The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-01-05

silence. The voice of Mrs. Johnson at
the piano came melodiously from the
drawing-room; the voice OF Mrs.
Schroeder, inquiring for her missing
lord, came potentially from the hall be-
low, but Peter needed them not. john
son smiled, closed the door, and, drawing
chair beside Peter. in confidential
whisper quietly took absorbing possession
of his faculties for two mortal hours.
had arrived at Calais from Brussels
near midnight, an hour too early for the
tidal boat, and in advance of the train
from Paris. There was scarcely time to-
seek an hotel too much time to wait at
the station, and the keeper of the
buffet had informed me that his "es-
tablishment" could not be open for the
receipt of custom until the arrival of
the Paris train. Noticing a light in a
cosy sitting room adjoining, l made bold,
in spite of his ,protestations, to enter, and
was confronted by Jack Folinsbee, much
to our mutual astonishment.
His greeting was hearty. HCome in.
Don't mind that 'barkeep' I'm running
this yer concern until the train comes
in. He tried to turn me off at first too.
But asked him what he reckoned the
rent of this old shebang would be for
two hours. He tore round and thought
/ was crazy / s'pose, until he saw l meant
business and he fixed his price. paid
him and took possession. Now, what'll
you take, old boy? Name your pizen
This is my treat. And l didn't think
when | left California that I'd be run
ming a railroad restaurant in France"
1t was true; he had, after his Cali
ifornian fashion, gratified his present
whim at pretty price. The landlord,
looking upon him as a spendthrift saw
age, was, l think, little relieved when
my appearance took some of the respon-
sibility off his hands. By the light of
the blazing fire, in comfortable arm
chair, | did not propose to question the
propriety of his impulses. ...g
4 Our talk naturally fell upon old days
and old friends. "YOu remember,
Dutch Pete, don't YOU" asked Folins-
4 bee. did remember Peter Schroeder.
"You know" continued Jack, Chow he
took the money he made in that big
strike, and, instead of getting away with
it, goes off in a wild goose chase to fight
in the War;"
4 dyes"
I "Well he had fools luck then. Got
off without scratch; went back to Ger
many rich man, married and settled
down, and might have been all right
now but this yer last foolishness of his
has fixed him-sent him up the Aume-
sure"
l begged Folinsbee to explain.
"Well, I reckon perhaps Pm little to
son-T. Barker Johnson-that old fill
buster@
EYES,"
"He failed, don't yer know, with
Walker in Nicaragua, but came mighty
, near fixing things his own way in Costs
Rica Yes, sir" continued Jack, be
coming excited, "lt was a big thing he
did down there. All alone, too. Got 8
canoe, by guml and pulled out to a
ships yawl, and sorter revolutionizes the
yawl's crew; then he takes that crew to
ship and raises mutiny in the ship
and calls himself Admiral of the One
tepe Navy, and summons fort to sur.
render!-and it surrenders-blank it ALI
the whole garrison and the Ometepe sur
renders. And he was such quiet man,
such very quiet man! You remember
him, Major, don't you? such qui-ei
man. lust the faintest little snicker round
his mouth, but allus SO qui-et-just q
lamb"
I ventured to remind Jack that WE
were talking of Peter Schroeder.
"That's so. Well, johnson got hissel
made President or Dictator of the One
, tepe Confederacy, or at least one wing O.
v it, and came out here incog. to negotiate
bonds and get money. Well, it was jes
{ nv luck about that time to meet Mrs
$ johnson and party of nice girls travel
: ing, and l took 'em to see Peter just fo
v pasear. Peter was just about as big
e fool as ever, and showed us his arm,
i duds, and spouted patriotic hog-wash
( and / reckon Mrs. Johnson sorter too
y Peters measure then and thar. But sh
says nothing, and it comes about i
j. some way that she meets Mrs. Petel
e who, I reckon manages Peter and keep
It him in bounds, and she captures her, an
0 Johnson captures Peter, and the game
made. For in less than ten months-b
J. gosh-the Johnsons have got Peter mad
e over, capital and all, to the Ometep
d Confederacy. And, as if that WASH
.. enough, d---n me! if they didn't ror
|. in the whole Schroeder family generally
a old Frau Schroeder, aunts, uncles, cou'
,e ms, and all. BY jingo! there was whol
: German colony started out to Ometep
h to settle, and Peter was made Secretar
D. of the Treasury"
n tAnd then" ''
s. Folinsbee looked at me in 'conteml
Id tuous surprise. Sand then? Why {
lff course, the whole thing goes up.
re might have been a month"; reckon
- wasn't more than three weeks-that the
had stable government in Ometep
IN But it busted at the end Of that time