Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1899-04-14

funds to give the good woman the
burial to which the bereaved huS
band felt she was entitled, Me
Lud' goes into his pocket for what
was needed, not as "a loan but as
GIFT, tor the old sergeant was abont
at the end nf his days of active ser
vice, and retired pay wOuid never
permit hun to return the amount
unless at great "a 'rl1ce To the
sergeant he said: "Nevermind
about giving 1t back, as | would
have to spend 1t and spending ri
my way wOnld mean being 'busted'
by the c. o. again, and I would
rather be discharged as a sergeant
than as a private"
AFTER doing his three years
with the battery, st. Ronald took
his discharge and went over to Sau
Francisco. He didn't tell any of
us what be was going to do, and
he only had about $50 or $50 when
he was paid off. a week after b.
LETT AlcatraZ a number Of us went
over to San Francisco one night
on leave. We were walking up
Kearney street, when We pushed
into crowd surrounding a.
taklr. The fakir was gotten mp in
stage ranchero s'yle-veIvet bell
bottom pauts, with gold tinsfl run.
ming down the sides; velvet jacket,
loose, ruffied, spotlessly white shirt
and enormous white sOmbrerO,
with two or three heavy silver
c)rds running around it. The takir
was telling 'em Of some perpetual.
ly fragrant beans that lie had dis
covered on tour of South America.
The beans were devised TO take the
place OF sachet powders of liquid
extracts, and the pertnme-said
the fakir-never left them. He GER
taInly had great spiel abOnl
those beans, and he sold 'emlike|
hot cakes. at the rate of 90 cents
for a paper bag holding about
pint of chem. Me Lud' the iakir,
wInked at us solemnly when liz
saw us on the orter circle OF the
crowd, aud we didn't have chance
10 talk with him for some time af-
terwaId. Then he told us that the
beans he was selling were the OIL
dinary frijOles of commerce, soak
ed over night in cheap toilet water
and that he thought he had a prei-
ty good thing, inasmuch as he was
hauling down a profit OF about $50
a night.
III didn't see any more Of Me
Lnd on the coast after that l
came OH to ashi glOu aud enter
ed the war depar ment on after
ward. went out to the opeulng
of the worlds fair, and on my third
tour around The lufld us l met
up With Me Lad He was tie
second man III charge OF the exhi-
/ bit from CeN Ion, and he looked on
of sight in the make NJ OF a Ceylon
tea planter. He was prosperou"
and thoroughly 10 the game. lie
had Quit San francisco and gone
to Cey lon before the mast Otter
going broke on 'FriscO's 'BarOary
coast0 soon after l lett the coast,
aud had put in the intervening
years as a tlmekeeper on a Clngd-
lese tea plantation. He was ap'
parentIy pretty glad TO see me, !
lhluk; anyhow, | know l bad a
terriDle headache when WOKE Up
ON the morning after thus strange.
Nv runnlng across 'Me Lud., l saw
him number of times while ! was
taking in the fair, and when l left
he told mt he expected to go back
to Ceylon aud fuish the game OF
growing I'D with the island.
"I wac leaning on the rail out al
the Beuning race treck on Thanks
giving afternoon watching th'
lors,s parade on to the track fol
the Washington cup race when
heard "A voice behind me exclalm
I'm a weIl-knOwn accent, i say
there, you soldier l looked around
and there " as 'Me Ind He wal
gotten up regardless, as they say
} and he WAS a good deal the swell
est looking man at the track Ate
| he had collected his winnings OF
the big race, we got INTO his traI
J and he drove me TO a hotel that
not more than a mite from Lafay
i. cite square. There he presented
!, me to bis wife, who is a queen, a
r most New Orleans glrls are, an'
hen he demanded me to accOmlr
d any him back to his home II
n TegucigaIpa, Honduras, where hr'
e getting rich at gold mining. III