The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1897-12-22
UNDER THE
SOUTHERN CROSS.
n IN ~ ~ ~ MN

IN ~ ~ ~ ~ M ~ a<-/>-N ~
1t was about 1 o'clock ON Christmas
eve and business was over ms closed
my desk and rose with a weary yawn
There was little iii my surroundings to
remind mo of tho day, no frost ON the
windows, no snow ON the ground out
side and no sharp bracing cold in the
air The windows were as wide open as
they could be, aud tho steady swinging
of the "pUnkah" overhead was all that
kept the room from being stiflingly hot
and close, for the office was situated
somewhere about latitude II north IN
the PARKWAY Philippine islands, where
the great, beautiful flowers have no per.
fume and tho wonderful birds never
sing, where tho southern cross glittors
over the land at night and the great
dipper is upside down and the sun sets
within two minutes of quarter after
all the year around
So | had before mo about two hours
and II half of daylight, and | was try
ing to decide whether to utilize it bv
riding out to tho tennis club and hay
ing afternoon tea, or walking to the
park to hear tho band play and see tho
Spanish digtlitaries, The native clerks
III the outer room had busted up and
now came gliding in with bare splay
toed feet, like black headed ghosts in
their white clothes, to bid me "huenas
noehes' and n happy Christmas, and in
cidentally to receive each his holiday
gift of one or perhaps five big silver dol
I.are "A l..
the half breed chief clerk, who on the
strength of his dignity and of his speak
ing little English kept his shirt tuck
cd inside his trousers and wore embroid.
cred sandals, down to little Nito, the
errand boy hardly more than n savage
of the wilderness They had the
Christmas feeling" anyway, and asso-
ciated it with tho mercury's ranging
from so to l01 degrees, as we New Eng
landers do its rambling from zero to
freezing
The last "muchas gracas, scnor,"
had been said. and the last clerk glided
out, and the gray headed old 'punkah
cody was stoalthily watching to see
me take up my jacket, the signal for
his departure, whom the tramping of
unmistakable and evidently stout boots
sounded without, and with prodigious
crash of the screen door there entered
into my sanctum stalwart Captain Hale
of the good ship Monhegan, arrayed in
snowy linen and crowned with broad
pith helmet accompanied by stout and
jolly Mrs. Hale, carrying big basket
and brown bingham umbrella, with
her cheerful face bcaming from the
depths of areal old fashioned sunbounet.
Good evening, sir, " they both call.
ed out, and Mrs Hale added: wish
you merry Christmas, Mr. b. Nv
amt 1t hot!' suhsiding into the BAN /
boo chair which | had placed fer her +
under the punkah, with "piea, hom- F
bre' faster, manl. to old Pedro, the
cody, who redoubled his efforts with
disappearing grunt
Good gracious, Mr.. b " exclaimed
Mrs. Hale, don't, for PHYS sake. make
that poor old Teller work SO this hot day
on my count Stop it, shaking her UNI,
brella vigorously at Pedro, who took
this for signal TO so faster STILL and
the big fan Tapping madly back and
forth till called, "Despacio" gently.
The Monhegan had been in the bay
Tor month past under charter to mo
for Boston, aud was now cleared and
ready to sail the next day | had spent
many pleasant honr ON board with the
captain and his wife, rejoicing in the
focling it gave me to hear
their good old Yankee forms of speech.
The very sight of their healthy faces,
Drowned by the sun in many seas, did