The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1901-10-31
ON THE THROW
OF THE KNIFE
A Story In Which an American
Girl and an Indian Girl
Are Rivals.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
BY GWENDOLEN OvERTON.

OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
By all the laws of true romance she
should have felt upon opening her eyes
a promonition that this was to be a day
of destiny, but she merely felt that the
engines had stopped, that the ship was
at anchor and that therefore it was
MOSTLY, insufferably warm. The cur
tains across the stateroom windows did
not so much as move. She came down
from her berth and pulled them aside.
The coast of Guatemala was before her
and the port of San Jose.
There had been rain in the night, a
tropic shower. The clouds We're lift
ing away. They were massed in white
and gold behind the two volcano peaks
other water, in their time, and the
peaks themselves We're side by side,
two cones of glowing pink.
They were miles inland, many miles,
and the thick, lush tropic green was be-
tween, reaching to the curve of the
sand. There We're some white houses
by the beach, white with red tiles.
They made the port of San Jose. But
the ship was anchored we'll out in deep
water, and there We're no craft in sight,
save a rowbOat or two drawn up on
the sand and one that was starting out
from the pier across the faint blue
water that showed back the clouds of
white and gold. The wake and the oars
glistened in the new sunlight.
The girl leaned her bare arm on the
sill and stood looking out. She had seen
many beautiful things in her life, but
nothing so lovely as the coast and vol
cano peaks of San Jose de Guatemala
ut the break of day.
The roWboat came near, and she saw
that the quarantine officials sat in the
stern, but by the time she was dressed
and came ON deck they had long since
gone. There was no one at all in sight
either aft or amdships, but when sha
was forward of the bridge she saw
some one standing near the bow. He
was new passenger. He turned and
looked at her
There was breeze, the faintest south
sea morning breeze, that rippled her
thin white gown and moved the loose
tendrilS of her hair. He raised his
straw hat civilly and turned back to
his consideration of the shore. Pres
emily the purser joined him, and he
stood talking, his hands damned into
his sack coat pockets and his tan Shod
feet wide apart on the deck. Then he
went into the saloon.
That was all Miss Strathmore saw of
him, but she described him to her
mother accurately nevertheless.
He's the only Latin l ever saw who
looked as though he could do things
and not talk about it afterward. His
skin is very white, and his jaw shuts
hard, and moreover, though his eyes
are brown, they are neither sparkling
nor soft" She objected to both. They
are level and hard. That he may speak
English is my fOndest WISH
He did. He was put beside her at
breakfast, and the captain presented
him. His name was Merida.
You saw me this morning" he said,
when l was looking back upon my
house, my home. my heritage, my
lands"
"And the laughing danes in whom
you did delight"" she followed it up
He gave it quick look. Perhaps"
he said and turned short about to talk
to the man on the other SIDE a little
Chilean whom Miss Strathmore did not
like. They talked Spanish together,
and she could not understand. So she
ate her breakfast and wondered why
the Guatemalan should have objected
TO having his quotation finished out
Had she hit some nail too neatly on
the head? He had risked that. But he
knew BYRON apparently, and his Eng
lish had not so much as an accent. If
there was TO be any further conversa-
ton, it lay with him to begin il. He
did so presently, but he kept to gener-
alities and refused to be drawn out
about himself.
The captain was more communicative
on the subject later on. He belonged
to the general sea dog type. Better
make up to young Merida, Miss Eliza
BETH he advised, coming to a stop in
front of her steamer chair. He owns
about everything in sight over there"
His arm swept the view. of dense green
from the beach curve to the mountains
far away. Half Guatemala belongs
to his brother and him. The other
brother is married-to a Spanish prin-
cess, too-but he's not, and you'll do
the best two weeks work you ever did
in your life if you catch him between
here and Frisco bay"
The captain liked the topic evident
ly. He drew up stool and sat down
to pursue it further, growing from the
jocose to the serious.
He could recommend Matcho Merida.