Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-02-13
eHns.--anz
GfyssR@ a

if you are so disposed, you
NAV consider the subject OF
British rule on the one hand,
and the various aspects of the Chi
nese question on the other. 1t you
are student of languages you will
be able to hear half the tongues OF
the world spoken in less than an
hours walk. ranging, say from Paris
ian French to Pigeon English; you
shall make the acquaintance OF every
sort of smell the human nose can
manipulate, from the sweet perfume
of the lotus blossom to the diabolical
odor of the Durien; and every sort of
cooking from dainty vol-au-vent to
a stuffed rat. In the harbor the ship
ping is such as, | feel justified in say
ing, you would encounter in no other
port of its size in the world. 1t
comprises the stately man of war and
the Chinese junk; the P. and O., the
Messagerie Maritime, the British
India and the Dutch mail boat; the
homely sampan, the yacht of the
globe-trotting millionaire, the collier,
the timber ship, and in point of fact
every description of craft that plies
between the barbarian east and the
civilized west. The first glimpse Of
the harbor is one that will never be
forgotten; the last is usually associ-
ated with a desire that one may never
set eyes on it again. He who would,
of his own free will, settle down for
life in Singapore, must have acquired
~. =
sensibility of a frog.
Among its other advantages, Singa-
pore numbers the possession OF a null
tiplicity of hotels. There is stately
Raffies, where the globe trotters do
mostly take up their abode, also the
Hotel de pEurope, whose virtues I
can vouch for; but packed away in
another and very different portion of
the town, unknown to the wealthy
G. T., and indeed known to only few
OF the white inha bitants of Singapore
itself. there exists a small hostelry,
owned by a lynx-eyed Portuguese,
which rejoices in the name of the
Hotel of the Three Desires. Now,
every man, who by mischance or de-
liberate intent has entered it's doors,
has his own notions of the meaning
of its name; the fact, however, re-
mains that it is there, and that it is
regularly patronized by individuals
of a certain or uncertain class, as
they pass to and fro through the
gateway of the further east. This in
itself is strange, inasmuch as it is
said that the proprietor rakes in the
dollars by selling liquor that is as
that he may get back to Lisbon be-
fore he receives that threatened knife
thrust between the ribs which has
been promised him SO long. There
are times, as I am unfortunately able
to testify, when the latter possibility
is not so remote as might be expect
ed. Taken altogether, however, the
Hotel of the Three Desires is an ex-
cellent place to take up ones abode,
tracing too much attention in the
city. AS matter of fact, its patrons,
for some reason of their own, are
more en- evidence after nightfall than
during the hours of daylight. They
are also frugal of speech as rule,
and are chary of forming new ac-
quaintances. When they know each
other well, however, it is surprising
how affable they can become. 1t is
not the smallest of their peculiarities
that they seldom refer to absent
friends by their names. A will ask
B when he expects to hear from
Him, and c will inform d that ''the
old man is now running the show,
and that, if he doesn't jump from Cal
cutta inside week, there will be
trouble on the floor" Meanwhile the
landlord mixes the drinks with his
own dirty hands, and reflects con-
tinually upon the villainy of certain
American third mate, who, having
borrowed five dollars from him, was
sufficiently ungrateful as to catch
typhoid fever and die without either
repayng- the loan, or, what was
worse, settling his account for the
board and lodging received. Manuel,
for this was the proprietor's name
had one or two recollections of sim
liar sort, but not many, for as a rule,
he is careful fellow. and expert
ence having taught him the man
,ners and idiosyncrasies of his custom
ers, he generally managed to emerge
from his transactions with credit to
himself, and what was of much more
Importance, balance on the right
side of his ledger.
The time of which ! am now writ
Ing was the middle of March, the hot
test and, in every respect, the worst
month of the year in Singapore.
Day and night the land was oppressed
by the same sitting heat, swelter-
ing calidity possessing the character
istics of steam laundry, coupled
with those of the stokehole of an