Evening star., 1902-08-09
A VARIED CAREER
Life Story of Boyd of Ten
neSSee.
FOND OF TROUBLES
TOOK A HAND IN A SERIES OF
REVOLUTIONS.
Last Heard Of Him Was General in
the Colombian Army, With
Work to Taste.
FOND OF TROUBLES

though he owned half the world, or, at
least half of that in which You find him.
Nothing surprises him, nothing Is new, ana
as he meets You he, too, knows that you
are a fellow countryman, whether you nall
from Maine or California, and his greeting
is that of the wholesouled, careless fellow
that he Is. He does not weep over you ike
the sentimental Frenchman and call you
brother. nor does he want your card and
letters OF introduction like the Englishman,
but he welcomes ou with a careless ia
miIiarity as though he had known you all
his life.
Such an American was Boyd He was
thin. swarthy man, with deep-set gray
eyes. peering from beneath a broad-brnm-
med sombrero. I ran up against MIN on
nv way over the Cordileras- He was oosS
teamster of a mule train of carts taxing
coffee down to the coast. He sat aStr:de
slick mouse-cOl0red mule. long slX-shoot-
or dangling at his hip with He4io IN
the careless vernacular of the coWpqy. ne
wanted to know from what part OF Inc
warm regions | hailed from. he taxing II
for granted. I suppose. that l had come
from a much warmer place than We were IN.
..Hn ho,'' he calculated when I told him,
''you come from New York, do you: We
heard of that place. Pete comes from Jap
that way. too-Pete. the blachSinlth' VINO VINO
shoes my mules over there at Cobon. tie
calls the place Hoboken. / don Know
much about that country because IA from
Tennessee: came down to Texas When
was T. Kid. Got tired Of that place and come
down here through old Mexico.
Perhaps he recognized in me the wander
er and vagabond like himself. He invited
me to camp with him by the ROADSIDE III
the uoOndav shade and he divided with me
his strip of jerked beef and pot of coffee
We were friends right away, and with the
coffee he became talkative-
I'm getting Sired of driving mules, ne
said confdentiaIly. 'I am going into poll
tics I'm not like Pete, who's satisfied to
shoe mules all his life; the ambition has all
oozed out of him with the rum he has been
a-drinkin'.
'Now politics in this country are Kind O
curious affairs" he went on to explain
'there's never but one party at time, or
nj least YOU never can find more than one
party at time. an that's the party in Of
flee. When they find the other party they
usually put him in Jail. or shoot holes in
him OF course. they have elections once in
n while. but the feller wins who has the
most guns.
..Thev're going to have an election now
pretty soon, an I have got on the inside
of the whole thing. l have found a little
major that's agin the government. an he
wants feller Just like me to help him. He
has promised to make colonel of me, an
We are going to have an election on our
own hook
The next time I saw Boyd it was in the
little interior city Of SaIama. The effects of
an attack of coast fever took me there.
OFF for the Fun.
Boyd came along mounted on a spirited
dapple gray. He said he was done with
mules and mule carts, and that he was
bound for the election. Il guess it's gon'
T. be rip roaring affair" said he, land
mules are no good for the business. I'm
gOin' [ join the Major; you'll know him
when You see him. for he's pockmarked
ans tn color of tanned buffalo hide; but
he's all right. He goin' { be minister of
nj a hsa Cd ct ma
stretched out under Fosforito's corridor
,"sorry you can't come along; he'd make
colonel Of you too With parting
adOs he threw himself upon the dapple
gray and rode of like a wild cossack.
After he had gone I hired a house from
old Don SinforsO. a house that must have
belonged to some old Spanish grandee. and
was just as he left it, with a pair of eie-
giant tall vases in the principal room,
brought by the Spaniards when they car
ried on their trade between Mexico and
the Philippines; and there were straight
backed chairs, very sombre, and various
mezZotints the wall of Cortez treating
with the Indians. the Painting Of EsIner-
aida, whoever she might be and others
many gems OF art to the connoisseur. All
this elegance l got for few dollars a
month, and the balmy air Of the eternal
summer worked cure upon nv rniasnq4tic
poisoned system.
There was little doing there. Every Sun
day morning at the bugle call and drum
beat. the soldiers assembled in the plaza
1OE lutE weekly CrliI. The two batfaI-
ions IN red bombazine uniforms peaked
caps and cOwhide sandals with leather
DeIts and shoulder straps like harnesses
presented martial appearance as with
thelr long rifles aslant and to the sound
OF the bugles and drums they marched
out OF the city on to the plain to drill and
maneuver- But one morning shortly after
Boyd had gone to Join his little major Who
was going to make him a colonel, the two
back Iaine
Instead Of marching to their usual parade
ground they We're taken away over the
long. dusty road which crosses the plain
ana winds up over the mountain, without
ever a chance of saying a good-bye TO their
sns. NC ana. ana sweethearts We knew then that
something was up. and the old men, women
ana girls left behind said one to the other
"A TeVolution And then rumors began to
ny thick and fast and with becoming unre-
liability. N'''
They said the revolution had started in
the Oriente. Now battle lad been fought
and then. In cautious whispers. the presf-
dent had been killed. The old captain left
with his half dozen regulars 10 GARRISON
the city. shook his head gravely and re-
fused 10 answer questions. The alcaIda
conversed only with his most intimate
friends and then, in a low tone, with fur
tive glances. as though fearful of being
overheard The Indications were that il
was going well with the revolution. 1 knew
Boyd was In II, and ! reflected 'Boyd VIII
get his colonelcy and the pockmarked major
Will be minister of war"
He Saw It ALL
Just as the good people of SaIana were
settling down to the conviction that a
change Of government was the thing most
needed and wondering why they had not
thought of 1t before in the midst Of the
midday tranquility, when the hot sun
sends everybody into the shade for rest the
little city was startled by a blare Of bugles
and roll Of drums bursting upon the stiu
air, and back Into the city came our two
battalions as suddenly as they went a long
weary. dust-covered column, marching
straight to the plaza. There lined up, list
ieSsly they heard the reading of a procIa
nation euIogtzing them for their bravery
and victory gained. while their mothers and
sisters. with anxious faces, gathered about
They shouted. Long live the president
and death to all traitors!" The cry taken
up by the soldiers was prolonged by the
popuiace. and after they had shouted them
selves hoarss the soldiers were allowed to
stack their guns and go home.
Then II is all over with Boyd" I re-
fected. The revolution has been success
fully mt hat ,ba.