El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-10-22
A SLEEK,
SLICK NAN.
BY Charles q. Lewis.

| >>->>-<->->->->> O
ON the passenger list of the Ocean
Queen as she sailed from Melbourne
| for London OH the 10th of August.
| 1881. was the name of James MelwiiI
an Enslshman. and if there ever was
a slcekcr. slicker man got into print
have not read of him. He hadn't the
sleek. slick way of Il hypocritical mis-
sionary or parSon, but il WAS a way of
his own. He was n dandy in figure
and dress. lie had the innocent face
of child. He was suilcleSS and in
Ienuous. He seemed to know so little
of the world that you wondered where
he had passed his 50 years of life. He
wanted tn make every body's acquaint
ance and Ice friends with all. You
couldn't help but set him down for n
good fellow just to look at him. and
when YOU had listened To his droll sto-
rieS in the smoking room, his songs IN
the cabin and the fairy stories he told
the children you had To- agree that he
WAS justly Il favoritc.
No one seemed to know Jimmy. as
he asked us To call him. beyond know
ing that he lived up the country ON
big horse farm and was worth half
million dollars. 1t turned out that no
one really knew that. but had taken
his word for it. However. it was no
ones business To know him. He was
going back TO England after a bride.
and all the ladies aboard agreed that
he was a good catch and the girl was
i'll luck. Perhaps / got more out OF
Mr.. Melwill than any other passenger
Ii was more. and ut the same time IL
was less. In speaking of his horse
farm to me he had been foolish enough
tn locate it. 1t was far distant from
Melbourne. and 1t was in an out of the
way place. but IL happened that l
had sheepherded and prospccted all
over that range and knew his story to
be false. He saw. by my looks that
knew il TO he SO. and he at once
turned the conversation and refused
any further Information Women will
lie when there is no object but men
generally plan TO make lie serve a
purpose. l tried To figure out why
Jimmy should lie. but the best guess
i could make ut IL was that he wanted
to pass for a richer man than he was
There was nothing bad about that. and
didn't permit the falsehood to open
any breach between us.
When We came TO shake ourselves
down aboard. noticed that there were
lot of rather tough looking men
among the stceragc passengers 1t
was explained that they were going 10
the Cape To- work ON new railroad
AS near a. 1 could size them up they
were all colonials and men more used
to horses than picks and Shovels. Your
true navy. or day laborer. would have
spra wled in the shade and slept and
smoked and been content. | picked |
out n dozen or more of the so called |
workingmcn who We're nervous and
uneasy. and they often formed little
groups and seemed to hold much con-
verse in whispers. This. however. was |
only Il trifiin2 incident. People on
shipboard have nothing to do but Cos
sip and observe. \ man who would not |
walk ten steps on land tn see n cap
tive eagle will sit for an hour and |
watch the erratic flight of Il gull. !
think the sleek Jimmy must have |
caught me watching the steerage pas
sengcrs. for he took occasion one day !
to observe:
There seems 10 he n fine lot OF men |
going out to the Cape with us:''
LAS far as bone and muscle 60" / re-
piled.
but 1t takes bone and muscle to |
build railroads."
"Of course. but this is the first time |
l ever heard of Australians being ship |
ped to the Cape for such work. Is |
there any scarcity of native help? l |
can't imagine one of those chaps over |
yonder with his soft hands doing much !
with pick and shovel"
NO. perhaps not" replied Jimmy in |
an absent way as he looked at me |