The Minneapolis journal., 1904-12-31

When the consul $ wife proposed that
every one rise to sing "America,o [
rose and prepared to slip out Of the
room. To man with good ear for
music, and once upon a time, / studied
under Won Plachmann in Vienna-few
things are more dreadful than render,
ing of America" by an unframed
chorus Of Americans. It is seldom that
any one present knows much about
either the tune or the words, and in
Central America the English people on
ignorance to come out strong with <t God
Save the King National anthems
are an abomination, anyway. The
United States has five Of them, and yet
our troops entered Santiago to the
melody of GA Hot Time in Old Townl'
In the patiole found Elvarez. He
was smoking a brown paper cigarette
and directing a malignant gaze toward
Antonio Rivas, president Of the repub-
lie, who stood in the doorway watching
A1nerieans and English celebrate the
to read our Language only about year,
and think be had an idea that the oc-
:casion for the festivity was the ami
versary Of the defeat Of Sir Thomas
'sDo-ag onl'' exclaimed Elvarez, who
had a partiality for our expletives when
they were available. "He hasn't tax
en- his eyes from her a dozen times
: nWhy, edo-ag on him, thenqu In
quired. Ism It that precisely what you
want7 If / am not mistaken the whole
plan Of campaign rests upon our ability
to persuade Madame Rivas into an ex-
position Of the theory that hell hath
"You mistake,'' replied Elvarez.
sit is from Madame Rivas that he has
not taken his eyes. Oh, he is cunning
as monkey!'' -
can animal which he somewhat re-
"Friday at Acajutla he could not
pay enough attention to your little
friend from America. Tonight
Mrs. McLemore is no friend of
mine interrupted hotly. ~ do not
Mrs. MeLemore, walking out Of the
darkness, the sound of her footsteps
lost in the splash Of the fountain and
the medley Of ''America" and "God
."Caraccal'7 I observed blandly. I
always swear in Spanish, as I often talk
to women in Italian, because Of an in
finite sense Of propriety.-
..'To whom9' she asked, ignoring my
'.To his excellency, the PRESIDENT"
replied. "Senor ElVarez believes there
would be fortune in efecting an-an
arrangement.
1t was a bold thing to say, but the
husbandless American women one meets
south of: Mexico are not inclined to be
these two things-tRat the only way to
keep hidden sin in which one has
been caught is to confess a worse one,
and that no creature feminine really re-
sents what fatters her. 1t was mani
festly impossible to tell Mrs. McLemore
that I had undertaken the theft of let
ters which Elvarez had seen her re-
ceive from Rivas that very evening
Anything which might alarm her and
lead her to tax take the paGkket t. I9 fI1H
to my plans and to my financial pros
poets.
Elvarez came to time handsomely
"We thought, he explained, "that il
you would CONSENT
"senor! - she cried out, and I assure
you that the dignity and defiance il
her tone such that neither my
companion nor ! noticed the absurdltJ
Of her pronunciation. "Senor! You
call yourself a gentleman!''
1t stung like a whiplash the way
she said it. For the moment I coule
have loved her-at least, I could ha6
I not know Of the billet doux from tht
husband Of another woman. at that
instant burning the flesh at her throat
One thing is sure. Standing opposite
her, noting the flush on her cheel
and the angry sparkle Of her eye,
felt very sorry indeed that I had bar
gained to betray her. A man whe
lives on his wits often has occasion t.
wish that he were not so qulck-Wltted
"Senoral" =" returned Elvarez, his fac
scarlet with rage. eff a speech Ek.
mine angers you, why are you in Sal
"On business.
"Whose business ~
"Not yours, Senor-who-would-
president, nor yet yours, my friend tn
She turned and walked across tn
wide porch to the room which ha(
been allotted her in the Hotel Nuev
Mundo. It. was very near to the con
sul'g apartments, and when her, fee
and saw her. II shall be back in fv
minutes she said to him;
| = w udG uO you tu1uAS "AAop0Ao "
"That the letters are not in he
dress but in her room, and that sh
has gone to get them.'
"What are. you going to dos"
I "Nothing.'
"But, she suspects; she will retur:
the packet to the presidentl'
| "Exactly.O
~"Then / shall have lost the balanc
sof power and y9g will have lost COZ
r"No,o I replied, "I shall obtain tn
letters from the president"
Elvarez gasped.
1T am glad things have turned ou
no possible chance of getting the1
from her within the next few M
ments. It is always safer to fight me
than women, and, anyway, don
think I want to fight that woman"
I ct don't care how you steal th
bundle,' quoth .Elvarez. "When yo
give it to me you receive 5000 pesos.
~ have your promise in writing,'
Responded, tapping my coat pocket.
ssYour s. is in my desk,o said E
varez.
eyes 7 replied. ~ rather wish
weren IT," ,.,...5..
! I did, too. Five thousand pesos
1 not much over $4,000 in gold, and ha
1 never before contracted to sell any
i body except myself. Beating Carlo
4 Ezeta back from the walls of SAINT
i Anna, working one IS way thru the bus