Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-06-10
A WATERS ROMANCE

known cafe and restaurant that is patron
lied nightly by party of young fellows,
chiefly newspaper men and actors, who
gather there after their days work for Cos
sip and IA midnight lunch. The only rule
observed by this jolly Bohemian gathering
is rigid one. The party always sits at the
same table, in u far corner, and must al
ways be served by the same waiter, a flor
Id faced young Dutchman with sandy
hair and thin, yellow mustache, who went
by the name of John" in the present in
stance. None suspected their waiter had a
story until on one occasion guest of one
of the regular habitues told of an escapade
he had had the previous summer at Ant
werp. "John" stood by, listening, seemed
to enjoy the point of the story hugely, and
then told us some things about Antwerp
that showed he knew the place WELL II
ought to-" he said II was born and raised
there, and expect to go back when l save
5000. This aroused our curiosity and,
with little pressing, John told us his TO-
nance.
His father and brother, he said, were
manufacturing jewelers. in Antwerp, and
the family were rich. Hans--for that was
this real name--had been apprenticed lln,
der an elder brother as goldsmith in
tending to make jewelry as his father and
brothers did, and his grandfather before
him. The young fellow gained a good foot
hold in his craft married and settled down
in home of his own. Three months later
a sudden glut in the jewelry trade made it
necessary for his firm to dispose of their
surplus stock, quickly and for cash, or be-
come seriously pressed for funds. The
United States was chosen as q market and
Hans for the salesman, as he only could
speak English. The chief profit of the
transaction was to be in smuggling the
jewelry into the states by way of Canada,
thus avoiding duties and obtaining the adj
vantage of cheaper European labor.
Hans said he undertook the journey for
his wife's and fathers sake. The venture
was successful and very profitable. The
financial crisis was safely passed. Then
the firm induced Hans to try it again, and
after that he took frequent trips to Amer
lea. The salesman smuggler would land
at Halifax and take a train to a little town
close to the border line of the states. Ar
irving there he would seek lonely spot,
generally in thewoods where he would bury
VIZ Aio"seu III stouo oliclotn
Jag lhen no "ou,o cross the me, nave MS
baggage inspected, STOP az the 1rst sta
Vioh anu return ana dlslnter ms STOCK OF
merchandise at night. The miles of will
derness along the Canadian borders of the
states and the impossibility of patrolling
it by customs officers made the evasion OF
duties comparatively simple matter,
Hans said, for he only had to take the SIM
PIE precautlon OF choosing different and
"luely separated points each trip he made
across inc line
ApouU TWO years ago the salesman found
himself III orlpple creek, Colo, with
nearly SooO IN cash, the proceeds OF his
lasC lnstallment OF Jewelry. he started
ou0 10 see the Town, ana late IN the even
ing was lmpruaeht enough TO show his
WalleC OIL money III drinking ana gam
piing RESORT where ne mad been carousing.
Ihen ne leu LOT ms lodgings with some
WhilO unsteady gait. suddenly he Thought
ne heara step behind MN and was about
10 TURN, wheh an empowering blow was
ueal1 Nun on the head, ana nc fell forward
unconscious.
me next thlng ne remembered was in
nospiCal Ded IN DenVer. lie mad been there
tnree weeks and was slowly conyalescing
Inc doctors told nm that memory, mind
anu almost NE ltselr mad deserted him in
che Interim put tnao MS crushed skull
nau peeh trephlhed ana that he would
pfupaply recover
nls money was gone, OF course.
as soon as ne was able ne wrote to his
reiaClVes IN antwerp, telllng them what
had happened Alter weeks OF waiting he
received reply. Ills father dld not be-
Aieve the s1ory, ana INUNDATED that he had
s.oien tne money. his lather' they sald'
nau ihluehceo the urn not 10 prose-
cuVe' ana 'the nrm mad decided not to
no 50 upon oohdltloh that Hans should
never leave the states, or least never re-
Vurh W antwerp unless ne pfought the
money oack WIN nm.
DuC lnciosea III the ietIer was another
cha0 mace the lnvalia.s heart leap. 1t was
rom his WIFE, She ana not believe him
gulity, OF course, ana was about to sail,
with her s-month-old child, for America.
ms would take all her available pin mon
ey' SO sne expected her husband to meet
her IN new YORK Guy Inc date OF the re-
ceipo OF the ietter showed, when compared
WIN me SAILING Gay, that the vessel would
reach New YORK IN about ten days
mans was pennies ana IN hospital,
anu a'ooo mics away MS VIE would be
waloing ior MN, alohe' ana stranger IN
lana whose very language was unknown
10 her. Inc young husband was almost
Irantlc' ana inc worry a1fected his condi-
tloh SO seriously that nnally one OF the doc
.ors asheu MN TO unnuroen ms mind to
nlih' 10 this Stranger mans toiu MS story.
Inc uoctor hao heafa many ronlances, and
MS posltlon mace IL impossible for him to
asslsC the Invalid personally, put ne gave
the scory 10 reporter on one OF the Den
yer PAPERS VINO pupilshed long display
arolcie ABOUT IT, -FOUR days later letter
came lor Hans postmarked Cripple
creek. IL contained crisp, new 500 Dill,
ana a soraWl' written IN lead pencil, In