The Savannah morning news., 1904-03-20

after, and I started for Bucksport like
shot out of a gun. / tell you, Cap
tain, it was a real happiness TO get
down to business again; for when the
Lord made me He made a bue.ness
man and stopped right there without
putting on any extra trimmings.
Things went along pretty well until
one day I got a letter from Birdsfoot
calling me to Washington. hal been
figuring on a coal contract for sol
diers' home up our way, so / Thought
IL was that / was wanted for, ana
took Julia along for a little change.
Birdsfoot met me at the hotel and sald
he'd be glad to take me around to the
White House and introduce me TO the
President. So we went around TO-
gether and the President was very
nice. said that Mr.. Birdsroot nau
spoken to him about me and asked IL
1 would consider an appointment as
minister to San Jose.
"If I hadn't been through all l had
would have said No, thank you,
then and there, but instead l thanked
him and asked for a day to consider.
Then 1 went back and Joined Julia at
the hotel.
II rather think it won't take you
long, from what have told you of Ju-
lia's ambitions, to guess what she said.
But the outcome was that / managed
to make a compromise. / agreed with
Julia that I'd take the Job and she
agreed that she'd let me resign In two
months.
Mrs. Goodspeed is back in Bucks
mort. She's having a dress made for
a fancy ball she's going to give the
week after 1 get back; and with her
dress, which will lay over anything
Bucksport ever saw, added to the fact
that she Is the wife of retired diplo-
mat, she calculates Mrs. Haswith's
blowouts will look pretty small. And
the best Of all is that two months
from to-day I will be a free man, for
Julia has solemnly promised that
she'll let me off or politics after this"
The captain rose as Mr.. Goodspeed
stopped speaking. The Burlington had
been making good headway and the
whitewashed houses of a little town
could be distinguished peering out
from under some palm trees Over
hanging the town great mountain
doomed up. covered from base to sum-
NIT with luxdriant green. A faint,
indescribable smell OF tropical flowers
blown by the summer breeze filled the
air. Crowds of men, women and chill
dren were gathered on the white sand
talking and gesticulating, their voices
lulled by the distance reaching the
Burlington in a subdued murmur.
But 1t was not Of any Of these things
that the captain thought. He had his
glasses leveled at a little mud fort
perched like a sandpiper on hillock
to one side, and adding, by it's absurd
appearance of weakness, the one touch
needed to make up an ideal scene for a
comic opera. The captain studied the
flag over the fort for a while. referred
to a large, fat book lying before him,
and then studied the flag again. 1T
isn't here" he finally said. After all,
It's only what one ought to expect in
this God forsaken part OF the world"
A strange feeling Of bewilderment
Icame over Mr. Goodspeed. What
isn't there?" he asked.
"The flag" the captain answered
There's been another revolution,
guess. They have them about twice a
year down here, and every time the
new administration has its peculiar
idea Of what national flag should
look like"
Mr. Godspeed thought a moment
How will that affect me, Captain"
he asked.
well, as you say you are accredited
10 the government Of President Miguel
IIcrez, and he II evidently not doing
business. Il will affect you this way:
The papers you have from the State
apartment aren't worth the ink
they're written with. I'm sorry. Mr..
Goodspeed. sorry for your wife's dis
appointment: but unless you want 20
land az a private citizen III have 70
take you back 20 the states. There's
no cable communication here, and as
soon az ! land 10 verify things the Bur
llngfOn viii start back 90 report. Want
20 20 ashore with me7"
NO, I thank you. I've played nn
honest game with Julia. bat N suck 3
playing ny wa ! rather think the
BuFAngtQa = a0oa enough fof me va.