The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1897-12-29
SELECTED STORY.
Under the Southern Cross.

roundings to remind me of the day, no
frost on the windows, no snow on the
ground outside and no sharp bracing
cold in the air. The windows were as
wide open as they could be, and the
steady swinging of the "punkah"
overhead was all that kept the room
from being stiaingly hot and close, for
the Office was situated somewhere
about latitude fourteen north, in the
PARKWAY Philippine islands, where the
great, beautiful flowers have no per-
fume and the wonderful birds never
sing, where the southern cross glitters
over the land at night and the great
dipper is upside down and the sun sets
within two minutes of quarter after
six all the year around.
So l had before me about two hours
and half of daylight, and was try
ing to decide whether to utilize it by
riding out to the tennis club and hav-
ing afternoon tea, or walking to the
park to hear the band play and see the
Spanish dignitaries. The native clerks
in the outer room had busted up aud
now came gliding in with bare, splay
toed feet, like block headed ghosts in
their white clothes, to bid me "buenas
noches " and a happy Christmas, and
incidentally to receive each his holiday
gift of one or perhaps five big silver
dollars, according to his station, from
Jose, the half breed clerk, who on the
strength OF his dignity and of his speak
ing little English kept his shit III *
ed inside his trousers and wore en-
broidered sandals, down to little Nito,
the errand boy, hardly moe than
~ ha mil.
the Christmas feeling " any way and
associated it with the mercury's rang
ing from 50 to 105 degrees, as we New
nglauders do It's rambling from Zero
to freezing.
The last "muchas gracias, senor,"
had been said, and the last clerk glided
out, and the gray headed old "punkah
cody" was STEALTH y watching to see
me take up my jacket, the signal tor
his departure, when the tramping of
unmisS kable aud evidently stout boots
sounded without, and With prodigious
crash of the screen door there entered
into my sane um stalwart Cap ain Hale
of the good ship "Monhegan," arrayed
in snowy liuen and crowned with
broad pith helmet, accompanied by
stout and Jolly Mrs. Hale, srying
big basket and a brown eingi am UNI
brella, with her cheerful face beamiug
from the deptho of real old-tashioned
sunhonnet.
Good evening, SIR they both call
ed out, and Mrs. Hale add.d: swish
you a merry Christmas, Mr.. b. My,
amt it ho,?' subsiding into the bam-
boo chair which l had placed for her
under the punkab, with 'pica, hon.
bre" Caster, man), to old Pedro, the
cody, who redoubled his efforts with a
disappearing grunt
Good gracious, Mr.. b." exclaimed
Mrs. Hale, "don't for PHYS sake, make
that poor old teller work 30 this hot
day on my count, Stop it," shaking
her umbrella vigorously at Pedro, who
took this for signal to go faster still,
ah1 the big fan tapped madly back
and forth till called, ''Despacio"
gently. a.
3 The 'Monhegan" had been in the
bay for month past under charter to
me for Boston, and was now cleared
and ready to sail the next day. l had
spent many a pleasant hour on board
with the captain and his wife, rejolc
ing in the homelike fee ling it gave me
to ear their good old Yankee forms of
speech. The very sigh of their healthy
faces, Drowned by the sun in many
eeas, did me--gSod in my weary exile
and their presence seemed to diffuse
an atmosphere of the breezy pines and
VIVID swept shores of Maine. And
how good their primitive, shipboard
food was after months of awful Span
ish cooked dinners on shOreI
And now The sound of their hearty
voices seemed to give the earthquake
rent, dingy walls of the old office build
ing pleasant aspect. You see, Mr..
b." said the captain, eve kinder
thought we'd drop in and give we the
good wishes of the season fore goln
round to do our Christmasin. Fact is"
he added. smiling, " the old lady can't
get on without celebratin' Christmas,
no matter where she is, and she's al
ways bound to give some presents to
folks. Ii we're at sea, she gives 'en to
my crew, and if we're in port like this
she hunts up poor folks and gives EN-
TO 'em, heathens and all. Amt that
so. mother?'
M 8. Hale nodded. "That's fact,
father" che said. "Whv, 'twouldn't
seem the least mite Ike Christmas if |
couldn't give presents, whit Their l be
home in Boothbay or not. AS for hea
the FL, that don't make bit of differ
cree. lbs Christmas jest the same,
whether they know it or not, and il
tickles 'em jet as much to get prese 8,
and me to give 'em. And you're jest
the same, John. You know you be"
"Wel, l don't know but what | be,
Maria" acknowledged the captain, and
they went on to tel of their queer ex-
p, rit noes while Christmasin" in out
OF the way Chinese and African por,s
with chuckles and peals o lauA liter that
sci Pedro grinning by force OF exam lie.
though he cou dn't unders and word.
" And speakn' of that, Mr.. b. " said
M s Hale, thought m, ybe | could
make II little more like Cbristmas 10
you and the m other Young meu here
away from their own folks, TO made
you his" Aud with that she extract, d
from her basket the very GRANDPA her
of all Christmas plum puddings- he
fist one l bad seen for three years.
I'M ybe tain, st what you'd gel at
home" she said, holding ii out with
both hands while the captain towert