The St. Johns herald., 1902-02-01
ON THE THROW OF THE KNIFE.

SN Y all the laws of the true TO-
 IN nance she should have felt, upon
 opening her eyes, premonition that this was to be day of destiny. But she merely felt that the engines had stopped, that the ship was at an chor, and that, therefore, 1t was moist ly, insufferably warm. The curtains across the state room 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, Q tropic shower. The clouds were lifting away. They were massed in white and gold behind the two volcano peaks that had sent forth the one fire, the other water, in their time. And the peaks themselves were side by side, two cones of the glowing pink.
 They were miles inland, many miles, and the thick, lush tropic green was between, reaching to the curve of the sand. There were 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 were no craft in sight. save row boat or two drawn up on the sand, and one that was starting out from the pier across the faint blue wa ter that showed back the clouds of white and gold. The wake and the oars glistened in the new sunlight.
 The girl leaned her bare arms on the sill and stood looking out. She had seen many beautiful things in her life, but never so lovely as the coast and volcano peaks of San Jose de Guate- mala at the break of day.
 The row boat 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 aft or amldships, but when she was for ward of the bridge she saw some one standing near the bow. He was new passenger. He turned and looked at her.
 There was a 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 ently the purser joined him, and he stood talking, his hands jammed 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 moth CT accurately, nevertheless.
 He's the only Latin ever saw who looked as though he could do things and not talk about 1t afterwards. His skin is very white and his hair is very black. His nose is big and his jaw shuts hard. And, moreover-though his eyes are brown, they are neither spark ling 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 delightT" she followed 1t up.
 He gave her quick look. Perhaps" !" he said, and turned short about to talk to the man at the other side, little Chilian 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 his Byron, apparently, and his English had not so much as an accent If there was to be any further conver- sation, 1t lay with him to begin 1t. He did so presently, but he kept to general ities 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 Elizabeth" :" he advised, coming to stop in front of her steamer chair; "he owns about ev- erything 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 brother is married-to a Spanish princess, 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, evidently. He drew up stool and sat down to pur- sue it further, growing from the jocose to the serious.
 He could recommend Matcho Merida. He wasn't like the rest of these Black andTans.
 He's made this trip with me six times now, and I've watched him close. He don't go in for the things that most of his breed do-cards and women and wine." Miss Strathmore thought of her quotation) "We get the chance to see things on these ships, you bet, but I've never seen Merida do a fool thing yet. It may be because he's been to school in England, and runs the New York end of affairs for their fincas, but why ever it is, it's so. And edicatedr he added, awe-inspiredly, "why, that