Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-25

his way out to Mexico to take charge of
the machinery on sugar plantation. He
was thick. stocky man. with close-crop-
ped hair and wore heavy-lensed glasses.
He had very hearty laugh and voice.
Some of his droll stories, told in his
full. After that we were together once or
twice every day during the remainder of
the voyage.
The morning we reached Havana 1 had
a genuine surprise. / had been notified by
my steward that we were about to pass
Moro Castle. and hurried up on deck
We were just passing the picturesque
point. barely stones throw away when
/ reached the rail. I was so intent on
the grim rocks and frowning fortress that
I was barely aware of feminine pres
ence at my side until as we drew farther
into the harbor / turned and was as
founded to see within arm s length of me
the girl who had been at Brown Broth
erS.
She wore a dressing jacket. so hastily
had she left her stateroom. and by that
same skirt and neat boots l identified her
instantly as the woman with the brown
VEIL There were several other women on
deck. and at least two of them had
brown wells. so my second thought was
that there was no significance in this en-
counter She perceived my surprise. and
il amused her so greatly that she could
not refrain from smiling. very little
with her lips and a very great deal with
her ewes Looking aft l saw the Swedish
engineer contemplating the two OF US
with broad grin.
1t is fortunate that the capture of
Havana was avoided in the Spanish
American war. said the voice of the sec
ond officer behind us.
Yes. II would have been difficult for
the Americans and would have destroyed
MANY beautiful things about the harbor
mouth" she answered in an enchanting
voice. with touch of foreign accent.
Then l made some trivial remark and
we chatted until the first breakfast bell,
when seemed to remember the COM
pletion of her toilet. and with a slight
rise of color turned and went below.
In the next two minutes l had ascer-
tanned that she was booked as Fri Mar
gretta Won Schierbrand. was travelling
with a maid and had the same steward
as /. i called my steward into my
stateroom and elected the information
that. though she had not been ILL., she
had remained very close in her state
room and had had all her meals there.
When she had gone on deck il was al
ways with veil.
"A brown veil?" l asked
Yes, brown one" said the steward.
and then added with bit of twinkle In
his eye: Yes. and, If / may say it,
LINK she mas an eye on you. 100, SIT.
| rewarded the fellow for his impu-
dence and went to my breakfast. She
was in the saloon for the first time and
never missed meal thereafter.
When the steamer touched at Progresso
she received two cablegrams as the
steward informed me- and beyond two
lnconsequeatial conversations with her.
merely such as travelling acquaintance
have. nothing happened until we arrived
in Vera Cruz / was close behind her
when g lef no shin J,xaI = he
new pier TO the custom house. but there
/ stuck. and by some magic means she
was promptly passed through with her
French maid and was gone l had also
hoped 10 see the Swedish engineer to ex-
change addresses with him. and. If he
was going to stop in Vera Cruz to ar
range TO go TO the same hotel. for he
appeared to be a man of fine qualities
and rare companionablity
When | arrived at the hotel | walked
into the despacho. scrubbed my name
and looked for Rands name or Rand's
handwriting in the list. thinking he
might have come overland by rail from
New York and arrived before me, as one
can do. but he was not there
When the manager saw my name he
smiled and said:
Your room has been engaged for Won
by friend. No. 30 1t is
Greatly puzzled / went up at once. and
the instant l entered | saw lying under
the mirror an envelope with my name
written OH 1t in Rand's hand Tearing
II open. / found 1t was Gen. Gonzales
letter. sent TO him on the steamer He
was in Vera Cruz He had got 1t, opened