Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1903-08-12
THE WORLD is SMALL.
Two Men: Who Kept Running Across
Each Other Think So.

/ Each Other Think SO.
"The extreme diminutiveness OF the
worldHis thing that has often sur
prised me during the quarter of a cen.
tury that have been going up and
down the worlI," said Frank M. Pan
coast o travelling man whose terri
tory is. the entire globe, for he sells
bridges and trestles and structural
steel. "Chancing in many different
parts Of the earth upon people I never
expected to see more than once is an
experience have had so often that 1t
has served to shrivel my world into
an exceedingly contracted affair.
HFors example, four years ago voy-
aged up the West Coast from La Liber
tad, oni.a coffee freighter. The only
other passenger on the steamer be-
sides. myself was a planter from
Guatemala middle aged Central
American aud very accomplished and
entertaining man. We smoke, halkcd,
played cards, and ate and drank in
cath others company all the way up
to San Francisco, and enjoyed the
trip thoroughly. He told me that he
was starting out on little tour oil
pleasure, but diL not mention where
he was going. We parted at the Pal
ace hotel in San Francisco with mu-
tual regret.
II made q straight jump for New
York. A week after got there went
down to the beach one evening for
some air and mu3ic. was taking
bite alone en- the hotel veranda when
who should come strolling up to my
tab1elMitliia smile and his eternal yel-
low Cigarette but my Guatemalan
trend. .s4sI was glad to see him. He
:bade me adios in New York in the
lnorni saying that he was going to
take 'astean;er that game day. So was
L In the afternoon, when went aboard
..crs5 {lysston steamer, bumpcda
of grips against man m ducK
su hd a pith helmet who was
std ing at the starboari rail smoking
a yellow cigarette. turned to apol.
ogize, and my friend from Guatemala
smiled at me in his beard,
1--WE had pretty good time together
on the eight:Gay run to Galveston, and
put up in adjoining rooms at the Beach
Hotel, outside the city, which has since
been destroyed by fire. finished my
business in Galveston In day, and
then, with the Central American, had
week of rest and run on the gulf sands
and in the city. Then my concern sum-
moned me back to New York, and once
more, after mutual exchanfe of re-
grets. we separated A while after
my return to New York q relative of
mine, young fellow from the western
part of New York state, turned up,
and showed him about the town a bit.
among the restaurants we visited
was Chinese place in Mott street,
where We had one of those weird chop
stick feeds. We hadn't more than be.
gun before my friend from Central
America strolled In and greeted me
Just as If we had made an appointment
to meet each other at the Chinese res
taurant that evening. When left him
at his uptown hotel at Midnight fig
urea that the chances of my running
across him again were pretty slim, for
1 vas booked for a trip to Japan, on a
trestle-selling expedition, within q
week or so, and the Guatemalian told
me that he himself was off on long
journey, although he didn't mention
whittier that journey was going to
take him. Again, it was adios. A
month later / was writing my name on
the register of the Grand Hotel in
Yokohama when felt touch on the
shoulder. turned about and looked
In the placid blackbearded phiz of my
Guatelmalian planter-he had taken
mother route for 1t, but was just get
ing in, nevertheless. | haven't run
across him since I left Japan On that
trip. butiI wouldn't be surprised to
meet up with him on Pennsylvania
avenue this evening. 1t is such ex-
periences as these that have caused
me to lose my once profound impress
sion of the vastness of the world. -
Washington Post.