The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1910-05-20

forgetfulness IN the cafes Befmx -.
In particular the crowds were suas3r
Ing like flies over molasses. vithfr
woman. she looked to be an Amars.
can at that, blonde and fulf- f,r,,,aa
singing an atrocious French sonr M,
an even more atrocious Maine accent
Between verses she mingled the u ~
walk Is ~ ~
Let's get out OF this said srsrv
John, look at the negro over there.
DID You ever see such Coloon,aa il
your nfe?"
More than the two newspaper n,an
were watching the negro in question.
He was nearly seven feet high. mag
nificent In his proportions, and dreAaed
in immaculate white duck. His Ia
lures were typically African. but ia
had the bearing of ancient kings and
high intelligence lurked in his eyes,
and was planted at the corners Of lis
mouth and in the lines along his nos
trils. FaA
Standing in the corner close to the
stage, he was regarding the pitiful
thing that gamboled there with the
same impressive pity that a man
watches a butcher kill little soueal-
ing pig. The pig is not worth much, in
the aesthetic scale as life goes. hut
through him life may be sustained.
One pig more ordess to feed the mass
es benefits the masses, and is very
good for the pig. 1t lets him out OF
being pig, and provides for his trans
mogrifcation into another shape
AS the two Americans turned to look
at the negro he was leaving the cafe
All eyes turned from the dancer to his
coal-black pulchritude. The dancer.
noting this waver of allegiance. lurch-
ed forward and kicked into the air
with deft aim. One gaudy red satin
slipper flew directly through the crowd
and grazed the giant on the back. fail
ing within foot or two Of the two
Americans.
THAT was a good shot" calculated
Johnny. Larry Morris was watching
the muscles working in the Africans
face as he stopped to pick up the Slip
per.
Because I'm black" he heard the
man mutter. in pure English. Be
cause I'm black"
Straight through the crowd strobe
the black man, and up to the stage,
oveIturning half of the tables in his
way as he went At the footlights ne
leaned over, held out the shoe and
beckoned for the dancer to place her
foot within it. But the women. with
the whimsicality of her sex, turned her
head away and smote the African
twice across the cheek.
The black man Strengthened himself
up like steel bar, uncurved in a
white hot furnace. He took the shoe
and flung it at the dancer, lightly but
accurately. 1t struck her across her
painted mouth, and the steel plate on
the heel tore the gentle skin of her
full lip. The blood streamed down in
tiny thread over her chin and drop
per on her white shoulders.
The habitues of the cafe could not
endure this treatment Of their favorite.
Pandemonium was loosed. Bottles.
lamps, glasses, even chairs. they hurl-
ed at the retreating figure of the ART
can. He was cut and bruised In 2
dozen places and almost overcome. for
the strength Of Hercules could not
have resisted such onslaughts. john
son and Morris had gone out of the
door when the riot began, and were
turning down the street when the
black burst out, winded, painting. and
closely pursued.
BY the curb stood an automobile
a great red touring car: 1t belonged >
Suiveler, the Associated Press man ar
Algiers. A weak. dissipated little fell
low, Suiveler was at that moment the
foremost in consoling the dancer.
Larry Morris thought quickly. He
knew Suiveler well; they had worked
together in the States. and the negro
interested him.
Crank her. Johnny" he cried. point
ing to the automobile, and while john
ny cranked the machine Morris hus-
tied the black within the car, threw
from his perch the dazed chauffeur and
in three minutes the black, Larry Nor
ris and johnson, in Suiveler's car, were
headed for the desert with the mob
bowling hyena like behind them.
"All right, old fellow; we'll help
you," Larry had whispered in the
blacks ear as he hurried him towards
the motor Larry had had to do it, for
downed as he was, the black instantly
made a motion of resistance towards
anything that smacked of captivity.
Ito be continued.)