Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1914-01-02

uoh HOL 70 look n Tor. Being n nAtu-
raj American, that's my personal view.
But Liverpool and me had much IN
common. We were without decorous
clothes or ways and means Of exist
ence. and, az the saying goes. misery
certainly does enjoy the society OF &C
completes.
sour job on old Mcspinosa's planta-
don was chopping down banana stalks
and loading the punches Of fruit on
the backs Of horses. Then n native
dressed up in an alligator hide belt a
maehete and a pair OF "A sheeting
pajamas. drives 'em over tS the coast
and piles 'em up on the beach.
"You never been in a banana grover
It's as solemn as a rathskeller at 7
a. m. It's like being lost behind the
scenes at one OF these mushroom mu-
steal shows. You can't see the sky for
the foliage above you, and the ground
IL knee deep In rotten leaves, and It's
90 still that you can hear the stalks
growing again after you chop 'em
down.
AT night me and Liverpool herded
In a lot OF grass huts on the edge Of
the lagoon with the red, yellow and
black employees Of Don jaime. There
we lay lighting mosquitoes and listen
ing to the monkeys squalling and the
alligators grunting and splashing in
the lagoon until daylight, with only
snatches Of sleep between times.
1--WE soon lost all idea Of what time
Of the year It was. It's Just about 80
degrees there in December and June
and N Fridays and at midnight and
election day and any other old time.
Sometimes II rains more than at 9th
ers, and that's all the difference you
notice. A man is liable to live along
there without noticing any fighting Of
tempus until some day the undertaken
calls in for him Just when he's begin
ming to think about cutting out the
gang and saving up a little TO invest in
real estate.
II don't know how long we worked
for Don Jaime, but It was through two
or three rainy spells, eight or ten hair
cuts and the life Of three pairs Of sail
cloth trousers. All the money we
earned went for rum and tobacco, but
we ate, and that was something.
"All Of a sudden one day me and
Liverpool find the trade Of committing
surgical operations on banana stalks
turning to aloes and q~uinine in our
mouths. It's n seizure that often comes
upon white men in Latin and geo
graphical countries. We wanted TO be
addressed again In language and see
the smoke OF a steamer and read the
real estate transfers and gents outfit
ting ads. In an old newspaper. Even
Soledad seemed like a center Of civ
illzation to us, so that evening we put
q thumbs on our nose ut Don James
fruit stand and shook his grass burs
or our feet.
at was only twelve miles to Soledad,
but It took me and Liverpool two days
to get there. II was banana grove near
ly all the way, and we got twisted
time and again. II was like paging the
palm room OF a New York hotel for a
man named Smith.
when we saw the houses Of Sole
dad between the trees all my disincli-
nation toward this Liverpool Sam rose
up in me. I stood him while we were
two white men against the banann
brindles. but now, when there were
prospects, - my exchanging even cuss
words W an American citizen, I put
him back - mis- proper place. And he
n sight, too, with his rum painted
and his red whiskers and elephant
feet with leather sandals strapped to
them. l suppose 1 looked about the
same.
ut looks to me- says /, like Great
Britain ought to be made to keep such
gin swilling, scurvy, unbecoming mud
larks as you at home instead OF send
ing 'om over here to degrade and faint
foreign lands. We kicked you out of
America once. and we ought to put on
rubber boots and do It again
"'oh, you go 10 the deuce says Liv.
erpool, which was about all the rep
artee he ever had.
well, Soledad looked fine to me
after Don James plantation. Liver.
pool and me walked into 1t side by
side from force OF habit, past the Gala.
bosa and the Hotel Grande, down
across the plaza toward Chica's hut.
we hoped that Liverpool. being
a husband OF hers, might work his luck
for a meal.
"As we passed the two story frame
house occupied by the American club
we noticed that the balcony had been
decorated all around with wreaths Of
evergreens and flowers and the Gag
was flying from the pole on the roof.
stanzey. the consul, and Albright, a
gold mine owner. were smoking on the
balcony. Me and Liverpool waved our
dirty hands toward 'em and smiled
real society smiles, but they turned
their backs to us and went on talking.
And we. had played whist once with
the two OF 'em up TO the time when
Liverpool held all thirteen trumps for
four hands In succession. II was some
holiday, we knew, but we didn't know