The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-03
An GRAFTON TN PORTO AGO.
mistaken Enthusiasm Of tho Natives Over
the Eloquence of a Georgian.

Ponce was extremely stupid. The
| Warilke days We're over. No more regi-
menus Of soldiers were marching
through the dusty streets behind the
blarlng bands. The provost guards with
bayoneted rifles no longer patrolied in
the silence of the night to keep in check
the riotious Americans effervescing
with patriotism and Porto Rico rum
The French hotel, where the invaders
from the great republic had been wont
to gather and hold converse of their
conquests over high-balls and self-made
cocktails, was deserted and dull. Bust
ness had revived among the natives,
and American capital had already be-
gun to filter in, but this was not thrill
ling the men who had gone thither seek
ing Tor new sensations. Even at the
Playa, where the wharves were, there
was something missing. There were no
more grim battleships in the harbor
with their guns pointed shoreward and
blue marines, rifles in hand. in sill
houette upon the decks. There were
no more dirty transports belching out
from their holds grimy, greasy soldiers,
eager to drive the Spaniards from the
island. Relaxation was everywhere. 1t
showed in the bearing of the women,
who had lost that look of startled inter
est which they had at first in all the
doings of the newcomers. 1t showed in
to crowd about Americans unless there
was something out of the ordinary to
attract their attention.
It was this atmosphere that had
seized upon a number of young Ameri-
can adventures in Ponce, and made
them long for something to stir their
blood once more. They were living on
side street off the plaza in a house
of their own. They had rented 1t en-
tire, installed their own servants and
bought and borrowed enough furniture
to make it habitable, and were keep
ing house in their own haphazard way.
They We're extremely proud of their
acquisition, maintaining with many
airs that it was the very SWEETEST part
of town, notwithstanding that little
pckanlnnieS from the houses on either
side gathered daily on their front steps
as naked as the day they came into
the world. And, in truth, it was much
better than living at any of the hotels.
where guests We're piled five and six
in a room no bigger than an ordinary
American clothes closet.
| One day one of these young men re-
called the fact that it was just 20 years
| ago that he was born down on
| Georgia plantation. Therefore, there
| must be a celebration in keeping with
| the magnitude of the anniversary. It
| began in the afternoon and continued
| through the greater part of the even
| ing, by which time merriment was
above par. Every one felt bully, de-
spite the dinner, which consisted main
ly of Goldfish, beans and rice, supple
mented by raid on the canned goods
Of the army commissary. It was not
the food that had done it. but the
drink. and tongues We're Waggiag at
| that rate which has usually been
reached after the thirteenth bowl.
The Georgian who was celebrating
| his natal day was a tall, red headed
chap, with a pronounced gift of the
CAB. He had once been professor Of
elocution down his way, and he could
| spread-eagle with the best Georgia
cracker that ever stumped the state.
And the inspiration came to him, hay-
| ing been we'll dned and wined, to adj
| dress the native Porto Ricans SO re-
Gently made quasi citizens Of his own
country There was no difficulty about
an audience. The quantity of noise
| that had been let loose within the con-
| fines of the house had escaped into the
street to such an extent that there
| were at least 300 natives standing out
| side in wild-eyed wonder at the pro-
ceedings within. They 1agined, ap-
parently, that the Americans were
| beating one another to death. Hence,
| when the red-headed Georgian threw
wide the shattered doors and stepped
| upon the piazza a murmur of Joyous
surprise ran through the crowd. Strid-
ing to the railing around the piazza
which overlooked the street, the ora
tor buttoned his linen coat about mis-
| tall, spare figure and began:
| MY brothers de Porto Rico" he said
with a roll of his rs that at once
stamped him as a born actor kept from
behind the footlights by an incompre-
hensible fate.
viva Americano.: shouted the
| crowd understanding the name Porto
| Rico which was in itself a great COM
| pliment to the speakers Spanish ac-
| cent.
| my dear brothers de Porto Rico"
repeated the orator, "why don't you
mind your own business? What in tile
devil do you come hanging around here
| for? Haven't you sense enough to see
| that "a gentleman from Georgia is en-
(! tertaining his friends on this his ma
| tai day? HOLSTERS and scorpions that
you are, you make me sick"
"Viva Americana! Mucho bueno."
howled the crowd, convinced that the
orator had paid them fitting trih-
| ute.
When I sailed from my native
land continued the speaker Il was
| filled with an inspiration. I was burn
! ing TO come TO your country ana TSnI
and die, if need be, to lift from your
proud necks the Spanish yoke of tyr-
amy. The freedom that was mine be-
meath Old Glory's folds should be
yours, I thought. If my lifes blood
| as a sacrifice could win for you that
boon. And now, my brothers de Por-
to Rico, you are free. I weep at the
very thought, for what has been your
return for our chivalric kindness? 1t
| is a sad thought, but you have given
US the dinky-dink: you have robbed
us: you have charged US three prices
| for everything you have had to sell,
from a Spanish military button to a
cab ride. Traitors, ingrates, towards,
if we had you down in Georgia we'd
fill you full of holes"
"Bueno, bueno, mucho bueno!"
| shrieked the auditors. Americana
mucho bueno. Viva, yiva!"
The crowd by this time had increas-
ed to at least 500 persons and their
enthusiasm was growing. Their Span
ish blood, fond of fine words, was
fairly glowing with the compliments