Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1906-09-20

" LdtIOnS the TeSIUEeu government cOulG
NOS be held responsible for this occur
renee. l know as little about the law of
nations as the President himself, but |
felt quite sure that whatever that ex-
allied code might say, none of that money
would ever find its way back to the d.
rectors' pockets. In this matter | must
say his excellency behaved to me with
scrupulous consideration; not a word
passed his lips about the second loan,
about that unlucky cable, or any other
dealings with the money. For all he
said, my account of the matter, posted
TO the directors Immediately after my de-
parture, stood unimpeached
The directors, however, took a view
opposed to his excellency's, and relations
became so strained that they were con-
templating the withdrawal of their bust
ness from Nottingham altogether, when
events occurred which modified their &C
ton. Before | lay down my pen | must
give some account of these matters, and
| cannot do SO better than by inserting a
letter which | had the honor TO receive
from his excellency, some two years after
| last saw him. | had obeyed his wish
in communicating my address to him, but
up to this time had received only a short
but friendly note, acquainting me with the
fact of his marriage to the Signorina, and
expressing good wishes for my welfare in
my new sphere of action. The matters
to which the President refers became to
some extent public property soon after
ward, but certain other terms of the ar
rangement are now given TO the world for
the first time
The letter ran as follows:
My Dear Martin-As an old inhabit-
ant of Aureataland, you will be inter
ested in the news | nave to tell you.
| also take pleasure in hoping that, in
spite of bygone differences, your friendly
feelings toward myself will make you
glad 10 hear news of my fortunes.
You are no doubt acquainted generally
with the course of events here since you
left us As regards private friends,
have not indeed much to tell you. You
will not be surprised to learn that Johnny
Carr has done the most sensible thing he
ever did in his life in making Donna
Antonio his wife. She is a thoroughly
good girl, although she seems to have
very foolish prejudice against Christina.
l was able to assist the young peoples
plans by the gift of the late Colonel Nc
Gregor's estates, which under our law
passed to the Head of the State on that
gentleman's execution for high treason.
You will be amused to hear of another
marriage in our circle. The doctor and
Madame Devarges have made a match OF
it. and society rejoices to think it has
now heard the last of the late monsieur
and his patriotic sufferings Jones, [
suppose you know, left US about year
ago The poor old fellow never recovered
from his fright on that night, to say
nothing of the cold he caught in YOUR
draughty coal-cellar, where he took ref
uge The bank relieved him in response
to his urgent petitions, and they've sent
us a young Puritan, TO whom it would be
quite in vain to apply for a timely little
loan.
Il wish / could give you as satisfactory
an account of public affairs. You were
more or less behind the scenes over here
so you know that to keep the machine go
ing is by no means an easy task. / have
kept it going single-handed, for fifteen
years, and though it's the custom to call
me a mere adyenturer, upon my word
think I've given them a pretty decent gov
eminent But I've had enough of it by
now. The fact is, my dear Martin, I'm
not so young as l was. In years FIN not
much past middle age, but l shouldn't be
surprised if old Marcus Whittingham's
lease was pretty nearly up. At any rate,
my only chance, so Anderson tells me- is
to get rest, and I'm going to give my
self that chance. [ had thought at first
of trying to find a successor, and
thought of you. But. while l was con-
sidering this, | received confidential pro-
posal from the old government. They
were very anxious to get back their prov
ince at the same time, they were not at
all anxious to try conclusions with me
again. In short, they offered, if Aureata-
land would come back, a guarantee of To-
cal autonomy and full freedom; they
would take on themselves the burden of
the debt, and last but not least, they
would offer the present President of the
Republic a compensation of 100000.
Il have not yet finally accepted the
offer, but | am going to do so-obtain-
ing, as a matter of form, the sanction of
the Assembly. l have made them double
their offer to me, but in the public docu-
ments the money is to stand at the orig
inal figure. This recognition of my SER
vices, together with my little savings, will
make me pretty comfortable in my old
age, and leave competence for my
widow Aureataland has had a run
alone; if there had been any grit in the
people they would have made nation of
themselves. There isn't any, and I'm not
going to slave myself for them any Longer.
No doubt they'll be very well treated, and
to tell the truth, 1 don't much care if
they aren't. After alb they're a mongrel
lot
Il know you'll be pleased to hear of
this arrangement, as it gives your old
masters better chance of getting their
money, for, between ourselves, they'd new
or have got it out of me. At the risk
of shocking your feelings 1 must confess
that your revolution only postponed the
day of reputation.
Il hoped to have asked you some day
to rejoin us here As matters stand.
am more likely to come and find you; for,
when released, Christina and l are going
to bend our steps to the States. And we
hope to come soon. There's a little diff
Guilty outstanding about the terms on
which the Golden House and my other
property are to pass to the new govern
ment; this l hope to compromise By abat-
ing half my claim in private and giving
it all up in public. Also | have had to
bargain for the recognition of Johnny
Carr's rights TO the Colonies goods When
all this is settled there will be nothing to
keep me, and l shall leave here without
much reluctance. The first man l shall
come to see will be you. The truth is,
my boy. I'm not the man l was. I've put
too much steam on all my life. and 1 must
pull up now, or the boiler will burst.
Christina sends her love. She is as
anxious to see you as l am. But you
must wait till l am dead to make love to
her. Ever your sincere friend
MARCUS W. WHITINGHAM."
As | write, I hear that the arrange
ment is TO be carried out. So ends Au-
reataland's brief history as a nation: so
ends the story of her national debt, more
happily than | ever thought it would. l
confess to a tender recollection of the
sunny. cheerful, lazy. dishonest little
place, where l spent four such eventful
years. Perhaps l love it because my rc-