Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1893-09-04

homeward- bound Americans stood on
tie deck OF one OF the White Star
steamers waving q last adieu to English
shores. To Judge from the easy going
familiarity which they displayed in en-
tering into conversation with each other
and In exchanging opinions as 10 the
probable length OF the voyage home,
one might have supposed that they were
all old friends; but far from it. Up to
that time they had been the completest
strangers In the world. with one excep-
ton, however, for two OF the group
were mother and son, Mrs. Hetty Wal
dron and her only child, Captain Harry
Waldron, U. 8. A. Although still in the
twentes this young West Pointer had
won q pair OF captains shoulder straps
for signal bravery in desperate
struggle with the Apaches, the Indians
being ten to his one. Captain Harry.
however. had been severely wounded
and was now returning home from q six
months leave. quite himself again.
glance at the lady beside hin would have
satisfied any one as to the source OF
the Captains magnificent figure. Mrs.
Waldron was singularly handsome
woman, only shade the other side of
40. tall, graceful, and distinguished
looking, she, too, seemed born to COM
mand. In fact. she had passed her
whole life among military men, and had
taken on the very color and character
Of her habitat. Following her husband
likewise an army ofiicer-about from
post to post on the plains. she had
learned. like him, to face danger with.
out finching, and not only to draw
revolver and lift q rifle, but to use
either Of them when occasion required,
md far hOrSomnn @ hin ho
thought no more Of tifty-mile gallop
over rough country, through canyons
and over fords, than a city woman does
of three mile canter in the park.
Il don't think he's an American"
said Captain Harry as his mother point
ed out an looking man, who.
wrapped in his rug, was reclining in q
steamer chair near the group, but who,
it was quite evident, was not paying the
slightest heed to the animated CONVEX
sation.
And yet he has Chinese servant"
observed Mrs. Waldron, as she drew
her sons attention that individual, a
man of about 80, yellow as q lemon and
shaped like one OF the squatty vases Of
his country. He look d quite fat enough
TO be a three buttoned mandarin as he
sat there on the bench with painfully
sleepy eXiTeSSlOu Oh HIS lace.
Unless all signs failed, the stolid gen.
tleman wrapped in the steamer rug was
q son OF Albion, British to the tips Of
his nails, tall, thin, bony to degree
almost fitting him to be a model for a
class in osteology. According as you
looked at him, he was either all neck,
oil body. or all legs. This specimen Of
the Anglo-Saxon race was possibly
somewhat past so. and stood six feet
several inches above tho level of the
sea. A full beard Of an inde5cribab 9
yellow, head of hair OF the same hue,
a pair OF small. deep set, lynx-like eyes,
q nose with little or no swell at the nos
trils, Of great length, and curved like a
hawks beak, and a Uranium upon which
any one with the merest scattering Of
phrenology might have detected the
bumps OF unqualified monomania and
extreme pertinacity-such were, crudely
outlined, the head and front Of The man
in the steamer chair, a personality which
would have delighted the soul Of any
genial caricaturlst. The mans attire
was line for line OF the international
English cut and style-a double visor
cap, Il waistcoat buttoned up to his chin,
jacket with twenty pockets. trousers
of the checkerboard pattern, high
CATERS with nickel buttons, the soles
of his shoes studded with nails, an
q gray white buster which he kept
wound tightly around his body as if
DESTROYS OF accentuatilg his DO build.
Who was this ,eccentric-looking indi-
vidual? No one knew. One thing was
certain, however-he had never been
seen on board the Ceramic before
that day. The steward, who is sup
posed to know everything, could only
say that he was an Englishman booked
for New York, that his name was
Joshua Merritt, which he signed Josh
Merritt, that he hailed from Liverpool,
and that he was accompanied by his
body servant, Gin hi, of Hong Kong.
q subject OF the Emperor OF the Celes-
tial Empire. The moment the steamer
had got under Roadway Merritt had
ordered Gin Chi TO arrange his chair on
the sunny side Of the vessel and had
not budged till 4. when the lunch bell
rang. Back he came at 4:30, disap-
pearing again at to 60 TO dinner, and
returning to his post after an hours alb
sence. His attitudes and movements
were strikingly like those of manikin.
He was never seen to turn his eyes to
the right or left, but kept them fixed In
the direction the steamer was taking,
as II he were dreaming of the great
western world soon to rise before him.
At 10 o'clock to the minute he arose
and betook himself to his state-room,
with a gait so balanced and even that
the roll OF the vessel was powerless to
affect it.
The next morning Josh Merritt was
back In his place again In exactly the
same attitude, the same pose, even the
skirts OF his buster twisted into the
came wrinkles as on the day before,
while Gin Chi was seated near him
with the same panied expression OF en-.
nui and tedium on his smooth. round
yellow face.
For Captain Harry the card room had
no charms, and as he looked about him
for someone to chat with, his eyes fell
upon Mr.. Joshua Merritt Of Liverpool
stretched to his full length in his
steamer chair. Judge Of the young OFF,
GERS surprise as he halted alongside
the gentleman from Liverpool to hear
the latter pipe out in shrill tone. Cap.
tain Harry Waldron, OF the United
States army, believer"
The same, at your service. sir,