The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-05-24
hour and grind out his dusty admlra-


ton.
Among the Storage passengers was
bugler, who every night gave free en-
tertainment. He played with taste and
feeling, and when once we had all al
lowed our souls to drift away in ''The
Last Rose of Summer" the Grinder, in
the midst of the beautiful strain, brought
us plump to earth by turning out the re-
mark that "a bewgle made abeout as
nice music as any instrument goin', eff it
was well played" Had he been thrown
overheard he would have drifted ashore,
and bored the natives to death with
long and lifeless story of his escape from
drowning.
Danes Rumor and Gossip are at home
on the high seas. They commence oper.
ations as soon as their stomachs are on
sea legs. Everybody then undergoes an
inspection from everybody else, and we
report to each other. Mrs. Buster! Mrs
Busters conduct is perfectly scandalous
before we have been out week; she nib
bling around young men of one-half-aye,
one-fourth-hera age! The young miss who
came on board in charge of an elderly
couple has seeded from them, prone
nades the hurricane deck very late with
dashing young Californian; but then
birds of feather, male and female, will
flock together. Mr.. Bleareye is full of
brandy every morning before ten o'clock;
and the "catamaran" with the thin
legged and subjected husband does moth
ing but talk of her home in -. We
know the color and pattern Of her car
pets, the number of her servants, the
quality of her plate, and yesterday she
brought out her jewelry and made there
Of public exhibition in the saloon.
All this is faithfully and promptly
borne per rail over the isthmus, and goes
over to the Atlantic steamer. l am con-
scientious in this matter of gossip. l
had made resolutions. There was lady
likewise conscientious on board, and one
night upon the quarter deck, when we
had talked propriety threadbare, when
we were both bursting with our fill Of OBJ
servation, we met each other half way,
and confessed that unless we INDUCED
ourselves also in a little scandal we
should die, and then, the foodgates be-
ing opened, how we riddled them! But
there is difference between criticism of
character and downright scandal, you
know; in that way did we poultice our
bruised consciences.
On a voyage everybody has condolences
to make, private griefs to disclose to
everybody else. This is especially the case
during the first few days out. We feel
so lone and lorn; we have all undergone
the misery of parting, the breaking of
tender ties; we seem a huddle Of human
units shaken by chance into the same
box, yet scarcely are we therein settled
when we begin putting forth feelers Of
sympathy and recognition. There was
one young man who seemed to me mas
ter in the art of making desirable &C
quaintances for the trip. He entered
upon his work ere the Golden Gate had
sunk below the horizon. He had
friendly word for all. His approach and
address were progressing. He spoke
to me kindly. Twas miserable and flung
myself upon him for sympathy. The
wretch was merely testing me as COM
pagnon de voyage. He found me I'M
suitable. He flung me from him with
easy but cold politeness, and consorted
with an educated German gentleman"
revenged myself by playing the same
tactics on sea and love sick German
carriage maker. can eye for an eye,
tooth for a tooth" you know.
We touched at Magdalena bay and
Purlta Arenas. We expected to stay at
Punta Arenas twelve hours to discharge
quantity of -four. Four times twelve
hours we remained there. Everybody
became very tired of Costa Rica. The
Costa Rican is not hurried in his move
ments He took his own time in send
ing the necessary lighters for that
flour. A boat load went off once in
four hours. The Costa Ricans came
on board-men and women, great and
small-inspected the Sacramento, en-
joyed themselves, went on shore again,
lay down in the shade of their cocoa
nut palms, smoked their cigarettes
and slept soundly while the restless,
uneasy load of humanity on the Ameri-
can steamer fretted, fumed, perspired,
scolded at Costa Rican laziness and
ridiculed the Costa Rican government,
which revolutionizes once in six months,
changes its flag once year, taxes all
improvements, and acts up to the prin-
ciple that government was made for the
benefit of those who govern. Many Of
the passengers went on shore. Some
came back laden with tropical flowers,
others full of brandy. The blossoms
filed the vessel the whole night with
perfume, while the brandy produced
noise and badly sung popular melodies.
The Grinder went on shore with the
rest. On returning he expressed disgust
at the Costa Ricans. He thought that
nothing could ever be made of them"
He had no desire that the United States
should ever assirnilate with any portion
of the torrid zone. He predicted that
such fusion would prove destructive to
American energy and intelligence. We
had enough southern territory and tor
por already. The man has no appreci-
alton of the Incidence and repoSe of the
tropics. He knows not that the most
delicious of enjoyments is the waking
dream under the feathery palm, care and
flung aside, while the soul
through the eye loses itself in the blue
depths above. He would doom Us to an
eternal rack of civilization and progress
work-grind. jerk, hurry. twist and
strain. until our nerves, by exhaustion
unstrung and shattered, allowed no re-
pose of mind or body; and even when
we die our bones are so infected by rest
lessness and gosheaditiveness that they