The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-01-10


City of San Pablo. George Flu
4 gard and Percy Hodgson. were
celebrating Christmas Eve of the
year 1Ss- in the principal building of
the city. The native population, rural
police, custom house official, postmas-
ter and representative of the Mexican
government had already celebrated. and
lay drunk and asleep in the only other
building visible in the city, hugging an
empty spirit bottle TO his breast.
The lamp was lit in the room where
the two men sat. and two old blankets
had been carefully fastened over the
blindless windows with the evident in
tent to exclude the sunlight which still
shone outside, and the desolate land
scape which IL revealed, and substitute
in their stead an attempt OF artificial
Christmas cheerfulness. To judge from
the silence and detected expression Of
the men as they sat smoking and drink
ing, the attempt was hopeless failure.
The room was a large one. It's con-
tents were numerous. miscellaneous,
and in chaotic confusion. the only ar
ticles clearly definable being the COM
mon chairs on which the men were sit
ting, the. bare pinewood table on which
the lamp. bottles and glasses rested. a
camp bed in one corner, from which the
blankets had been hastily pulled to cover
the windows. and two gayly colored
Autographed maps on the wall The
other miscellany piled about the floor in
all directions was only a confused en-
tangled tumble OF things abandoned and
cast aside, vaguely suggestive of sur
veying, farming, mining, colonization.
Incapable of segregation and mutely
telling of impracticability and failure.
The two bright spots in this comfort
less room were the maps on the wall.
They were very attractive. especially the
larger one, with its deliberately flour
ished and decorated title. The City of
San Pablo. Property of the AnglO-Mexi-
can Happy Land Company" This map
was indeed work of art; a beautiful
plan OF a huge and prosperous city. with
churches, banks. schools. parks. plazas
boulevards; mighty pier and a harbor
thronged with vessels and surrounded
by smoking factories. The crudely print
ed words. Percy Hodgson, agent. -
which had been stamped in one corner
of this map by an unappreciative hand
were the only blemish on its otherwise
perfect surface.
The other map. though nearly as large
was drawn on a much smaller scale
and the City of San Pablo only occu
pied an eighth of a square inch on it
southern border; while near the north.
ern border. and calculating by the scale
some hundred miles away. lay another
city. San Pedro. by name and between
these two points lay a country of ap
parently surprising richness.
We'll young un. who are you muir
dering?" 1t was the elder of the mel
who broke the silence
I'm going to cut this. George. Dom
care If never get a cent. Can't stan,
It, BY the way. have wished you
merry Christmss7"
STOW it. viii you? What's the mat
ter with your lamp7 Believe it's go
the malarial jim-jams. like poor oil,
Earl"
What do you mean? What's wron
with Eari7''
''Oh, nothing. Didn't I tell you? In
dian swine came into store today. Sal
there was something wrong UP there
Toiled up to his patch this Afternoon
Found he'd shot himself by accident be
cause he was too doocid happy. That
all We've got a Christmas buryin
party on for tomorrow. young 'un."
Have you told Sanchez"
mo. Found him lying drunk in hi
room when I got back. Been ceIebrat
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