Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-08-22

| steamed away and has not been seen since Two
huts were upset That 10 all the damage done.
The battery consisted Of the one brass cannon
before mentioned. No one, either native or
| residents are two sailors The American resi-
dents are the young man who 10 sending you
this cable and myself. Our first message was
quite true in substance, but perhaps unloading
| In detail. made ii 20 because fully expected
much more TO happen Immediately. Nothing
that II the exact situation up to date.
"ALBKRr GoRDoN."
sy to that2'
''He doesn't say anything" said stedman. 81
guess he has tainted. Here Il comes" he sdded
in the same breath. He bent toward his in
strument and Gordon raised himself from his
chair and stood beside him rs he read IL Of
The two young men hardly breathed in the in
tensity OF their interest.
Dear Stedman," he slowly read aloud. ''You
and your young friend are O couple Of fools. II
you had allowed me to send you the messages
awaiting transmission here you would not have
sent me such confession Of guilt as you have
Just done. You had better leave Opeki at once,
or take to the hills. am afraid I have placed
you In somewhat compromising position with
the company, which 10 unfortunate especially
as. II 1 am not mistaken, they owe you some
back pay You should have been wiser in your
day and bought Yokohama Cable Company stock
did. You are not. Stedman, as bright . boy as
some. And as for your friend, the war cor
respondent, he has queered himself for life
You see, my dear Stedman, after had sent off
your first message and demands for further
details came pouring in and could not get
you at the wire to supply them took the lib
erty OF sending some on myself"
'Grsat heavens? gasped Gordon. Stedman
grew very white under his tan and the perspi-
ration rolled down his cheeks "Your message
vraa 10
imagination full play, and l sent on what I
thought would please the papers, and, what
was much more important to me, would adver-
tise the Yokohama Cable Company stock. This
have been doing while waiting for material
from y GU. Not having q clear idea of the di-
mansions Of the population Of Opeki it is pos
sible that have done you and your newspaper
| friend some injustice. l killed off about 100
American residents 200 English, because do
not like English, and 100 French. l blew up
old OliyPybus and his palace with dynamite and
shelied the city, destroying some hundred thou
sand dollars worth Of property, and then
waited anxiously for your friend to substan-
tiate what had said. This he has most un-
kindly failed to do. am very sorry, but much
more 30 for him than for myself, for I, my dear
cisco, who is one OF the directors Of the Yokoha-
ma Cable Company, to sell all my stock. which
he has done at 102, and he is keeping the
money until come. And leave Octavia this
afternoon to reap my just reward. l am in
about $40, 600 on your little war and feel CRATE
full. So much so that will inform you that the
ship war Kaiser has arrived at San Francisco,
for which port she sailed directly from Opeki
Her captain has explained the real situation
and offered to make every amend for the acct
dental indignity shown to our flag. He says he
aimed at the cannon which was trained on his
vessel and which was first fred on him. But
you must know, my dear Stedman, that before
his arrival war vessels belonging to the several
powers mentioned in my revised bulletins had
started for Opeki at full speed to revenge the
butchery OF the foreign residents A word, my
dear friend, to the wise is sufficient am In
debted to you to the extent of $40, 900, and in
return give you this kindly advice: Leave
Opeki. If there is no other way, swim. But
leave opeki,"
The sun that night, as 1t sank below the line
where the clouds seemed to touch the sea.
merged them both into a blazing, blood red
curtain and colored the most wonderfully spectacle
that the natives of Opeki had ever seen. Six
great ships-of-war, stretching out over league
of sea, stood blackly out against the red back
ground, rolling and rising and leaping forward,
fiinging black smoke and burning sparks up into
the air behind them and throbbing and painting
like living creatures in their race for revenge.
From the south came th-ee-decked vessel a
great island Of floating steel with flag as red
as the angry sky behind it swapping in the
wind. To the south Of 1t plunged two long, low.
lying torpedo boats flying the French trI-coior,
and still further to the north lowered three mag
nifcent hulls Of the white squadron, Vengeance
was written on every curve and line on each
straining engine rod and on each polished gun
muzzle
And in front Of these clumsy fishing boat
rose aud fell on each passing wave. Two sail
ors Sat in the stern, holding the rope and tiler,
and IA the bow, with their backs turned forever
toward Opekb stood two young boys, their
faces lit by the glow Of the setting sun and
stirred by the sight Of the great engines Of
war plunging past them On their GRAND of
vengeance.
'Stedman," said the elder boy, in an awe
struck whisper, and with q wave Of his hand,
I'VE have not lived in VAIN
The End