Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-10
,;7"pyrlsht. 1904, by Claiming Pollock. }

quoth Elvarez. when you give it to me
you receive five thousand pesos"
Il have your promise in writing" / re-
sponded, tapping my coat pocket
Yours is in my desk said Elvarez.
Yes" l replied Il rather wish 1t
weren't"
l did. too. Five thousand pesos is not
much over twenty-five hundred dollars in
gold, and I had never before contracted
to sell anybody except myself. Beating Car
los Ezeta back from the walls of Santa
Anna, working ones way through the bush
, with detachment of farmers in the Trans
vaal, carrying messages from London to
nihilists in St. Petersburg-these were
tasks in which one earned ones pay by the
risk of ones neck and which were digni-
fled by that risk. But to sell woman's
reputation in order that the ha1f-black wife
of half-white executive might be moved
to interesting her friends against her hus-
band-faugh! My only excuse was that I'M
til that night Mrs. McLemore had been an
abstract. If / was to succeed in my mission
she must continue to be Job not wo-
man. 1 must forget the color of her hair
and the turn of her lips. 1 must, and
1 would.
II told YOU" Elvarez whispered In my
ear: See, she is giving him the packet!'
yes, replied. why doesn't she draw
her hand out of hs?"
why? Because she is
Il Know" l interrupted. You needn' t
take time to tell me about it. 1 want a
pass to get into the White House and the
fastest donkey to be had in the Plaza
EIvareZ stared at me admiringly a mo-
ment and then hurried away to get them.
II.
The White House at San Salvador looks
about as much like the White House at
Washington as st. Paurs Cathedral looks
like the Moulin Rouge 1t is the only brick
building in town, is low enough to resist
earthquakes and has two sentry boxes pro-
1ecting from Its facade like warts. A SOL
der clad only in cotton trousers and belt
from which hung his machete greeted me
with loud "Quien viva?'
Amigo" I replied swinging from my
mule.
He came down and looked at my pass. a.
proceeding which l endured without ner-
vousness because Elvarez had been the
presidents secretary long enough to have
mastered his handwriting.
Shall you want man with your" asked
the soldier.
No" replied. II know the room and I
shall be gone only long enough to get the
snuff box which his excellency requires"
BUT the snuff box Is in the vault"
nation
Central Americans respect "gringos" quite
as much as they hate them, and 1 passed
without further questioning Immediately
after crossing the threshold turned to the
right and entered Rivas' bed ROOM I had
no plans-1 never have-of what use are
pans " d uldu VINO must suit his structure
to whatever foundation opportunity offers?
/ knew that the president must bring the
packet to that apartment, and 1 hoped for
the rest
The room was brilliantly lighted when I
entered 1t. I stepped upon a chair and
cut the electric wires close to the low
ceiling. Then l sat down to wait in the
darkness. Two methods suggested them
selves to me as promising initial success.
1 chose the simpler Rivas probably would
come alone. since he would not want the
packet to be seen If he could help 1t, and
there was a good chance that he would
have the letters In his hand ready for the
big safe that had been placed in the wall
At the sound of his footsteps 1 had but to
plant myself near the door, seize whatever
he held as he entered, slip into the hall and
run as though the devil were after me-
/ have said the plan was simple; the
thing which frustrated 1t was simpler.
Rlvas had hardly set foot in the room when
he slammed the door shut and locked it. 1