Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1911-02-17
Money Maze
CoOpyrisht BY Ainsiee Magaaine CO..
By o. HENRY


should show himself In their territory.
After these precautions there was
nothing to do but cover the Cibolo
district with lookouts and await re-
suits. The fugitives would, beyond
doubt, move as secretly as possible,
ana endeavor to board a vessel by
stealth and from some hiding place on
shore.
On the eighth day after the receipt
OF Englehardt's message, the Karlsefin,
Norwegian steamer, chartered by the
New Orleans fruit trade, anchored off
Ctbolo. with three hoarse toots of her
siren. Mackenzie stood on the beach
with the crowd of idlers, watching
everything without ostentation. He
and Zavalla had stationed men faithful
to the cause at intervals along the
shore for mile each way from the
town, on the lookout for President Mi
rafores, of whom nothing had been
seen or heard. The customs officers,
In their red trousers and Panama hats,
rowed out to the vessel and returned.
The ships gig landed her purser with
his papers, and then took out the
quarantine doctor with his umbrella
and clinical thermometer Next, a
swarm of haif-naked Caribs began to
load the piles of bananas upon light
ers, and row them out to the steamer.
] About four o'clock In the afternoon
marine monster, unfamiliar in those
waters, hove in sight-a graceful
steam yacht. painted white clean-cut
as steel engraving, see-sawing the
waves like duck in a rain barrel. A
white boat, manned by a white-uni-
formed crew, came ashore, and q
stocky-built man leaped upon the
sands. He made his way toward Mac
kenzie, who was obviously the most
oonspi5uously Anglo-Saxon figure pres.
emit, and seemed to turn disappearing
eye on the rather motley congregation
Of native Anchurians. Mackenzie
greeted him as men sprung from the
Island greet one another in alien lands.
Conversation developed that the new.
ly-landed one was named Smith, and
that he had come In yacht A meager
biography, truly, for the yacht was
most apparent, and the Smith not be-
yond a reasonable guess before the
revelation. Yet, to the eye of Mac
! kenzie, who had seen several things,
there was a discrepancy between
Smith and his yacht A bullet-head-
ed man Smith was, with an oblique,
dead eye, and the mustache of a cock
tail mixer. Unless he had shifted cos
tunes before leaving for shore, he
had affronted the deck of his correct
vessel In a pearlgray derby, checked
suit, fancy vest and vaudeville neck
wear. Men owning pleasure yachts
generally harmonic with them bet
ter.
Smith looked business, but he was
no advertiser. He commented upon
the scenery, remarking upon its fidel-
ity to the pictures in the geography,
and then inquired for the United
States consul. They pointed out to
him the starred and striped bunting
hanging on pole above the door of
squat adobe house, and Smith plow-
ed his way through the sand thither,
his haberdashery creating a diseord
against background of tropical blues
and greens.
Mackenzie smoked cigars and walk.
ed the single under the cocoanut
palms. His nets were we'll spread.
The roads were SO few, the opportuni-
ties for embarkation so limited, the
two or three probable points of exit SO
well guarded that 1t would be strange
indeed II there should slip through the
meshes SO much of the country's dig
nifty. romance and collateral
Night came, and satisfied with the
precautions taken, the American stroll
ed back through the town. OIL lamps
burned, sickly yellow, at random
corners. All the streets were by.
streets; there we're no thoroughfares.
Mackenzie turned along one of them,
and crouched swiftly in the shadow,
for a tall, muffied man passed, carry
ing heavy valise. A woman at his
elbow seemed to hurry him on. They
went rapidly, Mackenzie following, un-
til they reached and entered a posada
known as the Hotel de los Estranje-
ros," a dreary hostelry greatly In dis
use by both strangers and friends.
At that moment there came along
one Esteban, barber. an enemy to
existing government. jovial plotter
against stagnation In any form. He
greeted Mackenzie with fiatulent I'M
portance.
What you think, DON Frank! have
tonight shaved la barba-what you call
the 'weeskers' Of Ell Senior Presidente
himself! Consideri He sent for me
to come. In pobre casa he awaited
IA verree leetle house. I think he de-
sire not to be known. but-carajo!-l
can you shave man and not see his |
face? This gold piece he gave me,
and said 1t was TO be all quite still. |
think, Don Frank. there is what you
call one chip over the bug"
In a few words Mackenzie explained |
the state of affairs to Esteban. Know
ing the man to be partisan liberal, /
he made him watch the house to see
that no one left 1t. while he himself
entered 1t at once.
Mackenzie saw that the trigger of
his American 038 was free from pock.
ct lining, and assembled the dark stair.
way. A saffron light from a hanging
lamp in the hallway above allowed
him to select the gaudy numbers on
The doors. He turned the knob Of No.