The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-01-06
CHAPTER III.
INTRODUCES MISS LAURA sLApE.

II white man in West African fac
tory volunteers details of his previous
history, all hearers are quite at liberty
to believe or disbelieve, suits their
whim: but IT, on the other hand. no
word about previous record is offered.
Coast etiquette strictly rules that none
shall be asked for.
George Carter found even upon the sur
face of his superior officer at MALTA Nulla
factory much that was mysterious. There
were moments when Mr. Smith exhibited
an unmistakable gentilty; but these were
rare; and they usually occurred when the
pair of them lunched en- tete-a-tete at II
O'Clock. and Smith had worked off his
morning quaim, and had not commenced
his afternoon rcfreshment. With larger
audience he was one part cynic and six
parts ruffian: he was admitted to be the
most skilful compounder of cocktails on
all that section of the West African sea-
board; and he sampled his own brews in
such quantities. and with such impunity,
as gave the lie to all textbooks on topical
medicine.
His head was bald, and the gray hair on
his face and above his ears was either
as short as clippers could make It,, or
else bristed with two weeks growth.
Day and night he wore more or less
shrunken pyjamas, from the neck but
tonhole of which a single eyeglass dangled
at the end of a piece Of new black silk
ribbon. Carter guessed his age as some
where between fifty and ffty-fve, and
wondered why on earth Messrs. O'Neill
and Craven kept such a disreputable old
person as the head of what might have
been very prosperous factory.
Indeed theories on this very point were
already lodged in the older mans brain.
Its this new partner, X. O'Neill, that
don't like the sound Of" he explained
to Carter one day. by the way who is
hep"
Don't know. AS told you was stay
ing with my father at the vicarage, and
I was engaged by wire the day before
the M'poso sailed, and only caught her
by the skin of my teeth. There was no.
body there to see me Off and on the
boat all they could tell me was that
X came into the business when the
late head died.
"Old Godfrey. that was" Swizzle-Stick
Smith sighed-"poor old Godfrey O'Nell!
He was one of the best fellows going
in the old days, not q bit like the usual
cut of palm-oil ruffian as we used to call
the traders then. And, my God to think
of my coming down to the grade of one OF
them myself.
Again the subject cropped up when ono
of their rare mails came in. HERE'S
eNpense!" grumbled Swizzle-Stick Smith.
Letters landed at our Monk River fac
tory. and sent on to Mulla-Nulla by spe-
cial runner. X. ONcill's orders, the Monk
River agent says. In the old days you
could always bet on the beach being
too bad for tbs steamer to call twice
out of three tmc'. and you weren't pes
tered with n mnil more than once in six
months. That's mainly why I've stuck by
O'Neill and Craven all these years. Now
this new man wants our output of kerr
ncls to be doubled by this time next
year. and hopes I'll take steps to work
up the rubber connection If can't see
my way to do all this will 1 kindly
give my reasons in writing, and if neces-
sary forward same by runner to steam