The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-07-28


ca behire re. / knew that was in the
wrong; knew 1 ought to have stayed in
the United States long enough to live
down that first aversion which almost
every Englishman who visits the country
finds awaiting his arrival. like letter
from home, and of which he possesses
himself with a sturdy British satisfac-
ton But / was on my way to Japan,
where / had been before, and was glad
to go again, and the journey from New
York to California had been prolong-
ed discomfort. The dust and the heat mad
repeated themselves in the faces of my
fellow passengers and now 1 had left all
the nastiness behind me. and promised
myself three weeks of summer air and
summer calm. / had not been well when
1 left England, and the fatigue and an
noyance OF the long railway journey must
have put a line or two more In my race
For as the ship slipped past the head
lands (which are beautiful. and be hang
ed to themD 1 saw some one standing
over me, and a pleasant, childish voice
said:
Wont you let me give you one or
these cushions? You look so ill?'
I looked up and saw a fair-skinned.
yelIow-h haired little woman regarding me
with as much of friendly interest as If
with a strong American accent. and l
was very tired of that manner of speech.
Her speaking to a stranger was in itself
audacious. and of the quick audacities OF
American usage / was more than weary.
But she was pretty, and there was clear
kindliness in her eyes. i took the cush-
ion. telling her that she was very good,
but that / was in fact more tired than
m: and as put IL behind my head l OBJ
served that IL was strongly perfumed
with eau de Chypre, an odor j peculiarly
dislike. Still, 1 was glad to have some
thing between my head and the chair
back, and 1 fell asleep with the convic-
ton that women were, after all, good
hearted creatures. When i opened my
eyes. an hour later. the deck steward
was running about. laden with particol-
ored rugs, and | told him to send the
head steward to me. When that func-
tionary appeared | made the little speech
which I always make to steamer stew
ards, and which l can confidently com
mend to travellers who like to be COM
Portable at sea.
Here" said I, "are two sovereigns for
you. II find that 1 am better cared for
than the other passengers, you shall have
two more at Yokohama. And here Is my
card, which you will give to the purser,
telling him that i should be glad to
have a seat at his table"
steward; "and IL there any one on board
YOU would like to sit by at table,
NO" said I: 81 don't know anybody
here-but you might give me seat mex
to that lady with the blue rug and in
dicated the owner of the cushion.
MRS. Potwin, SIR said the steward
IT will speak to the purser. sir" Where
upon 1 went to sleep again. wondering
where any one had uncarthed so hideou
n name as Potwin.0
when my servant came TO tell me tina
Il was time to dress for dinner, L aske
myself. as I changed my blue jacket 10
a black one. whether 1 had done well I
demand "a seat near the lady of the vel
low hair. In all probability she had
husband with her, and while one ma
forgive a pretty woman the name of Pot
win as one excuses the monstrous ap
peliation Of an orchid man with sue
a name must necessarily be atrocious. Blu
when took my place at the table she ga
at the purser's right hand and at her.
and 1 saw that Potwin must be anon
the missing or the dead. The purser, a
though In some ways not bad sort {
fellow, had the affability of his calm
quantity combined with the uneasy prid
of station which seems to distinguish a
Americans who are not day laborers. II
name, he told me, was Chamberlain, an
he gave me to understand that the fan
lily of Chamberlain occupied about I'll
same position in the United States as Il
house of Howard in England. There
no doubt. a certain inconvenience later
in the absence of titular distinctions
America. a man has to be always tel
ing you that he is duke. This partic1
lar cadet of the family of Chamberla
had, he proceeded to tell me with one
those bursts of confidence in which Anne
lean aristocrats delighD. dissipated h
patrimony before he left college, an
too proud to toll for livelihood und
the shadow of his ancestral palace
Fifth avenue. put his broken fortunes
the hazard of the sea. When he h;
thus conclusively demonstrated that
was no everyday sort OF ships purse
he presented me to Mrs. Potwin, and
thanked her for her kindness i'm the ma
ter OF the cushion.
"Oh, you needn't be grateful s.
said: and when she smiled she was &C
tainly very pretty. 1T made me f.
lonesome TO see that we were actual
OF, and I was glad to have an excuse
speak 10 somebody"
I sent for some champagne, In comp
. ance with the inscrutable rule that a pa
senger who is distinguished by the pu
ser's consideration shall always keep tn
gentieman's glass filed, and, after iii
ner, Mr.. Chamberlain asked me to cor
into his cabin and smoke my cigar. VIII
I saw how literally the steamship col
pany had provided for his comfort. 1 pt
- ceived that the purser of an Americi
boat in the China trade was a persona
OF no little Importance. The room
which he slept was twice as large as tn
for which had been made to pay hu
sum OF money. and the Office In which
received me, and ine which he new
seemed TO have any work TO do, was
big as the ships smoking room.
I was very sleepy, but can vaguely !
member learning that he had more VIII
shirts and moro suits OF white lin
clothing than the captain himself. I'll
the owners winked at his doing a lit
quiet trading on his own account, tn
he was an honored guest In the Engli
clubs of Yokohama and Hongkong, a
that had shown great knowledge Of
fitness of things in sending my card
him, and asking to be placed at his
BILE. The captain was. / further learn,
n most ignorant and unmannerly indiv
ual. only to be commended for his go
sense in recognizing that he had 7
nearly so great a pull with the steal
ship company as had the purser. I {
not sure whether II was on that occasi
or later In the voyage that Mr.. Chamb'
lain explained to me that the owners h
become his slaves and things because