The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1899-07-06

At noon we were in the outer pas
sage, between Calantas Rock and
Capul, and by dinner-time were stand
ing due east in the open sea north of
Espiritu SSnto. As on the previous
evening, we stopped to chat with the
passengers, the two padres and the
Pafacios especially, for an hour or so
after the meal, then went on deck to
size up the situation.
TO begin with" said |. when we
were finally secure from interruption
in our quarters, where am | least
likely to attract attention when go
ashort at Agana2 Will it be advisable
to take lodgings in a private house, or
had | better go to the best hotel?"
"Oh, l should stop at the best hotel
by all means, il there were such a
thing within a thousand miles. You
would be far more likely to attract at
tention in any of the private houses,
which are made of bamboo matched
with cocoa leaves and have pounded
mud floor; there's usually but one
room, you know, and the whole. fam
lily live in that quite sociably. Say, old
man, what kind of metropolis did
you think you were going to? Why,
besides the forts. the church, and gov
ernment quarters, there aren't
dozen stone buildingsi in the town. No;
being a white and presumably wealthy
stranger, you will find yourself big
gun in Agana. And ordnance of your
caliber are usually quartered upon the
governor himself-free of charge,
mind you. Fortunately, / happen to
know Col. De Garma; Ferdinand Jose
Felipe Jesus de Garma de Lopez is his
everyday name. You want to commit
1t to memory, too; because If you hap
pen to get il De Something-o brother
wrong. it might make considerable
hard feeling. I've been thinking over
the matter a little, and have concluded
that your staying in the government
house>as his guest will be rather favor
able TO our plan than otherwise He's
one of the most hospitable men / ever
met--give you anything he's got, ex-
cept his daughter, and she's pretty
enough to eat. Here's picture OF
them, with the officers of the coloners
staff, taken with the patio. IFS pret-
ty fair likeness OF the crowd, consider
ing the size. What do you think Of
tLem?"
examined the photograph care
fully.
"Why, they're full-blooded Span
iards, aren't they? They look like
educated people"
"Hmpf! If it comes to blood, De
Garma can trace his family back to u
branch of the Braganzas on the distaff
side; the family are Portuguese, not
Spanish, though they've lived in Gra-
NADIA for generations. But what do
you think of the girl-Senorita Doro-
tea? Isn't she peach?'
"She is beauty, isn't she? What an
internal pity to hide away n girl like
that in forgotten hole where all the
advantages She should have are de-
| MED her!"
81 think, myself, that Agana is ne
place for her; yet she won't stay there
always, and she isn't by any means the
untutored barbarian you imagine her
to be. They lived in Granada and Mad
| rid until she was IL"
Then what the devil did they
| ever"
"Come to the Ladrones for? Busi-
ness; all in the line of business. As
lieutenant colonel, the old mans or
| dinary salary of 2,7O0 year didn't cut
much ice in Madrid. Out here, as
| gobernador of the Ladrones. he gets
about 400 more, besides the pickings." ."
"Pickings?"
Yes. What he can squeeze out OF
the barrangays, or tax districts.
Gobernadors don't work for their
| health, any more than United States
senators. Then Guajan is one of the
most delightful Islands in the Pacific,
and i, costs them little or nothing to
live there. At the end Of his six years
they get their passage home at gov
erDment expense, and carry with them
quite respectable pot of savings,
which means opera, cafes, bull-fghts,
wine, and innumerable cigarrilios, for
several years. 1t takes a good deal OF
genius to work an Influential relative
in the cortes."
| His six years must have nearly ex.
pired by this time; notice the sen.
orita's gown isn't exactly up to date.
That's the fault of her blasted
cousins in Manila. lost my temper
the day before we left, when they sen,
a lot of clothes down 10 the steame
for me to take to her. There was moth.
ing but flimsy string around the pack
age, aud when the quartz rmaster ac.
cidentally dropped il on deck il
bursted open; so had the fun of rak.
ing together those female belongings
and trying 20 guess which matched and
which didn't. II the girl finds out that
/ saw some of the things, I'm afraid
there1l be a coAlness between us. You
see, they're-well, mixed gear, | shoul1
say. What makes me so mad is the
fact that those women IN Manila have
spent the money she sent last voyage
on their own new clothes, and have
sent her a lot of duds four years out
Of style. / suppose they think that
being out of the world in those islands
she'll never know the difference, ano
that they are plenty good enough"
What beastly shame!"
"Yes; isn't il devilish! And that lit.
tie girl likes to be well dressed just
as much as they do. Got heap bet
ter taste, too. Here, just look a t these
things in the box, will you?-they're
almost as antiquated as the dress she's
wearing in the picture" We gingerly
lifted out one garment after another