishman, also declared in placards and in public print that his

presence there had no international significance.а He was a traveller

without guile.а In fact (so he stated), he had not even spoken with

the president or been in his presence since his arrival.

 

During this disturbance, White was preparing for his homeward voyage

in the steamship that was to sail within two or three days.а About

noon, Keogh, the restless, took his camera out with the hope of

speeding the lagging hours.а The town was now as quiet as if peace

had never departed from her perch on the red-tiled roofs.

 

About the middle of the afternoon, Keogh hurried back to the hotel

with something decidedly special in his air.а He retired to the little

room where he developed his pictures.

 

Later on he came out to White on the balcony, with a luminous, grim

predatory smile on his face.

 

"Do you know what that is?" he asked, holding up a 4 x 5 photograph

mounted on cardboard.

 

"Snap-shot of a senorita sitting in the sand--alliteration

unintentional," guessed White, lazily.

 

ааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааа VVVV

"Wrong," saidKeogh with shining eyes.а "It's a slung-shot. It's a can

of dynamite.а It's a gold mine.а It's a sight-draft on your president

man for twenty thousand dollars--yes, sir--twenty thousand this time,

and no spoiling the picture.а No ethics of art in the way.а Art!а You

with your smelly little tubes!а I've got you skinned to death with

a kodak.а Take a look at that."

 

White took the picture in his hand, and gave a long whistle.

 

"Jove!" he exclaimed, "but wouldn't that stir up a row in town if

you let it be seen.а How in the world did you get it, Billy?"

 

"You know that high wall around the president man's back garden?

I was up there trying to get a bird's eye of the town.а I happened to

notice a chink in the wall where a stone and a lot of plaster had slid

out.а Thinks I, I'll take a peep through to see how Mr. President's

cabbages are growing.а The first thing I saw was him and this Sir

Englishman sitting at a little table about twenty feet away.а They

had the table all spread over with documents, and they were hobnobbing

over them as thick as two pirates.а 'Twas a nice corner of the garden,

all private and shady with palms and orange trees, and they had a pail

of champagne set by handy in the grass.а I knew then was the time

for me to make my big hit in Art.а So I raised the machine up to the

crack, and pressed the button.а Just as I did so them old boys shook

hands on the deal--you see they took that way in the picture."

 

Keogh put on his coat and hat.

 

"What are you going to do with it?" asked White.

 

"Me," said Keogh in a hurt tone, "why, I'm going to tie a pink ribbon

to it and hang it on the what-not, of course.а I'm surprised at you.

But while I'm out you just try to figure out what ginger-cake

potentate would be most likely to want to buy this work of art for

his private collection--just to keep it out of circulation."

 

The sunset was reddening the tops of the coconut palms when Billy

Keogh came back from Casa Morena.а He nodded to the artist's

questioning gaze; and lay down on a cot with his hands under the back

of his head.

 

"I saw him.а He paid the money like a little man.а They didn't want

to let me in at first.а I told 'em it was important.а Yes, that

president man is on the plenty-able list.а He's got a beautiful

business system about the way he uses his brains.а All I had to do

was to hold up the photograph so he could see it, and name the price.

He just smiled, and walked over to a safe and got the cash.а Twenty

one-thousand-dollar brand-new United States Treasury notes he laid on

the table, like I'd pay out a dollar and a quarter.а Fine notes, too

--they crackled with a sound like burning the brush off a ten-acre

lot."

 

"Let's try the feel of one," said White, curiously.а "I never saw

a thousand-dollar bill."а Keogh did not immediately respond.

 

"Carry," he said, in an absent-minded way, "you think a heap of

your art, don't you?

 

"More," said White, frankly, "than has been for the financial good

of my self and my friends."

 

"I thought you were a fool the other day," went on Keogh, quietly,

"and I'm not sure now that you wasn't.а But if you was, so am I.а I've

been in some funny deals, Carry, but I've always managed to scramble

fair, and match my brains and capital against the other fellow's.

аBut when it comes to--well, when you've got the other fellow cinched,

and the screws on him, and he's got to put up--why, it don't strike me

as being a man's game.а They've got a name for it, you know; it's--

confound you, don't you understand.а A fellow feels--it's some thing

like that blamed art of yours--he--well, I tore that photograph up and

laid the pieces on that stack of money and shoved the whole business

back across the table.а 'Excuse me, Mr. Losada,' I said, 'but I guess

I've made a mistake in the price.а You get the photo for nothing.

Now, Carry, you get out the pencil, and we'll do some more figuring.

I'd like to save enough out of our capital for you to have some fried

sausages in your joint when you get back to New York.

 

 

 

XV

 

Dickey

 

There is little consecutiveness along the Spanish Main.а Things happen

there intermittently.а Even Time seems hang his scythe daily on the

branch of an orange tree while he takes a siesta and a cigarette.

 

After the ineffectual revolt against the administration of President

Losada, the country settled again into quiet toleration of the abuses

with which he had been charged.а In Coralio old political enemies went

arm-in-arm, lightly eschewing for the time all differences of opinion.

 

The failure of the art expedition did not stretch the cat-footed Keogh

upon his back.а The ups and downs of Fortune made smooth travelling

for his nimble steps.а His blue pencil stub was at work again before

the smoke of the steamer on which White sailed had cleared away from

the horizon.а He had but to speak a word to Geddie to find his credit

negotiable for whatever goods he wanted from the store of Brannigan

& Company.а On the same day on which White arrived in New York Keogh,

at the rear of a train of five pack mules loaded with hardware and

cutlery, set his face toward the grim, interior mountains.а There

the Indian tribes wash gold dust from the auriferous streams; and

when a market is brought to them trading is brisk and ~muy bueno~

in the Cordilleras.

 

In Coralio Time folded his wings and paced wearily along his drowsy

path.а They who had most cheered the torpid hours were gone.а Clancy

had sailed on a Spanish barque for Colon, contemplating a cut across

the isthmus and then a further voyage to end at Callao, where the

fighting was said to be on.а Geddie, whose quiet and genial nature had

once served to mitigate the frequent dull reaction of lotus eating,

was now a home-man, happy with his bright orchid, Paula, and never

even dreaming of or regretting the unsolved, sealed and monogramed

Bottle whose contents, now inconsiderable, were held safely in the

keeping of the sea.

 

Well may the Walrus, most discerning and eclectic of beasts, place

sealing-wax midway on his program of topics that fall pertinent and

diverting upon the ear.

Atwood was gone--he of the hospitable back porch and ingenuous

cunning.а Doctor Gregg, with his trepanning story smoldering within

him, was a whiskered volcano, always showing signs of imminent

eruption, and was not to be considered in the ranks of those who

might contribute to the amelioration of ennui.а The new consul's note

chimed with the sad sea waves and the violent tropical greens--he had

not a bar of Scheherezade or of the Round Table in his lute.а Goodwin

was employed with large projects:а what time he was loosed from them

found him at his home, where he loved to be.а Therefore it will be

seen that there was a dearth of fellowship and entertainment among

the foreign contingent of Coralio.

 

And then Dicky Maloney dropped down from the clouds upon the town,

and amused it.

 

Nobody knew where Dicky Maloney hailed from or how he reached Coralio.

He appeared there one day; and that was all.а He afterward said that

he came on the fruit steamer ~Thor~, but an inspection of the ~Thor's~

passenger list of that date was found to be Maloneyless.а Curiosity,

however, soon perished; and Dicky took his place among the odd fish

cast up by the Caribbean.

 

He was an active, devil-may-care, rollicking fellow with an engaging

gray eye, the most irresistible grin, a rather dark or much sunburned

complexion, and a head of the fieriest red hair ever seen in that

country.а Speaking the Spanish language as well as he spoke English,

and seeming always to have plenty of silver in his pockets, it was not

long before he was a welcome companion whithersoever he went.а He had

an extreme fondness for ~vino blanco~, and gained the reputation of

being able to drink more of it than any three men in town.а Everybody

called him "Dicky"; everybody cheered up at the sight of him--

especially the natives, to whom his marvellous red hair and his free-

and-easy style were a constant delight and envy.а Wherever you went

in the town you would soon see Dicky or hear his genial laugh, and

find around him a group of admirers who appreciated him both for

his good nature and the white wine he was always so ready to buy.

 

A considerable amount of speculation was had concerning the object of

his sojourn there, until one day he silenced this by opening a small

shop for the sale of tobacco, ~dulces~ and the handiwork of the

interior Indians--fibre-and-silk-woven goods, deerskin ~zapatos~ and

basketwork of tule reeds.а Even then he did not change his habits;

for he was drinking and playing cards half the day and night with

the ~comandante~, the collector of customs, the ~jefe politico~ and

other gay dogs among the native officials.

 

One day Dicky saw Pasa, the daughter of Madama Ortiz, sitting in the

side-door of the Hotel de los Extranjeros.а He stopped in his tracks,

still, for the first time in Coralio; and then he sped, swift as

a deer, to find Vasquez, a gilded native youth, to present him.

 

The young men had named Pasa ~La Santita Naranjadita~."а ~Naranjadita~

is a Spanish word for a certain color that you must go to more trouble

to describe in English.а By saying "The little saint, tinted the most

beautiful-delicate-slightly-orange-golden," you will approximate

the description of Madama Ortiz's daughter.

 

La Madama Ortiz sold rum in addition to other liquors.а Now, you must

know that the rum expiates whatever opprobrium attends upon the other

commodities.а For rum-making, mind you, is a government monopoly;

and to keep a government dispensary assures respectability if not

preeminence.а Moreover, the saddest of precisians could find no fault

with the conduct of the shop.а Customers drank there in the lowest

of spirits and fearsomely, as in the shadow of the dead for Madama's

ancient and vaunted lineage counteracted even the rum's behest to be

merry.а For, was she not of the ~Iglesias~, who landed with Pizarro?

And had not her deceased husband been ~comisionado de caminos y

puentes~ for the district?

 

In the evenings Pasa sat by the window in the room next to the one

where they drank, and strummed dreamily upon her guitar.а And then,

by twos and threes, would come visiting young caballeros and occupy

the prim line of chairs set against the wall of this room.а They were

there to besiege the heart of ~La Santita~."а Their method (which

is not proof against intelligent competition) consisted of expanding

the chest, looking valorous, and consuming a gross or two of

cigarettes.а Even saints delicately oranged prefer to be wooed

differently.

 

Dona Pasa would tide over the vast chasms of nicotinized silence with

music from her guitar, while she wondered if the romances she had read

about gallant and more--more contiguous cavaliers were all lies.а At

somewhat regular intervals Madama would glide in from the dispensary

with a sort of drought-suggesting gleam in her eye, and there would be

a rustling of stiffly starched white trousers as one of the caballeros

would propose an adjournment to the bar.

 

That Dicky Maloney would, sooner or later, explore this field was

a thing to be foreseen.а There were few doors in Coralio into which

his red head had not been poked.

 

In an incredibly short space of time after his first sight of her

he was there, seated close beside her rocking chair.а There was no

back-against-the-wall poses in Dicky's theory of wooing.а His plan

of subjection was an attack at close range.а To carry the fortress

with one concentrated, ardent, eloquent, irresistible ~escalade~--

that was Dicky's way.

 

Pasa was descended from the proudest Spanish families in the country.

Moreover, she had had unusual advantages.а Two years in a New Orleans

school had elevated her ambitions and fitted her for a fate above

the ordinary maidens of her native land.а And yet here she succumbed

to the first red-haired scamp with a glib tongue and a charming smile

that came along and courted her properly.

 

Very soon Dicky took her to the little church on the corner of the

plaza, and "Mrs. Maloney" was added to her string of distinguished

names.

 

And it was her fate to sit, with her patient, saintly eyes and figure

like a bisque Psyche, behind the sequestered counter of the little

shop, while Dicky drank and philandered with is frivolous

acquaintances.

 

The women, with their naturally fine instinct, saw a chance for

vivisection, and delicately taunted her with his habits.а She turned

upon them in a beautiful, steady blaze of sorrowful contempt.

 

"You meat-cows," she said, in her level, crystal-clear tones; "you

know nothing of a man.а Your men are ~maromeros~.а They are fit only

to roll cigarettes in the shade until the sun strikes and shrivels

them up.а They drone in your hammocks and you comb their hair and feed

them with fresh fruit.а My man is of no such blood.а Let him drink

of the wine.а When he has taken sufficient of it to drown one of your

~flaccitos~ he will come home to me more of a man than one thousand

of your ~pobrecitos~.а My hair he smooths and braids; to me he sings;

he himself removes my zapatos, and there, there, upon each instep

leaves a kiss.а He holds--Oh, you will never understand!а Blind ones

who have never known a ~man~."

 

Sometimes mysterious things happened at night about Dicky's shop.

While the front of it was dark, in the little room back of it Dicky

and a few of his friends would sit about a table carrying on some kind

of very quiet ~negocios~ until quite late.а Finally he would let them

out the front door very carefully, and go upstairs to his little

saint.а These visitors were generally conspirator-like men with dark

clothes and hats.а Of course, these dark things were noticed after

a while, and talked about.

 

Dicky seemed to care nothing at all for the society of the alien

residents of the town.а He avoided Goodwin, and his skilful escape

from the trepanning story of Doctor Gregg is still referred to,

in Coralio, as a masterpiece of lightning diplomacy.

 

Many letters arrived, addressed to "Mr. Dicky Maloney," or "Senor

Dickee Maloney," to the considerable pride of Pasa.а That so many

people should desire to write to him only confirmed her own suspicion

that the light from his red head shone around the world.а As to their

contents she never felt curiosity.а There was a wife to you!

 

The one mistake Dicky made in Coralio was to run out of money at the

wrong time.а Where his money came from was a puzzle, for the sales

of his shop were next to nothing, but that source failed, and at a

peculiarly unfortunate time.а It was when the ~comandante~, Don Senor

el Coronel Encarnacion Rios, looked upon the little saint seated in

the shop and felt his heart go pitapat.

 

The ~comandante~, who was versed in all the intricate art of

gallantry, first delicately hinted at his sentiments by donning his

dress uniform and strutting up and down fiercely before her window.

Pasa, glancing demurely with her saintly eyes, instantly perceived

his resemblance to her parrot, Chichi, and was diverted to the extent

of smile.а The ~comandante~ saw the smile, which was not intended

for him.а Convinced of an impression made, he entered the shop,

confidently, and advanced to open compliment.а Pasa froze; he pranced;

she flamed royally; he was charmed to injudicious persistence; she

commanded him to leave the shop; he tried to capture her hand and--

Dicky entered, smiling broadly, full of white wine and the devil.

 

He spent five minutes in punishing the comandante scientifically and

carefully, so that the pain might be prolonged as far as possible.

At the end of that time he pitched the rash wooer out the door upon

the stones of the street, senseless.

 

A barefooted policeman who had been watching the affair from across

the street blew a whistle.а A squad of four soldiers came running

from the cuartel around the corner.а When they saw that the offender

was Dicky, they stopped, and blew more whistles, which brought out

reinforcements of eight.а Deeming the odds against them sufficiently

reduced, the military advanced upon the disturber.

 

Dicky, being thoroughly imbued with the martial spirit, stooped and

drew the ~comandante's~ sword, which was girded about him, and charged

his foe.а He chased the standing army four squares, playfully prodding

its squealing rear and hacking at its ginger-colored heels.

 

But he was not so successful with the civic authorities.а Six

muscular, nimble policemen overpowered him and conveyed him,

triumphantly but warily, to jail. "~El Diablo Colorado~" they

dubbed him, and derided the military for its defeat.

 

Dicky, with the rest of the prisoners, could look out through the

barred door at the grass of the little plaza, at a row of orange trees

and the red tile roofs and 'dobe walls of a line of insignificant

stores.

 

At sunset along a path across this plaza came a melancholy procession

of sad-faced women bearing plantains, cassava, bread and fruit--each

coming with food to some wretch behind those bars to whom she still

clung and furnished the means of life.а Twice a day--morning and

evening--they were permitted to come.а Water was furnished to her

compulsory guests by the republic, but no food.

 

That evening Dicky's name was called by the sentry, and he stepped

before the bars of the door.а There stood his little saint, a black

mantilla draped about her head and shoulders, her face like glorified

melancholy, her clear eyes gazing longingly at him as if they might

draw him between the bars to her.а She brought a chicken, some

oranges, dulces and a loaf of white bread.а A soldier inspected

the food, and passed it in to Dicky.а Pasa spoke calmly, as she always

did, briefly, in her thrilling, flute-like tones.а "Angel of my life,"

she said, "let it not be long that thou art away from me.а Thou

knowest that life is not a thing to be endured with thou not at

my side.а Tell me if I can do aught in this matter.а If not, I will

wait--a little while.а I come again in the morning."

 

Dicky, with his shoes removed so as not to disturb his fellow

prisoners, tramped the floor of the jail half the night condemning

his lack of money and the cause of it--whatever that might have been.

He knew very well that money would have brought his release at once.

 

For two days succeeding Pasa came at the appointed times and brought

him food.а He eagerly inquired each time if a letter or package had

come for him, and she mournfully shook her head.

 

On the morning of the third day she brought only a small loaf of

bread.а There were dark circles under her eyes.а She seemed as calm

as ever.

 

"By jingo," said Dicky, who seemed to speak in English or Spanish as

the whim seized him, "this is dry provender, ~muchachita~.а Is this

the best you can dig up for a fellow?"

 

Pasa looked at him as a mother looks at a beloved but capricious babe.

 

"Think better of it," she said, in a low voice; "since for the next

meal there will be nothing.а The last ~centavo~ is spent."а She

pressed closer against the grating.

 

"Sell the goods in the shop--take anything for them."

 

"Have I not tried?а Did I not offer them for one-tenth their cost?

Not even one ~peso~ would any one give.а There is not one ~real~ in

this town to assist Dickee Malonee."

 

Dick clenched his teeth grimly. 'That's the ~comandante~," he growled.

"He's responsible for that sentiment.а Wait, oh, wait till the cards

are all out."

 

Pasa lowered her voice to almost a whisper.а "And, listen, heart of

my heart," she said, "I have endeavored to be brave, but I cannot

live without thee.а Three days now--"

 

Dicky caught a faint gleam of steel from the folds of her mantilla.

For once she looked in his face and saw it without a smile, stern,

menacing and purposeful.а Then he suddenly raised his hand and his

smile came back like a gleam of sunshine.а The hoarse signal of an

incoming steamer's siren sounded in the harbor.а Dicky called to

the sentry who was pacing before the door:а "What steamer comes?"

 

"The ~Catarina~."

 

"Of the Vesuvius line?"

 

"Without doubt, of that line."

 

"Go you, ~picarilla~, "said Dicky joyously to Pasa, "to the American

consul.а Tell him I wish to speak with him.а See that he comes

at once.а And look you! let me see a different look in those eyes,

for I promise your head shall rest upon this arm tonight.

 

It was an hour before the consul came.а He held his green umbrella

under his arm, and mopped his forehead impatiently.

 

"Now, see here, Maloney, "he began, captiously, "you fellows seem

to think you can cut up any kind of row, and expect me to pull you out

of it.а I'm neither the War Department nor a gold mine.а This country

has its laws, you know, and there's one against pounding the senses

out of the regular army.а You Irish are forever getting into trouble.

I don't see what I can do.а Anything like tobacco, now, to make you

comfortable--or newspapers--"

 

"Son of Eli," interrupted Dicky, gravely, "you haven't changed

an iota.а That is almost a duplicate of the speech you made when old

Koen's donkeys and geese got into the chapel loft, and the culprits

wanted to hide in your room."

 

"Oh, heavens!" exclaimed the consul, hurriedly adjusting his

spectacles.а "Are you a Yale man, too?а Were you in that crowd?

I don't seem to remember any one with red--any one named Maloney.

аSuch a lot of college men seem to have misused their advantages.

аOne of the best mathematicians of the class of '91 is selling

lottery tickets in Belize.а A Cornell man dropped off here last

month.а He was second steward on a guano boat.а I'll write to

the department if you like, Maloney.а Or if there's any tobacco,

or newspa--"

 

'There's nothing," interrupted Dicky, shortly, "but this.а You go

tell the captain of the ~Catarina~ that Dicky Maloney wants to see

him as soon as he can conveniently come.а Tell him where I am.

Hurry.а That's all."

 

The consul, glad to be let off so easily, hurried away.а The captain

of the ~Catarina~, a stout man, Sicilian born, soon appeared,

shoving, with little ceremony, through the guards to the jail door.

The Vesuvius Fruit Company had a habit of doing things that way

in Anchuria.

 

"I am exceeding sorry--exceeding sorry," said the captain, "to see

this occur.а I place myself at your service, Mr. Maloney.а What you

need shall be furnished.а Whatever you say shall be done."

 

Dicky looked at him unsmilingly.а His red hair could not detract

from his attitude of severe dignity as he stood, tall and calm, with

his now grim mouth forming a horizontal line.

 

"Captain De Lucco, I believe I still have funds in the hands of your

company--ample and personal funds.а I ordered a remittance last week.

The money has not arrived.а You know what is needed in this game.

Money and money and more money.а Why has it not been sent?"

 

"By the ~Cristobal~," replied De Lucco, gesticulating, "it was

despatched.а Where is the ~Cristobal~?а Off Cape Antonio I spoke

her with a broken shaft.а A tramp coaster was towing her back to New

Orleans.а I brought money ashore thinking your need for it might not

withstand delay.а In this envelope is one thousand dollars.а There

is more if you need it, Mr. Maloney."

 

"For the present it will suffice," said Dicky, softening as he

crinkled the envelope and looked down at the half-inch thickness

of smooth, dingy bills.

 

"The long green!" he said, gently, with a new reverence in his gaze.

"Is there anything it will not buy, Captain?"

 

"I had three friends," replied De Lucco, who was a bit of

a philosopher, "who had money.а One of them speculated in stocks

and made ten million; another is in heaven, and the third married

a poor girl whom he loved."

 

"The answer, then," said Dicky, "is held by the Almighty, Wall

Street, and Cupid.а So, the question remains."

 

"This," queried the captain, including Dicky's surroundings in

a significant gesture of his hand, "is it--it is notiit is not

connected with the business of your little shop?а There is no

failure in your plans?"

 

"No, no," said Dicky.а "This is merely the result of a little private

affair of mine, a digression from the regular line of business.

They say for a complete life a man must know poverty, love, and war.

But they don't go well together, ~capitan mio~.а No; there is no

failure in my business.а The little shop is doing very well."

 

When the captain had departed Dicky called the sergeant of the jail

squad and asked:

 

"Am I ~preso~ by the military or by the civil authority?"

 

"Surely there is no martial law in effect now, senor."

 

"~Bueno~.а Now go or send to the ~alcalde~, the ~Juez de la Paz~

and the ~Jefe de los Policios~.а Tell them I am prepared at once to

satisfy the demands of justice."а A folded bill of the "long green"

slid into the sergeant's hand.

 

Then Dicky's smile came back again, for he knew that the hours of

his captivity were numbered; and he hummed, in time with the sentry's

tread:

 

а "They're hanging men and women now,

аа For lacking of the green."

 

So, that night Dicky sat by the window of the room over his shop an

his little saint sat close by, working at something silken and dainty.

Dicky was thoughtful and grave.а His red hair was in an unusual

state of disorder.а Pasa's fingers often ached to smooth and arrange

it, but Dicky would never allow it.а He was poring, tonight, over

a great litter of maps and books and papers on his table until that

perpendicular line came between his brows that always distressed Pasa.

Presently she went and brought his hat, and stood with it until he

looked up, inquiringly.

 

"It is sad for you here," she explained. "Go out and drink ~vino

blanco~.а Come back when you get that smile you used to wear.

That is what I wish to see."

 

Dicky laughed and threw down his papers.а "The ~vino blanco~ stage

is past.а It has served its turn.а Perhaps, after all, there was less

entered my mouth and more my ears than people thought.а But, there

will be no more maps or frowns tonight.а I promise you that.а Come."

 

They sat upon a reed ~silleta~ at the window and watched the quivering

gleams from the lights of the ~Catarina~ reflected in the harbor.

 

Presently Pasa rippled out one of her infrequent chirrups of audible

laughter.

 

"I was thinking," she began, anticipating Dicky's question, "of

the foolish things girls have in their minds.а Because I went to

school in the States I used to have ambitions.а Nothing less than

to be the president's wife would satisfy me.а And, look, thou red

picaroon, to what obscure fate thou hast stolen me!"

 

"Don't give up hope," said Dicky, smiling.а "More than one Irishman

has been the ruler of a South American country.а There was a dictator

of Chili named O'Higgins.а Why not a President Maloney, of Anchuria?

Say the word, ~santita mia~, and we'll make the race."

 

"No, no, no, thou red-haired, reckless one!" sighed Pasa; "I am

content"--she laid her head against his arm--"here."

 

 

 

XVI

 

Rouge et Noir

 

It has been indicated that disaffection followed the elevation of

Losada to the presidency.а This feeling continued to grow.а Throughout

the entire republic there seemed to be a spirit of silent, sullen

discontent.а Even the old Liberal party to which Goodwin, Zavalla and

other patriots had lent their aid was disappointed.а Losada had failed

to become a popular idol.а Fresh taxes, fresh import duties and,

more than all, his tolerance of the outrageous oppression of citizens

by the military had rendered him the most obnoxious president since

the despicable Alforan.а The majority of his own cabinet were out

of sympathy with him.а The army, which he had courted by giving it

license to tyrannize, had been his main, and thus far adequate,

support.

 

But the most impolitic of the administration's moves had been when

it antagonized the Vesuvius Fruit Company, an organization plying

twelve steamers with a cash capital somewhat larger than Anchuria's

surplus and debt combined.

 

Reasonably, an established concern like the Vesuvius would become

irritated at having a small, retail republic with no rating at all

attempt to squeeze it.а So, when the government proxies applied for

a subsidy they encountered a polite refusal.а The president at once

retaliated by clapping an export duty of one ~real~ per bunch on

bananas--a thing unprecedented in fruit-growing countries.а The

Vesuvius Company had invested large sums in wharves and plantations

along the Anchurian coast, their agents had erected fine homes in

the towns where they had their headquarters, and heretofore had worked

with the republic in good-will and with advantage to both.а It would

lose an immense sum if compelled to move out.а The selling price of

bananas from Vera Cruz to Trinidad was three ~reales~ per bunch.

This new duty of one ~real~ would have ruined the fruit growers in

Anchuria and have seriously discommoded the Vesuvius Company had it

declined to pay it.а But for some reason, the Vesuvius continued to

buy Anchurian fruit, paying four ~reals~ for it; and not suffering

the growers to bear the loss.

 

This apparent victory deceived His Excellency; and he began to hunger

for more of it.а He sent an emissary to request a conference with a

representative of the fruit company.а The Vesuvius sent Mr. Franzoni,

a little, stout, cheerful man, always cool, and whistling airs from

Verdi's operas.а Senor Espirition, of the office of the Minister

of Finance, attempted the sandbagging in behalf of Anchuria.а The

meeting took place in the cabin of the ~Salvador~, of the Vesuvius

line.

 

Senor Espirition opened negotiations by announcing that the government

contemplated the building of a railroad to skirt the alluvial coast

lands.а After touching upon the benefits such a road would confer upon

the interests of the Vesuvius, he reached the definite suggestion that

a contribution to the road's expenses of, say, fifty thousand ~pesos~

would not be more than an equivalent to benefits received.

 

Mr. Franzoni denied that his company would receive any benefits

from a contemplated road.а As its representative he must decline

to contribute fifty thousand ~pesos~.а But he would assume

the responsibility of offering twenty-five.

 

Did Senor Espirition understand Senor Franzoni to mean twenty-five

thousand ~pesos~?

 

By no means.а Twenty-five ~pesos~.а And in silver, not in gold.

 

"Your offer insults my government," cried Senor Espirition, rising,

with indignation.

 

"Then," said Mr. Franzoni, in warning tone, "~we will change it.~"

 

The offer was never changed.а Could Mr. Franzoni have meant the

government?

 

This was the state of affairs in Anchuria when the winter season

opened at Coralio at the end of the second year of Losada's

administration.а So, when the government and society made its annual

exodus to the seashore it was evident that the presidential advent

would not be celebrated by unlimited rejoicing.а The tenth of November

was the day set for the entrance into Coralio of the gay company

from the capital.а A narrow-gauge railroad runs twenty miles into

the interior from Solitas.а The government party travels by carriage

from San Mateo to this road's terminal point, and proceeds by train

to Solitas.а From here they march in grand procession to Coralio

where, on the day of their coming, festivities and ceremonies abound.

But this season saw an ominous dawning of the tenth of November.

 

Although the rainy season was over, the day seemed to hark back to

reeking June.а A fine drizzle of rain fell all during the forenoon.

The procession entered Coralio amid a strange silence.

 

President Losada was an elderly man, grizzly bearded, with

a considerable ratio of Indian blood revealed in his cinnamon

complexion.а His carriage headed the procession, surrounded

and guarded by Captain Cruz and his famous troop of one hundred

light horse "~El Ciento Huilando~."а Colonel Rocas followed,

with a regiment of the regular army.

 

The president's sharp, beady eyes glanced about him for the expected

demonstration of welcome; but he faced a stolid, indifferent array

of citizens.а Sightseers the Anchurians are by birth and habit, and

they turned out to their last able-bodied unit to witness the scene;

but they maintained an accusive silence.а They crowded the streets

to the very wheel ruts; they covered the red tile roofs to the eaves,

but there was never a "~viva~" from them.а No wreaths of palm

and lemon branches or gorgeous strings of paper roses hung from

the windows and balconies as was the custom.а There was an apathy,

a dull, dissenting disapprobation, that was the more ominous because

it puzzled.а No one feared an outburst, a revolt of the discontents,

for they had no leader.а The president and those loyal to him had

never even heard whispered a name among them capable of crystallizing

the dissatisfaction into opposition.а No, there could be no danger.

The people always procured a new idol before they destroyed an old

one.

 

At length, after a prodigious galloping and curvetting of red-sashed

majors, gold-laced colonels and epauletted generals, the procession

formed for its annual progress down the Calle Grande to the Casa

Morena, where the ceremony of welcome to the visiting president

always took place.

 

The Swiss band led the line of march.а After it pranced the local

~comandante~, mounted, and a detachment of his troops.а Next came

a carriage with four members of the cabinet, conspicuous among them

the Minister of War, old General Pilar, with his white moustache

and his soldierly bearing.а Then the president's vehicle, containing

also the Ministers of Finance and State; and surrounded by

Captain Cruz's light horse formed in a close double file of fours.

Following them, the rest of the officials of state, the judges and

distinguished military and social ornaments of public and private

life.

 

As the band struck up, and the movement began, like a bird of

ill-omen the ~Valhalla~, the swiftest steamship of the Vesuvius line,

glided into the harbor in plain view of the president and his train.

Of course, there was nothing menacing about its arrival--a business

firm does not go to war with a nation--but it reminded Senor

Espirition and others in those carriages that the Vesuvius Fruit

Company was undoubtedly carrying something up its sleeve for them.

 

By the time the van of the procession had reached the government

building, Captain Cronin, of the ~Valhalla~, and Mr. Vincenti,

member of the Vesuvius Company, had landed and were pushing their

way, bluff, hearty and nonchalant, through the crowd on the narrow

sidewalk.а Clad in white linen, big, debonair, with an air of

good-humored authority, they made conspicuous figures among the dark

mass of unimposing Anchurians, as they penetrated to within a few

yards of the steps of the Casa Morena.а Looking easily above

the heads of the crowd, they perceived another that towered above

the undersized natives.а It was the fiery poll of Dicky Maloney

against the wall close by the lower step; and his broad, seductive

grin showed that he recognized their presence.

 

Dicky had attired himself becomingly for the festive occasion in

a well-fitting black suit.а Pasa was close by his side, her head

covered with the ubiquitous black mantilla.а Mr. Vincenti looked

at her attentively.

 

"Botticelli's Madonna,а he remarked, gravely. "I wonder when she

got into the game.а I don't like his getting tangled with the women.

I hoped he would keep away from them."

 

Captain Cronin's laugh almost drew attention from the parade.

 

"With that head of hair!а Keep away from the women!а And a Maloney!

Hasn't he got a license?а But, nonsense aside, what do you think of

the prospects?а It's a species of filibustering out of my line."

 

Vincenti glanced again at Dicky's head and smiled.а "~Rouge et noir~,"

he said.а "There you have it.а Make your play, gentlemen.а Our money

is on the red."

 

"The lad's game," said Cronin, with a commending look at the tall,

easy figure by the steps.а "But 'tis all like fly-by-night theatricals

to me.а The talk's bigger than the stage; there's a smell of gasoline

in the air, and they're their own audience and scene-shifters."

 

They ceased talking, for General Pilar had descended from the first

carriage and had taken his stand upon the top step of Casa Morena.

As the oldest member of the cabinet, custom had decreed that he should

make the address of welcome, presenting the keys of the official

residence to the president at its close.

 

General Pilar was one of the most distinguished citizens of the

republic.а Hero of three wars and innumerable revolutions, he was

an honored guest at European courts and camps.а An eloquent speaker

and a friend to the people, he represented the highest type of

the Anchurians.

 

Holding in his hand the gilt keys of Casa Morena, he began his address

in a historical form, touching upon each administration and the

advance of civilization and prosperity from the first dim striving

after liberty down to present times.а Arriving at the regime of

President Losada, at which point, according to precedent, he should

have delivered a eulogy upon its wise conduct and the happiness of

the people, General Pilar paused.а Then he silently held up the bunch

of keys high above his head, with his eyes closely regarding it.

The ribbon with which they were bound fluttered in the breeze.

 

"It still blows," cried the speaker, exultantly.а "Citizens of

Anchuria, give thanks to the saints this night that our air is

still free."

 

Thus disposing of Losada's administration, he abruptly reverted

to that of Olivarra, Anchuria's most popular ruler.а Olivarra had

been assassinated nine years before while in the prime of life and

usefulness.а A faction of the Liberal party led by Losada himself

had been accused of the deed.а Whether guilty or not, it was eight

years before the ambitious and scheming Losada had gained his goal.

 

Upon this theme General Pilar's eloquence was loosed.а He drew the

picture of the beneficent Olivarra with a loving hand.а He reminded

the people of the peace, the security and the happiness they had

enjoyed during that period.а He recalled in vivid detail and with

significant contrast the last winter sojourn of President Olivarra

in Coralio, when his appearance at their fiestas was the signal

for thundering vivas of love and approbation.

 

The first public expression of sentiment from the people that day

followed.а A low, sustained murmur went among them like the surf

rolling along the shore.

 

"Ten dollars to a dinner at the Saint Charles," remarked Mr. Vincenti,

"that rouge wins."

 

"I never bet against my own interests," said Captain Cronin, lighting

a cigar.а "Long-winded old boy for his age.а What's he talking about?"

 

"My Spanish," replied Vincenti, "runs about ten words to the minute;

his is something around two hundred.а Whatever he s saying, he's

getting them warmed up."

 

"Friends and brothers," General Pilar was saying, "could I reach out

my hand this day across the lamentable silence of the grave to

Olivarra the Good, to the ruler who was one of you, whose tears fell

when you sorrowed and whose smile followed your joy--I would bring him

back to you, but--Olivarra is dead--dead at the hands of a craven

assassin!"

 

The speaker turned and gazed boldly into the carriage of the

president.а His arm remained extended aloft as if to sustain his

peroration.а The president was listening aghast, at this remarkable

address of welcome.а He was sunk back upon his seat, trembling with

rage and dumb surprise, his dark hands tightly gripping the carriage

cushions.

 

Half rising, he extended one arm toward the speaker and shouted

a harsh command at Captain Cruz.а The leader of the "Flying Hundred"

sat his horse, immovable, with folded arms, giving no sign of having

heard.а Losada sank back again, his dark features distinctly paling.

 

Who says that Olivarra is dead?" suddenly cried the speaker,

his voice, old as he was, sounding like a battle trumpet.а His body

lies in the grave, but to the people he loved he has bequeathed

his spirit--yes, more--his learning, his courage, his kindness--yes,

more--his youth, his image--people of Anchuria, have you forgotten

Ramon, the son of Olivarra?"

 

Cronin and Vincenti, watching closely, saw Dicky Maloney suddenly

raise his hat, tear off his shock of red hair, leap up the steps

and stand at the side of General Pilar.а The Minister of War laid

his arm across the young man's shoulders.а All who had known President

Olivarra saw again his same lion-like pose, the same frank, undaunted

expression, the same high forehead with the peculiar line of

the clustering, crisp black hair.

 

General Pilar was an experienced orator.а He seized the moment

of breathless silence that preceded the storm.

 

"Citizens of Anchuria," he trumpeted, holding aloft the keys of Casa

Morena, "I am here to deliver these keys--the keys to your homes and

liberty--to your chosen president.а Shall I deliver them to Enrico

Olivarra's assassin, or to his son?"

 

"Olivarra! Olivarra!" the crowd shrieked and howled.а All vociferated

the magic name--men, women, children and the parrots.

 

And the enthusiasm was not confined to the blood of the plebs.

Colonel Rocas ascended the steps and laid his sword theatrically

at young Ramon Olivarra's feet.а Four members of the cabinet embraced

him.а Captain Cruz gave a command, and twenty of ~El Ciento Huilando~

dismounted and arranged themselves in a cordon about the steps

of Casa Morena.

 

But Ramon Olivarra seized that moment to prove himself a born

genius and politician.а He waved those soldiers aside, and descended

the steps to the street.а There, without losing his dignity or

the distinguished elegance that the loss of his red hair brought

him, betook the proletariat to his bosom--the barefooted, the dirty,

Indians, Caribs, babies, beggars, old, young, saints, soldiers

and sinners--he missed none of them.

 

While this act of the drama was being presented, the scene shifters

had been busy at the duties that had been assigned to them.а Two

of Cruz's dragoons had seized the bridle reins of Losada's horses;

others formed a close guard around the carriage; and they galloped

off with the tyrant and his two unpopular Ministers.а No doubt a place

had been prepared for them.а There are a number of well-barred stone

apartments in Coralio.

 

"~Rouge~ wins," said Mr. Vincenti, calmly lighting another cigar.

 

Captain Cronin had been intently watching the vicinity of the stone

steps for some time.

 

"Good boy!" he exclaimed suddenly, as if relieved.а "I wondered if

he was going to forget his Kathleen Mavourneen."

 

Young Olivarra had reascended the steps and spoken a few words to

General Pilar.а Then that distinguished veteran descended to the

ground and approached Pasa, who still stood, wonder-eyed, where Dicky

had left her.а With his plumed hat in his hand, and his medals and

decorations shining on his breast, the general spoke to her and gave

her his arm, and they went up the stone steps of the Casa Morena

together.а And then Ramon Olivarra stepped forward and took both

her hands before all the people.

 

And while the cheering was breaking out afresh everywhere, Captain

Cronin and Mr. Vincenti turned and walked back toward the shore where

the gig was waiting for them.

 

"There'll be another '~presidente proclamada~' in the morning," said

Mr. Vincenti, musingly.а "As a rule they are not as reliable as the

elected ones, but this youngster seems to have some good stuff in him.

He planned and maneuvered the entire campaign.а Olivarra's widow,

you know, was wealthy.а After her husband was assassinated she went

to the States, and educated her son at Yale.а The Vesuvius Company

hunted him up, and backed him in the little game."

 

"It's a glorious thing," said Cronin, half jestingly, "to be able

to discharge a government, and insert one of your own choosing, in

these days."

 

"Oh, it is only amatter of business," said Vincenti, stopping and

offering the stump of his cigar to a monkey that swung down from

a lime tree; "and that is what moves the world of today.а That extra

real on the price of bananas had to go.а We took the shortest way

of removing it."

 

 

 

XVII

 

Two Recalls

 

There remains three duties to be performed before the curtain falls

upon the patched comedy.а Two have been promised:а the third is no

less obligatory.

 

It was set forth in the program of this tropic vaudeville that

it would be made known why Shorty 0'Day, of the Columbia Detective

Agency, lost his position.а Also that Smith should come again to tell

us what mystery he followed that night on the shores of Anchuria when

he strewed so many cigar stumps around the coconut palm during his

lonely night vigil on the beach.а These things were promised; but

a bigger thing yet remains to be accomplished--the clearing up of a

seeming wrong that has been done according to the array of chronicled

facts (truthfully set forth) that have been presented.а And one voice,

speaking, shall do these three things.

 

Two men sat on a stringer of a North River pier in the City of New

York.а A steamer from the tropics had begun to unload bananas and

oranges on the pier.а Now and then a banana or two would fall from

an overripe bunch, and one of the two men would shamble forward,

seize the fruit and return to share it with his companion.

 

One of the men was in the ultimate stage of deterioration.а As far as

rain and wind and sun could wreck the garments he wore, it had been

done.а In his person the ravages of drink were as plainly visible.

And yet, upon his high-bridged, rubicund nose was jauntily perched

a pair of shining and flawless gold-rimmed glasses.

 

The other man was not so far gone upon the descending Highway of the

Incompetents.а Truly, the flower of his manhood had gone to seed--seed

that, perhaps, no soil might sprout.а But there were still cross-cuts

along where he travelled through which he might yet regain the pathway

of usefulness without disturbing the slumbering Miracles.а This man

was short and compactly built.а He had an oblique, dead eye, like

that of a sting-ray, and the moustache of a cocktail mixer.а We know

the eye and the moustache; we know that Smith of the luxurious yacht,

the gorgeous raiment, the mysterious mission, the magic disappearance,

has come again, though shorn of the accessories of his former state.

 

At his third banana, the man with the nose glasses spat it from him

with a shudder.

 

"Deuce take all fruit!" he remarked, in a patrician tone of disgust.

"I lived for two years where these things grow.а The memory of their

taste lingers with you.а The oranges are not so bad.а Just see if you

can gather a couple of them, O'Day, when the next broken crate comes

up."

 

Did you live down with the monkeys?" asked the other, made tepidly

garrulous by the sunshine and the alleviating meal of juicy fruit.

"I was down there, once myself.а But only for a few hours.а That was

when I was with the Columbia Detective Agency.а The monkey people

did me up.а I'd have my job yet if it hadn't been for them.а I'll

tell you about it.

 

"One day the chief sent a note around to the office that read: 'Send

O'Day here at once for a big piece of business.'а I was the crack

detective of the agency at that time.а They always handed me the big

jobs.а The address the chief wrote from was down in the Wall Street

district.

 

"When I got there I found him in a private office with a lot of

directors who were looking pretty fuzzy.а They stated the case.

The president of the Republic Insurance Company had skipped with

about a tenth of a million dollars in cash.а The directors wanted

him back pretty bad, but they wanted the money worse.а They said

they needed it.а They had traced the old gent's movements to where

he boarded a tramp fruit steamer bound for South America that same

morning with his daughter and a big gripsack--all the family

he had.

 

"One of the directors had his steam yacht coaled and with steam up,

ready for a trip; and he turned her over to me, cart blongsh.а In

four hours I was on board of her, and hot on the trail of the fruit

tub.а I had a pretty good idea where old Wahrfield--that was his name,

J. Churchill Wahrfield--would head for.а At that time we had a treaty

with about every foreign country except Belgium and that banana

republic, Anchuria.а There wasn't a photo of old Wahrfield to be

had in New York--he had been foxy there--but I had his description.

And besides, the lady with him would be a dead-give-away anywhere.

She was one of the high-flyers in Society--not the kind that have

their pictures in the Sunday papers--but the real sort that open

chrysanthemum shows and christen battleships.

 

"Well, sir, we never got a sight of that fruit tub on the road.

The ocean is a pretty big place; and I guess we took different

paths across it.а But we kept going toward this Anchuria, where

the fruiter was bound for.

 

"We struck the monkey coast one afternoon about four.а There was a

ratty-looking steamer off shore taking on bananas.а The monkeys were

loading her up with big barges.а It might be the one the old man had

taken, and it might not.а I went ashore to look around.а The scenery

was pretty good.а I never saw any finer on the New York stage.

I struck an American on shore, a big, cool chap, standing around

with the monkeys.а He showed me the consul's office.а The consul was

a nice young fellow.а He said the fruiter was the ~Karlsefin~, running

generally to New Orleans, but took her last cargo to New York.а Then

I was sure my people were on board, although everybody told me that

no passengers had landed.а I didn't think they would land until after

dark, for they might have been shy about it on account of seeing that

yacht of mine hanging around.а So, all I had to do was to wait and nab

'em when they came ashore.а I couldn't arrest old Wahrfield without

extradition papers, but my play was to get the cash.а They generally

give up if you strike 'em when they're tired and rattled and short

on nerve.

 

"After dark I sat under a coconut tree on the beach for a while,

and then I walked around and investigated that town some, and it was

enough to give you the lions.а If a man could stay in New York and be

honest, he'd better do it than to hit that monkey town with a million.

 

"Dinky little mud houses; grass over your shoe tops in the streets;

ladies in low-neck-and-short-sleeves walking around smoking cigars;

tree-frogs rattling like a hose cart going to a ten blow; big

mountains dropping gravel in the back yards, and the sea licking

the paint off in front--no, sir--a man had better be in God's country

living on free lunch than there.

 

"The main street ran along the beach, and I walked down it, and

then turned up a kind of lane where the houses were made of poles

and straw.а I wanted to see what the monkeys did when they weren't

climbing coconut trees.а The very first shack I looked in I saw my

people.а They must have come ashore while I was promenading.а A man

about fifty, smooth face, heavy eyebrows, dressed in black broadcloth,

looking like he was just about to say, "Can any little boy in the

Sunday school answer that?'а He was freezing on to a grip that weighed

like a dozen gold bricks, and a swell girl--a regular peach, with

a Fifth Avenue cut--was sitting on a wooden chair.а An old black woman

was fixing some coffee and beans on a table.а The light they had come

from a lantern hung on a nail.а I went and stood in the door, and they

looked at me, and I said:

 

"Mr. Wahrfield, you are my prisoner.а I hope, for the lady's sake,

you will take the matter sensibly.а You know why I want you.'

 

"'Who are you?' says the old gent.

 

"'O'Day,' says I, 'of the Columbia Detective Agency.а And now, sir,

let me give you a piece of good advice.а You go back and take your

medicine like a man.а Hand 'em back the boodle; and maybe they'll let

you off light.а Go back easy, and I'll put in a word for you.а I'll

give you five minutes to decide."а I pulled out my watch and waited.

 

"Then the young lady chipped in.а She was one of the genuine

high-steppers.а You could tell by the way her clothes fit and

the style she had that Fifth Avenue was made for her.

 

"'Come inside,' she says. 'Don't stand in the door and disturb the

whole street with that suit of clothes.а Now, what is it you want?'

 

"'Three minutes gone,' I said. 'I'll tell you again while the other

two tick off.'

 

"'You'll admit being the president of the Republic, won't you?'

 

"'I am,' says he.

 

 

'Well, then,' says I, 'it ought to be plain to you.а Wanted, in

New York, J. Churchill Wahrfield, president of the Republic Insurance

Company.

 

"'Also the funds belonging to said company, now in that grip, in

the unlawful possession of said J. Churchill Wahrfield.'

 

"'Oh-h-h-h!' says the young lady, as if she was thinking, 'you want

to take us back to New York?'

 

"'To take Mr. Wahrfield.а There's no charge against you, miss.

There'll be no objection, of course, to your returning with your

father.'

 

"Of a sudden the girl gave a tiny scream and grabbed the old boy

around the neck.а 'Oh, father, father!' she says, kind of contralto,

'can this be true?а Have you taken money that is not yours?а Speak,

father!'а It made you shiver to hear the tremolo stop she put on her

voice.

 

"The old boy looked pretty bughouse when she first grappled him,

but she went on, whispering in his ear and patting his offshoulder

till he stood still, but sweating a little.

 

"She got him to one side and they talked together a minute, and then

he put on some gold eyeglasses and walked up and handed me the grip.

 

"'Mr. Detective,' he says, talking a little broken, 'I conclude

to return with you.а I have finished to discover that life on this

desolate and displeased coast would be worse than to die, itself.

I will go back and hurl myself upon the mercy of the Republic Company.

Have you brought a sheep?'

 

"'Sheep!' says I; 'I haven't a single--'

 

"'Ship,' cut in the young lady.а 'Don't get funny.а Father is of

German birth, and doesn't speak perfect English.а How did you come

up?'

 

"The girl was all broke up.а She had a handkerchief to her face,

and kept saying every little bit, '0h, father, father!'а She walked

up to me and laid her lily-white hand on the clothes that had pained

her at first.а I smelt a million violets.а She was a lulu.а I told

her I came in a private yacht.

 

"'Mr. O'Day,' she says.а 'Oh, take us away from this horrid country

at once.а Can you!а Will you!а Say you will.'

 

"'I'll try,' I said, concealing the fact that I was dying to get them

on salt water before they could change their mind.

 

"One thing they both kicked against was going through the town to

the boat landing.а Said they dreaded publicity, and now that they

were going to return, they had a hope that the thing might yet be

kept out of the papers.а They swore they wouldn't go unless I got

them out to the yacht without any one knowing it, so I agreed

to humor them.

 

"The sailors who rowed me ashore were playing billiards in a bar-room

near the water, waiting for orders, and I proposed to have them take

the boat down the beach half a mile or so, and take us up there.

How to get them word was the question, for I couldn't leave the grip

with the prisoner, and I couldn't take it with me, not knowing but

what the monkeys might stick me up.

 

"The young lady says the old colored woman would take them a note.

I sat down and wrote it, and gave it to the dame with plain directions

what to do, and she grins like a baboon and shakes her head.

 

"Then Mr. Wahrfield handed her a string of foreign dialect, and she

nods her head and says, 'See, senor' maybe fifty times, and lights

out with the note.

 

"'0ld Augusta only understands German,' said Miss Wahrfield, smiling

at me.а 'We stopped in her house to ask where we could find lodging,

and she insisted upon our having coffee.а She tells us she was raised

in a German family in San Domingo.'

 

"'Very likely,' I said.а 'But you can search me for German words,

except ~nix verstay~ and ~noch einst~, I would have called that

"See, senor" French, though, on a gamble.'

 

"Well, we three made a sneak around the edge of town so as not to

be seen.а We got tangled in vines and ferns and the banana bushes

and tropical scenery a good deal.а The monkey suburbs was as wild

as places in Central Park.а We came out on the beach a good half

mile below.а A brown chap was lying asleep under a coconut tree,

with a ten-foot musket beside him.а Mr. Wahrfield takes up the gun

and pitches it into the sea.а 'The coast is guarded,' he says.

'Rebellion and plots ripen like fruit.'а He pointed to the sleeping

man, who never stirred.а 'Thus,' he says, 'they perform trusts.

Children!'

 

"I saw our boat coming, and I struck a match and lit a piece of

newspaper to show them where we were.а In thirty minutes we were

on board the yacht.

 

"The first thing, Mr. Wahrfield and his daughter and I took the grip

into the owner's cabin, opened it up, and took an inventory.а There

was one hundred and five thousand dollars.а United States treasury

notes in it, besides a lot of diamond jewelry and a couple of hundred

Havana cigars.а I gave the old man the cigars and a receipt for the

rest of the lot, as agent for the company, and locked the stuff up

in my private quarters.

 

"I never had a pleasanter trip than that one.а After we got to sea

the young lady turned out to be the jolliest ever.а The very first

time we sat down to dinner, and the steward filled her glass with

champagne--that director's yacht was a regular floating Waldorf-

Astoria--she winks at me and says, 'What's the use to borrow trouble,

Mr. Fly Cop?а Here's hoping you may live to eat the hen that scratches

on your grave.'а There was a piano on board, and she sat down to it

and sung better than you give up two cases to hear plenty times.а She

knew about nine operas clean through.а She was sure enough ~bon ton~

and swell.а She wasn't one of the 'among others present' kind; she

belonged on the special mention list!

 

"The old man, too, perked up amazingly on the way.а He passed the

cigars, and says to me once, quite chipper, out of a cloud of smoke,

'Mr. O'Day, somehow I think the Republic Company will not give me

the much trouble.а Guard well the gripvalise of the money, Mr. O'Day,

for that it must be returned to them that it belongs when we finish

to arrive.'

 

"When we landed in New York I 'phoned to the chief to meet us in

that director's office.а We got in a cab and went there.а I carried

the grip, and we walked in, and I was pleased to see that the chief

had got together that same old crowd of moneybugs with pink faces

and white vests to see us march in.а I set the grip on the table.

'There's the money,' I said.

 

"'And your prisoner?' said the chief.

 

"I pointed to Mr. Wahrfield, and he stepped forward and says:

 

"'The honor of a word with you, sir, to explain.'

 

"He and the chief went into another room and stayed ten minutes.

When they came back the chief looked as black as a ton of coal.

 

"'Did this gentleman,' he says to me, 'have this valise in

his possession when you first saw him?'

 

"'He did,' said I.

 

"The chief took up the grip and handed it to the prisoner with

a bow, and says to the director crowd:а 'Do any of you recognize

this gentleman?'

 

"They all shook their pink faces.

 

"'Allow me to present,' he goes on, 'Senor Miraflores, president

of the republic of Anchuria.а The senor has generously consented

to overlook this outrageous blunder, on condition that we undertake

to secure him against the annoyance of public comment.а It is a

concession on his part to overlook an insult for which he might

claim international redress.а I think we can gratefully promise him

secrecy in the matter.'

 

"They gave him a pink nod all round.

 

"'O'Day,' he says to me.а 'As a private detective you're wasted.

In a war, where kidnapping governments is in the rules, you'd be

invaluable.а Come down to the office at eleven.'

 

"I knew what that meant.

 

"'So that's the president of the monkeys,' says I.а 'Well,

why couldn't he have said so?'

 

"Wouldn't it jar you?"

 

 

 

XVIII

 

The Vitagraphoscope

 

Vaudeville is intrinsically episodic and discontinuous.а Its audiences

do not demand denouements.а Sufficient unto each "turn" is the evil

thereof.а No one cares how many romances the singing comedienne may

have had if she can capably sustain the limelight and a high note or

two.а The audiences reck not if the performing dogs get to the pound

the moment they have jumped through their last hoop.а They do not

desire bulletins about the possible injuries received by the comic

cyclist who retires head-first from the stage in a crash of (property)

china-ware.а Neither do they consider that their seat coupons entitle

them to be instructed whether or no there is a sentiment between the

lady solo banjoist and the Irish monologist.

 

Therefore let us have no lifting of the curtain upon a tableau of

the united lovers, backgrounded by defeated villainy and derogated

by the comic, osculating maid and butler, thrown in as a sop to

the Cerberi of the fifty-cent seats.

 

But our program ends with a brief "turn" or two; and then to the

exits.а Whoever sits the show out may find, if he will, the slender

thread that binds together, though ever so slightly, the story that,

perhaps, only the Walrus will understand.

 

 

~Extracts from a letter from the first vice-president of the Republic

Insurance Company, of New York City, to Frank Goodwin, of Coralio,

Republic of Anchuria.~

 

~My Dear Mr. Goodwin:~--Your communication per Messrs. Howland and

Fourchet, of New Orleans, has reached us.а Also their draft on N.Y.

for $100,000, the amount abstracted from the funds of this company

by the late J. Churchill Wahrfield, its former president....а The

officers and directors unite in requesting me to express to you their

sincere esteem and thanks for your prompt and much appreciated return

of the entire missing sum within two weeks from the time of its

disappearance....а Can assure you that the matter will not be allowed

to receive the least publicity....а Regret exceedingly the distressing

death of Mr. Wahrfield by his own hand, but... Congratulations on your

marriage to Miss Wahrfield... many charms, winning manners, noble and

womanly nature and envied position in the best metropolitan

society....

 

~Cordially yours,

Lucius E. Applegate,~

FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT THE REPUBLIC INSURANCE

COMPANY.

 

 

 

~The Vitagraphoscope~

(Moving Pictures)

~The Last Sausage~

 

SCENE--An Artist's Studio.а The artist, a young man of prepossessing

appearance, sits in a dejected attitude, amid a litter of sketches,

with his head resting upon his hand.а An oil stove stands on a pine

box in the center of the studio.а The artist rises, tightens his waist

belt to another hole, and lights the stove.а He goes to a tin bread

box, half-hidden by a screen, takes out a solitary link of sausage,

turns the box upside-down to show that there is no more, and chucks

the sausage into a frying-pan, which he sets upon the stove.

The flame of the stove goes out, showing that there is no more oil.

The artist, in evident despair, seizes the sausage, in a sudden access

of rage, and hurls it violently from him.а At the same time a door

opens, and a man who enters receives the sausage forcibly against

his nose.а He seems to cry out; and is observed to make a dance step

or two, vigorously.а The newcomer is a ruddy-faced, active, keen-

looking man, apparently of Irish ancestry.а Next he is observed

to laugh immoderately; he kicks over the stove; he claps the artist

(who is vainly striving to grasp his hand) vehemently upon the back.

Then he goes through a pantomime which to the sufficiently intelligent

spectator reveals that he has acquired large sums of money by trading

pot-metal hatchets and razors to the Indians of the Cordillera

Mountains for gold dust.а He draws a roll of money as large as

a small loaf of bread from his pocket, and waves it above his head,

while at the same time he makes pantomime of drinking from a glass.

The artist hurriedly secures his hat, and the two leave the studio

together.

 

 

~The Writing on the Sands~

 

SCENE--The Beach at Nice.а A woman, beautiful, still young,

exquisitely clothed, complacent, poised, reclines near the water,

idly scrawling letters in the sand with the staff of her silken

parasol.а The beauty of her face is audacious; her languid pose

is one that you feel to be impermanent--you wait, expectant, for her

to spring or glide or crawl, like a panther that has unaccountably

become stock-still.а She idly scrawls in the sand; and the word that

she always writes is "Isabel."а A man sits a few yards away.а You can

see that they are companions, ever if no longer comrades.а His face

is dark and smooth, and almost inscrutable--but not quite.а The two

speak little together.а The man also scratches on the sand with his

cane.а And the word that he writes is "Anchuria."а And then he looks

out where the Mediterranean and the sky intermingle with death in

his gaze.

 

 

~The Wilderness and Thou~

 

SCENE--~The Borders of a Gentleman's Estate in a Tropical Land.~

An old Indian, with a mahogany-colored face, is trimming the grass

on a grave by a mangrove swamp.а Presently he rises to his feet and

walks slowly toward a grove that is shaded by the gathering, brief

twilight.а In the edge of the grove stands a man who is stalwart,

with a kind and courteous air, and a woman of a serene and clear-cut

loveliness.а When the old Indian comes up to them the man drops money

in his hand.а The grave-tender, with the stolid pride of his race,

takes it as his due, and goes his way.а The two in the edge of

the grove turn back along the dim pathway, and walk close, close--

for, after all, what is the world at its best but a little round

field of the moving pictures with two walking together in it?

 

CURTAIN