Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-21

And when you sat out SO late felt sure
| that he would"
II didn't let him.
why. Mab?" Like a good sister-in,
law. Mrs Fleming wished to see Maoei
comfortably settled. Il should have i'm
jumped up. Good graious! What's
| that?' 49,.
| 4 shout. long loud. raucous. came noat-
ing over from the galera, and as the two
stood staring at each otneI 1aSnson
turned the corner. Flushed. Greatness
an uneasy smile accentuated the ner-
yousness it was intended to conceal.
! 'Mutiny-" he exclaimed. IT'S the new
batch that Fleming sent down from vera
Cruz, Cabos and mandador nave taken
! to tho jungle! Come, we musl eaeopo "
Las Glorias!'
And leave the plantation without
white MANI Mrs. Fleming looked her
| surprise. At this season the rubber was
brush. weeds. the jungle growth OF
| season a match. and two hunoreu
thousand dollars investment would go
up in smoke.
mo" she finished: II will stay.
"Rut they are drunk-and-armed! ne
! stammered.
Drunk? How did they get the liquor?''
.rwel1-you-see-" He hemmed. hawed.
stammered. then under tie urge OF his
fr;gbt confessed his cowardly folly.
Thinking to placate the mutiners. he had
| ordered aeuardiente to be served. ana
| they were armed with the machetes. the
| yard-long knives used in clearing Jungle
why didn't you collect them up?' she
demanded. a. - ,o,.
| "What?" he grasped. 90 ln-aihohe
| them"
Eyes; Jack would have done it,
AS she stood. puckering her brow IN
angry perpleixty. the uproar grew in rau-
cous volume. At the bawl of one drunk
en- voice she shuddered. remembering
thankfully that Mabel did not understand
Spanish. There was room here. ample
room. for one of those mast! tropical
reading in northern papers. But the
plucky little woman never faltered.
YOU can go" she said. but stay by
the plantation" Then; stamping mp c,I her
were only here.'
Mabel took pity Oh Jackson's mortined
aush. why. Nell! What could he do?
Don't be unjust"
do? Drive them! .,
"Then here's his chance" Mabel said
quietly pointing. Hes there now-out
| at the store"
"Impossible!". Mrs; Fleming cried He
couldn't possibly"
But he could and had: moreover his
! talismanic appearance sprang out of very
simp,e causes. Getting a chance upstream
with the Las Glorias steam launch. he
had gained day on the canoes that were
| heavily laden with corn.
| But now that man and occasion were
met Mrs. Fleming shifted her ground
with feminine suddenness. Come back!
| she screamed. as after ing the morse
he had borrowed from Bender. ellison
headed for the galera. Come back!
They have had liquor.'
| Having come on a scared cabo out in the
jungle. ellison was aware of the fact. He
knew also that he had to face men With
whom the impeccable tradition of Gringo
bravery had been weakened by Jackson's
folly. Yet though his uncertainty of re-
| suits amounted almost to certainty that
two minutes would see him mincemeat
he waved a CHEEKY greeting and saun-
dered on.
Now for a great big bluff" about COW
cred his active thought.
i AS he approached the yelling ceased
and the men who were scattered among
the buildings came running to join the
bulk of their fellows in the wire COM
pound: and as he turned In at the gate
the mob punched as does a bunch of har-
| riad steers Steerlilse, too. it shifted its
forma ton as he advanced. those in front
slipping back to the rear. till one man.
holder than the rest, was left to face
him. A huge fellow of the true Indian
tvpe, his broad cheek bones. nat nose.
! savage eyes. summed the stupidity. tg
norance. cowardly ferocity of his hundred
mates Like red-eyed bull at bay he
stood, the mob behind him uneasy. ner-
vous the more dangerous for its innate
coW1rdice.
/ Looking on from the veranda. Mabel ex-
perienced a dread shrinking. the exact
counterpart of the feeling she had when.
-1,r lion
J cage She caught herself wishing she had
called him back: she gave a momentary
glance of wonder al Jackson. who stood
nervously chewing his mustache.
Can he control them?" she whispered
i "A minute will tell,' Mrs. Fleming wtis-
pered back.
mo. senior. we will not work" the man
| answered Gilson's question. I'VE have
been deceived. The food, the work. moth
ing is as represented"
i He doubtless spoke the truth: the ras-
cally labor contractors habitually spoon
fed their dupes with broth of lies. But
the plantation had made an honest bar
gain: stood to lose thousands by sue
cessful detection. Very coolly. ellison set
about the re-esta blishment of authority.
If he could get them in some kind of
order. His blue eye wandered coldly over
the mob. Form in line he sharply or
dered. Then we will talk"
Success. life itself. hung in uncertain
balance that moment. II they did not
obey-but. curious as children. the pack
ioosened, shuffled into disorderly line. The
beginnings of discipline thus established.
the problem now centered on the ring
leader.
ellison surveyed the line $50 you won't
work."
NO. senorr' The answer rolled out
| from a hundred threats.
He pondered. Very we'll! there's no
hurry You can take day to think 1t
/ over, YOU" he swung smartly round on
the ringeader Gather In the machetes!'
The man hesitated-one second. The
hard glance, the hand, lightly resting on a
Colts 40. told that he. at least. would