The herald., 1913-05-29
How | Saw
A Real Play
By MARGARET BARR

ed the isthmus Of Panama to see the
big ditch. Having satisfied my curios-
ity by going over it from one end to
the other, l boarded the steamer at
Colon for my return. l was standing
on deck. leaning on the rail, looking
down at the passengers hurrying about
on the wharf or thronging up the gang
way, where party Of tourists, consist
ing principally Of young girls. came
trooping along together, carrying the
usual hand baggage and evidently in
tending to sail for home. That they
were Americans was plain from their
speech. A young girl Of this party and
a young man stopped on the dock di-
rectly below where l was standing and.
unmindful Of my presence, engaged in
a hurried conversation.
She-You are coming with US, are
you not?
He-Impossible How can / leave
here with work unfinished. without
leave?
She-There are other engineers, are
there not, who can do such work? Do
you consider yourself the only capable
one in the canal zone?
He-Would you have me do all this
for you?
Shells il as much as what you said
you would do when we stood on the
side of the canal-that you would jump
down q hundred feet for my glove II
I would throw it over?
He-That was gallantry. This is the
real thing.
She-The real thing is the test.
At this moment l caught sight OF
dark face above n pile of fruit boxes
on the dock watching the couple-the
face of girl with devil in her eyes.
She was doubtless Of mixed Spanish
and Aztec blood. with all the virulence
this mixture Of races contains. The
young engineer and the girl, who were
evidently the objects of her interest,
were unaware Of her presence. He
stood irresolute. Since l was looking
down from above | could not see much
of their faces. but believed her eyes
were holding him In thrall. My posi-
ton. akin to that of eavesdropper, was
hardly an excusable one, and l was
about to turn away when l caught
sight of the dusky creature, who was
even more Of an eavesdrOpper than l
was myself. Indeed, In her fierce
looks / saw danger for the lovers. l
remained, thinking it possible that i
might need to warn them of that dan
ger.
Besides, in this scene enacted on
life's real stage l saw a playa play
that might readily be turned into
tragedy. l saw the young engineer at
his daily work on the canal, the half
breed girl viewing him as some SUI
perior creature doing what to her was
miraculous. He smiles at her, thought
lessly chats with her, possibly after
working hours meets her. Quite like
ly he is innocent of any wrong inten-
ton. 1t does not require a courtship
under such circumstances to set a girl
wild about a young man so far above
her.
Then come the party Of Americans
to visit the canal. Possibly the young
engineer is directed by his superior to
show them the section on which he is
engaged, to explain to them the proc
esses involved. They may be persons,
or some among them may be persons,
having influence at Washington. The
hearts Of this girl Of the party and
this young man, who are thrown to-
gether by fate on the great waterway
forming to girdle the world, spring
for each other like the positive and
negative poles Of a magnet. Or it may
be she has a passion for bringing q
man to her feet, like the huntsman-
for sport. Let US hope the first sup
position Is correct.
She draws him with her to Colon-to
to try her power over him still fur
Their. 1t may be that she has wealth
and that his work as engineer on the
canal is less to her than her desire to
have him with her. But this is all sup
position. The only feature evident Is
that she is trying to make him crafty
| her wish.
| In some way the dark girl-the
heavy woman" Of the play. as the
atrical persons would call her-has got
wind of his infatuation. She follows at
a distance. What for? Who knowsf
Does she know herself? Perhaps not.
Nevertheless l can see danger to her
fair rival In that fierce black eye. The
dialogue below me continued:
Are you going?' she asked.
There was no reply. knew she was
drawing him with her eyes, and be-
lieved she would win.
"Once more. are you going?" she
asked again.
Eyes. I'll go with you If you take
heard no more, for they passed out
Of hearing toward the gangway. They
were the last passengers to come
aboard. The gangway was hauled In,
and the engine was slowly started.
The girl in whom I was interested
came up and stood on deck near me.
She was waving to some one on the
pier. 1 saw the dark girl run to the
edge of the dock and draw a knife
from her bosom. Taking a deliberate
aim at her rival, she threw 1t. Before