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

his surprise. had accepted his oder. The idea
Of quiet life in the tropics with new and
beautiful surroundings, and with nothing to do
and plenty of time in which to do it, and to
write his novel besides, seemed to Albert TO be
just what he wanted, and, though he
did not know or care much Tor his
promptly and proceeded to bid goodbye to
his friends and to make his preparations. Capt.
Travis was so delighted with getting such
clever young gentleman for his secretary that
he referred to him to his friends as my at
tache of legation" nor did he lessen that gen.
tleman's dignity by telling any one that the at
taches salary was to be $500 year His own
salary only 100, and though his brother
in-law. Senator Rainsford, tried his best to get
it raised. he was unsuccessful The consulship
to Opeki was instituted early in the fties to get
rid Of and reward a third or fourth cousin Of
the President 3, whose services during the
compaign were important. but whose after
presence was Objectionable He had been
created consul to Opeki as being
more distant and inaccessible than any other
known spot and had lived and died there, and
SO little was known of the island and diff
cult was communication with 1t that no one
knew he was dead until Capt. Travis, in his
hungry haste for Office, had uprooted the sad
fact Capt. Travis well Albert, had a
secondary reason for wishing to visit Opeki
His physician had told him to go to some warm
climate for his rheumatism, and in accepting
the consulship his object was rather to follow
out his doctor orders at his countrys expense
than 20 serve his country at the expense Of his
rheumatism.
Albert could learn but very little of Opeki.
nothing. indeed. but that it was situated about
lCf -aa., froIa the Island of Octavia. which
island "A urn was simply described a coal
ing station 300 miles from the coast of Cal
ifornia. Steamers from San Francisco to Yo-
kohama stopped every third week at Octavia,
and that was ali either Capt. Travis or his sec
rotary could learn of their new home This
was So very little that Albert stipulated to STAY
only as long as he liked it and TO return to the
states within few months if he found such a
change of plan desirable.
As he was going to what was almost an I'M
discovered country he thought it would be a
good plan to furnish himself with a supply OF
articles with which he might trade with the
native Opekians and for this purpose he pur-
chased large quantity of brass rods because
he had read STANLEY did so and added to these
brass curtain rings and about zoo leaden med
ais which had been sold by street peddlers dur
ing the constitutional centennial celebra-
ton In New York city. and were cheap.
He also collected even more beautiful but
less expensive decorations for Christmas trees
at Wholesale house on Park Row. These he
hoped to exchange for furs or feathers wea-
pons or for whatever curious and valuable
trophies of which the Island of Opeki boosted
He already saw his rooms on his return
hung Enthusiastically with crossed spears and
boomeranss, feather head dresses and ugly
idols. His friends told him he was DO
ing a very foolish thing and argued that
once out OF the newspaper world it would be
hard for him to regain his place in it. But he
thought the novel he would write while lost to
the world at Opeki would serve to make up for
his temporary absence from it, and he expressly
and impresslvely stipulated that the editor
should wire him if there was war.
Capt. Travis and his secretary crossed the
continent without adventure and took passage
from San Francisco on the first steamer that
touched at Octavia. They reached that island
in three days and learned with some concern
that there was no regular communication with
Opeki and that it would be necessary to charter
a sail boat for the trip. Two fishermen agreed
to take them and their trunks and to get them
to their destination within sixteen hours if the
wind held good.
1t was a most unpleasant sail The rain fell
with calm, relentneSs persistence from what
was apparently a clear sky; the wind tossed the
waves high the mast and made Capt.
Travis i'll. There was no deck to the big boat
and they were forced to huddle up under pieces
of canvas and talked but little. Capt Travis