The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1899-07-27

ahead on the tramp game now He was .
coarse sort of chap, but he had fair
idea Of a joke
well. after had read the letter 1 asked.
In my coolest and most dignifed way.
Ladies. what can 1 have the pleasure of
doing for YOU?
What we want said the spokeswoman,
Is lodging for the night and second-class
railroad tickets to Paris. The consul at
Avilas said that 1t would be your pleasure
as we'll as your duty to do this for US.
When we get to Paris we can get money
from home. and so we shan't want but a
couple Of dollars SO for each of US. just
for our necessary expenses on the road
" But my dear madam said I, tickets
to Paris for all Of you would cost about
5000. and my salary is only $3.50 a year.
You must see that I can't possibly incur
any such expense no matter how anxious
1 am to help YOU
We know we'll. said the woman, that
you are a millionaire. and are just stop
ping here to amuse yourself. The consul
at Avilas told us all about you, and said
that you furnished railroad tickets to Amer
leans nearly every day in the year..
The consul was Joking replied. L
have no income except my salary. and I
could buy up the Spanish monarchy. 1
am ready to take any amount Of trouble to
assist you. but as for supplying you with
railroad tickets and money the thing is
clean impossible.
Very we'll, SIR said the spokeswOman,
we have been sent to you by an American
consul. who may be supposed to know his
duty, and who is a gentleman, even If
I
He assured us that it was your bounden
duty to help us, and can tell you that we
don't intend to allow you to shirk that
duty on any pretense whatever. What else
are you here for except to help Americans
who need help? Do you mean to say that
the government pays you to stay here and
enjoy yourself? We shall go to the best
hotel In this town and take rooms, tell
Ing the landlord to send the bill to you. We
shall stay there till you give us our rail-
road tickets, no matter how long 1t may
be. More than that IL we don't get the
| tickets very soon we shall report you to
the president when we get back to America.
and you will be properly punished for re-
fusing to help American ladies' Then she
turned to the other women and asked II
they approved of what she had said. They
all did approve of it with such enthusiasm
that they kissed her then and there and
scowled at me as If had been the worst
criminal in Spain.
IF they had been men 1 should have
ordered them out of the Office and should
have sent for the police if they refused to
| go. But being women what could l do?
told them over and over again that
could not pay either hotel bills or railroad
fares. but it made no sort Of impression on
them. They talked to me until they were
tired, and then they filed out of the room,
| and l watched them from my window on
their way to the hotel, which was on the
same street as my office. 1 saw them go
! in, and as they did not come out again 1
knew that they must have found rooms. OF
course I did not believe that they could
compel me by law to pay their bills, but
all the same the hotelkeeper would be sure
| to look to me for payment, and would make
an intolerant lot Of trouble when he found
that I would not pay.
when my Office hours were over 1 went
to the hotel, and found the landlord in the
happiest possible frame of mind. Before 1
could say a word he overwhelmed me with
thanks for sending him so many guests;
and when I assured him that l was in no
possible way responsible for the women
and that l did not believe that he would be
able to collect any money from them, he
smiled and said that he was perfectly will
| ing to trust to my honor He had been told
! by the ladies that would pay their bill.
and he should not think of annoying them
about so small an affair. He knew that the
! Senior Consul was one of the noblest and
most generous of men, and he refused for
| one single instant to tolerate the thought
! that such man would bring an honest inn
keeper and his family to the brink of ruin
by refusing to pay a perfectly just BILL He
kept on talking in this exasperating fash
ion until 1 wanted to knock his stupid head
| off and for that matter would have done
i so had I been able to pay the consequent
| damages. Nothing that 1 could say had
| the slightest effect upon the miserable man.
| so I finally went back to my office and
| tried to revive my mind by writing an un-
| official letter to my colleague at Avilas.
which ought to have driven him wild with
rage. But it didn't seem to trouble him in
the least He wrote back that to me beg
| ging me not to excite myself, lest 1 should
| prlng on an attack Of fever. and asking
| me If he should send me three shipwrecked
sailors who claimed to be Americans, and
whom l might like to add to my collection
Of female tramps. He added that it would
any more letters, as he had just forwarded
his resignation to Washington and had
| turned over his Office to his vice-consul
| When I read that letter 1 could see in
| every line OF it how happy the scoundrel
was at having put me in hole, and 1 could
have wrung his neck with pleasure.
For the next three weeks those 80
women came to my Office every morning and
wanted to know when they would receive
their railway tickets. 1 couldn't prevent
them from entering the Office for they were
American citizens, and I could not turn
| them out. for they were women. 1 tried
| smoking the worst tobacco l could buy hut
they didn't seem to mind It a particle. al
| though 1t made me half sick. l made a
| show of writing letters while they were
| In the room. but they would keep on talk
| ing about my heartless and brutal conduct
| Just the same as II they knew that I was
| listening to them. They worried me 80
| much that could neither work by dav nor
sleep by night. They said that the hotel
| was very comfortable one though thew
rather thought that it was expensive, and
that they were ready to stay in Aragua all
| the winter in case delayed to furnish them
| with railway tickets to Paris There was
| not the least doubt that they would keen
their word. and ! foresaw that, unless the
| cholera should break out among them. thew
| would ruin me financially and compel me
| to sneak out of Spain in disguise.
"Of course, I had already gone to NV
friend, the chief of police, and begged him