Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-04-04
"NEVER The LOT0S CLOSES

mat energetic type OF lunatic | don
Know what he Is after. but whatever 4
Is he Is contraven.ng the treaty. TT
have him fetched 20 begin with. w,
might also publish n manifesto against
the oncroachments OF the English anC
chuck their Consul into jan
This decided IL. and the council brolk'
/ mp. leaving the President to sign the war
iant for my arrest. and distributed them
selves amongst the various saloons ir
the town for the purpose Of raising Cain
! II.
The President proved to be right I'm
his calculations, for when the news got
! abroad that the republic intended 10
| cling 10 their rights and their boundaries
and 10 stand out with all their forces
4 against the greed of England. a big de-
monstration. was held in his honor In the
4 Plaza Mayor, and there was some natu-
raj anxiety aroused In the minds OF the
leaders OF the opposing party.
AS soon as | became aware OF all
/ that had passed nj the meeting OF the
/ council, I knew the affair promised to
/ be distinctly awkward. That business
~ Guatemala required TO my mind-when
they all but logged the Consul 10 death.
You remember. | set about considering
what l had better do. l gave the popu-
lar excitement a couple OF weeks TO sub
side; but, mean time. almost anything
might happen. 4 shooting party for my
benefit. by way Of throwing down the
gauntlet 20 England. was quite on the
cards. and would have suited the taste
OF the populace TO n hai.. Supposing
they took milder measures. the jail was
in any case highly unsanitary. / knew
they had had yellowjack there among
! a hatch Of Cubans from Panama not
week before Besides, q declaration OF
war, from however rotten and paltry
State, might have turned our "a ticklish
point for England 10 arrange at a mo-
ment when the world was suffering from
severe go" OF Angiophobla. All things
considered. l determined TO keep peace
at any price. and not 10 go to jail II ]
could help 1t.
Knowing that my time was short. I
sent a message down 10 the only man /
knew who could be Of any use at such q
pinch--Scanderson, in fact-asking him 70
be with me as soon rs possible. Scander-
son lived in the narrowest street In this
dirty little town. I knew he understood
the idiC9yncrasios of South American re-
{ publics y alcn was most impOrtant-aol
had had considerable experience in reYO-
lutions. lie had resided in the republic
Off and on for some years. and generally
had some Job or other on hand, and
mostly pulled them off. too though some
OF them were queer enough. l can tell
YOU His morals were not overnight, and
his talk wasn't exactly clean, but knew
ne had a head on him. and would do most
things for a constellation. And that was
about as much as / knew of him at that
time.
u was sitting in this piazza where we
are now. when he turned up He was
a cross-eyed. clean-shaven man, with
leather-colored skin. / judged it best to
give him a clear hint of our predlcament.
and intmated that efficient advice or
help would be looked u. as a valuable
contribution. and paid for on a liberal
scale.
II all depends on what you want 10
DO he said. If you want my help in
this affair. Just say what's to be done.
Then I'll name the price, and. when de-
tails are settled, start gettin' through
with it
4 don't want the British empire to
have a row with this microbe Of State
] explained, and 1 don't want TO go to
jail
"Scanderson considered a moment.
You're not for bolting?' he asked.
with his head on one side like a vulture.
How can l bolt?' l answered angrily.
I've got my work TO attend to-
" Just So he agreed.
And they're coming TO arrest me in
an hour
'Or less added Scanderson. with con-
viction. After that they'll raid the
houses Of the English residents, end then
therell be the deuce to pay
" I know that. manp ! said. eXaspe
rated That's just the difficulty
"Scanderson surveyed me dispasson-
ately.
D." IT will be an ugly business. take
my word for it, he remarked, 'unless-we
stop It,.
cant you Tickle the problemY
asked; you know this precious Pacific
seaboard better than any man living
"He smoked an inch Of green cheroot
before he answered me-
81 believe / DO, but
" Name your price, said testify.
"'Tain't altogether a question Of dol
lars he answered slowly. If you knew
as much Of international politics as l do,
and had the same sources OF Informal
ton. which you have not-being II. Il. I
MS Consul-you'd know that we-taking !
us az a nation--are in about the highest |
place on record
I'VE sat smoking in dreary silence for !
many minutes.
81 know that prospector,' he began !
e gain. waving his hand eastwards; hes !
as British as you or !, though mis- names /
Kopsel. But you'll have 10 stick TO it |
that he's a German. and he'll stick 10 IT,
too. as long as we are down on our luck. |
I'll pass him the word
They won't believe him. objected. |
"'No' he assented; but we could make 1
'em lf-When is that gunboat we Keep |
round here coming back|
Il replied that she was gone Tor
cruise. and that even If it were possible
to wire for her at that instant, IL would
be a goodish while before she could drop
a party Of blue-jackets on the hot white
whar. below there.
I'm iiggeredp he said, smoking fu-
rously.
'By this time l felt pretty low.
can't you suggest anythingT l
asked hopelessy. If you can't there VIII
be seventy Britons less in this republic
this day week-not 10 mention further
Let me alonev he growled saVasey'
and sucked at his new smoke with vgor.
after ten minutes tobacco he spoke.
you'll have to guarantee expenses.
" Certainly I said.
land $500 down.
ayes; so on
"sWell. now I'll sketch out my notion.
rye a half-dismantled hulk up the coast,
hat was going TO be rafters next week.
&c commenced.
"rhe Bird of Paradise! l exclaimed
Yes. that's her handle. You know
Ter? III ride across and stop the rafter
business. You remember the cut Of her
,eel. and the blunt sweep
"sNo. MOI / interrupted in a hurry, 1
NOW nothing OF her-except commercial
y. Don't waste time In describing her;
t.xrt t.fF to Il wifi I