Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-10-09

waiting for the mail to arrive from Eng
land. bringing in news, and hoped. too, q
remittance from our London agents. Fred
had reported well of our chances of sue
cess. for German professor, who happened
10 be at Bahia when he was sending them
of, inspected the things before they went,
and was enchanted at the variety and value
OF our collection. We trusted our troubles
would soon be over, and We might begin in
real earnest collecting on our account, and
making the needfuI observations to COM
piete our theory.
''Day after dav passed, and the mail
didn't arrive. Mails TO South America, in
those days, were very movable teas:s. A
week or two more or less hardly aston shed
ANYBODY. But my money market was get
ting remarkably tight. and every twenty
four hours to me was a lfe-and-death mat
ter
AT last the mail came in, and with it q
letter. L stood on the steps OF the Bahia
postofice. in nv tatteredl up-couutry
clothes, and tore it open eagerly. II was
from our London agents They had the
honor to acknowledge the receipt OF our
valuable collections in very good order,
and trusted to have an opportunity of SUBJ
uitting them before long, in whole or in
part. to the consideration of the authorities
at the British Museum, who would Doubt
less be willing to pay reasonable price for
then.
s'That was ALL No remittance, nor in
staliment, no sale, even. Nothing al all had
been done. Only vague hope orconditicnal
promise Heaven knew how long yet 1
might have to wait for nv money.
"And L was penniless, meanwhile, and
starving at Bahia"
The dicnifei old man wiped his brow
once more. Great drops stood on it visbly.
IL was clear the remembrance was painfully
real 10 him.
show L ever got through the next three
weeks" he went Oh, alter long deep
pause, moisteaing his lirs with coffee, 81
don't know to this day. L can't bear to
look back upon it. took room in a negro
hut, by pawninC NV last change of clothes,
and there | lived OF, watching and waiting
for another mail from England. Through
the dav sl1uiked; in the evening 10 nged
about the streets; and men whose acquaint-
ance I'd picked up while L was in Bahia
offered me drinks in the saloons but never
anv !ocd-and was starving, starving.
Drink, drink, drink, but not a meal, or a
mouthful L hung around the market in
the early morning and picked up morsels of
yam, or little bits o! bread fruit, or stale
mangoes that even the negroes
rejected or half bad ORANGES
flung away into the gutter That
was all / had to eat, and as to work or
money, none could be had anywhere To
tine BraZilians 1 was useless, because L
spoke very little Portuguese, and that lit
tie l had picked mp from slaves up country;
nnd when L called upon the English mer-
chants of the place they surveyed ne
through their spectacles with very critical
eyes-'An unfortunate Englishman! Drink,
drink, no doubt. Why, he smells of rum
this minute, Jones. Sorry to say, my
friend, we can do nothing for you
$50 hung around The saloons, with part
of the manuscript of Life and Its Origins
actually in nv pocket with nv scien- |
tihc tastes and my philosophic yearnings,
snG took the rum strangers offered me for |
very want OF food, and because 1 was a great
deal too hungry TO refuse anything on earth |
with lump OF sugar in it. Sometimes |
got biscuit into the bargain as well, but |
rum, alone. till wonder at mnself |
that / didn't sink offhand into a |
miserable drunkard. 1t was an awful |
time. 1t makes my head reel to recall it. |
cat last, one dav, when three weeks were |
over, and no English mail to my knowledge |
had vet arrived, / stood in my ragged |
clothes and with my hungry face in saloon
in the town, when suddenly man whom 1 |
knew came in and looked at me steadily.
Il ullO, spence, he Sdiu, Win u little
start of surprise, .you look down in the
mouth this morning. Cheer up, old fellow.
The English MAILS in, and there's money
for YOU at the bank in the Rua do CONNER
cio'
81 stared at him in suspense. He was a
practical Joker. l knew his tricks well.
was afraid TO believe him. Perhaps he
didn't realize what matter of lie and
death that mail was to me. Perhaps he
was only trying. as he himself would have
said. to take jolly good rise out of me.
"'You really mean i;?' I gasned out
You're in earnest, not hoaxing me?'
"'H onor bright!' he answered, laughing
Take my davy Oh it any dav. The cashiers
3 chum Of mine, and he told me just now if
1 met Spence lounging about anywhere
in the bars 20 tell him there WAS money
waiting for him straight out from England
MY fingers trembled; my knees shook,
went round in fever to the RCa do Com
mercio. When l reached the bank steps
[ didn't dare to go in. My head swan
With hunger and rum and despair. How
iare ask for money in such rags as these? !