Arizona republican., 1903-02-22
sTRAYs IN THE PHILIPPINES
The Flotsam and Jetsam OF Humanity
Found in the Far East.

IN city II
1t is about the hottest place in the
world to carry on a conversation. that
corner of Gale Serrano and Carlos l, in
the very ancient town of Cebu. The
sun beats straight down IN May, and
there is never a breath of the northern
monsoon that reaches there over the
lofty. barren hills nor through the tor
tuous northern channel. But the min
ute my eyes found who it was that was
addressing me L thought only of clear
ing up mystery. He might be taken
anywhere for an Englishman down on
his luck or perhaps some of the civil
ians who get sent out this way once
in a while Tall, gaunt and bearded, |
the pipe in his mouth, told plainly that |
he was none of the Latins that built |
the city. Moreover pair of we'll |
checked golf trousers with blue stock |
ings tied about just below the knee |
was enough to mark him as a charac- !
ter seldom at 7east to be met in this |
land of the billowy garment.
| A close look helped to make the mys-
| terry still more interesting. How did |
such Il nose lead its owner into any
| such place as the Young Mems Chris |
| tan association with all its liberalness |
and wide stretching beneficence in this
| land of the forgotten and reckless? l
was very sorry to be obliged to disown
any knowledge of the status of Masons
| in the city, but not disinclined to eX-
| change a few remarks as to occupa-
lions and possibilities. Whenever
! there is a queer stick turns up in 4
/ garb somewhat different from that of
the usual run you can ask, Are you a
school teacher" No, he was not. He
did not know enough Spanish. He
would be willing to take any sort of a
clerical job or would drive a team for
the government but he was afraid that
the mules would upset him and the
wagon.
! But it's poor countr-r-ee," he
went on. why, a man has to work
like anybody else here. All, Shanghai
is the place. There the white man only
bosses the natives. But here 1 am a
Mason, and stranded. You see I came
over from Scotland many years ago
and clerked it in banks in Chicago and
some other cities in the west, and
then l went sealing, and then l came
here to go to mining, and find now that
to get my capital L must sell consid-
cradle property in the old country, and
that needs time to send the papers over
and get the money. and now if I can
oiiS Sel away NIel away anywhere.
And the Masons here, Why, do you
know, L went into the office of one of
them the other day and merely asked
Tor enough to pay passage away or
enough to keep me Tor a while here
and he said that he would consult some
one else. and after while he came
and gave me a dollar and said There
now, don't drink that. They're very
funny MaSOnS here
l consoled him with a story of a.
Mason up in Alaska. who got down
strapped tight and was helped by a
fellow Mason of influence by q present
of a Job at holding down telephone
station. fifty miles from nowhere. at
$50 month and buy his own grub.
: AT any rate l was not a Mason. and
also little hard down on the soft part
OF my footgear as well. ITO tell the
truth, was my consolation. you can
live here easier and cheaper than you
can in any other place 1 know Of
You're right. The natives are as
KIND as they can be. Why. the man
I'VE with now is kind, but they eat
such poor food and so little of it that
am often half starved when 1 get
through with meal. But still the wo-
man always sends out for cigars after
dinner. She thinks a pipe is low. v
know
After that it was some time before 1
got sight of him. This time it was in
wayside billiard parlor, frequented
by those who are not so fortunate as to
have the right to sign checks for
Scotch and soda in the United Service
club. There he was tucked up in a
corner under an evil smelling swing
ing lamp, reading. Soon he got up,
pulled himself together, and trolled off
: with a we'll dressed Filipino for a
nights lodging.
Shortly thereafter an opportune
check put trip to Japan in view, and
it was we'll along in July when Cebu
hove into sight again. MacD. was still
there. But the golf trousers hung more
loosely, the pipe afforded but a dry
smoke, but the man was as cheerful
as ever. He was found one night in a
little shack where we used to go to
chatter our mixture OF English, Span
ish and Visayan with Constellation, he
was ready to do the honors, but in his
words: Gentlemen, l never drink beer
and cannot offer you that beverage.
But if you wish, join me in a glass of
this native wine. 1 find it excellent"
1t is excellent-if there is nothing else.
hospitality, while ordering him little
whiskey. This time it was Singapore
that held his love. of all the towns
of the orient he sang, that's the
best. Why, all you need is an intro
ducton and for six months you can
live as we'll as any one
Poor MacD. Like many another
1 rousta bout in the orient he was marked
e for the cholera, and his bones now lie
q far from the fumes of Aud Reekie."
4 Many are the queer personages that
one can see in a journey through the
l islands. And MacD. was but one OF
e the many. In Japan, one fair day, in
g the midst of the clamor OF the "riksha "
e boys for a fare, came a voice as famil-
:. lar as the little eddies from the stream
~ of life along the busy streets of New
q York. Say, can ye give me a stake
4 for a drink? A drink costs quarter
: here" And we turned around to fine
as typical a specimen of easy living
c as is seen on any coal-carrying rail-
Il road in the states. His hat was OF
= American manufacture and his clothes