The Washington herald., 1916-06-24

Word was suddenly brought to her by
an officer that the President was out
side
/ Il went to the door and waited on the
Ihoneysuckle-and-g nd-geranium-scented veran-
da, while the fearless old Indian, not In
his tophat, but In his gray sweater and
soft hat, more suitable to events. came
quickly up the steps. 1t was his first
and last visit to the embassy during our
llncumbency.
II led him into the drawing room. -
II could not, for my country's sake, speak
the endless regret that was in my heart
for the official part we had been obliged
to play in the hateful drama enacted by
US to his country's undoing. He greeted
me calmly.
Concerned for Their safety.
"'senora, how do you do? I fear you
have had many annoyances.'
Then he sat back quietly, In a big
arm chair, impersonal and inscrutable.
l answered as easily as / could that the
times were difficult for all, but that We
were most appreciative Of what he had
done and aeked him II there was
nothing we could do for him.
Nothing. Sonora All that is done I
must do myself Here 1 remain. The
moment has not come for me TO 60
Nothing but death could remove me
now"
After Mr. O'Shaughnessy had entered
and plans had been completed for their
safe conduct to Vera Cruz, Huerta took
his leave
"As we three stood there together, he
uttered, very quietly his last word:
II hold no rancor toward the Ameri-
can people. nor toward Su Excelencia ell
Senior Presidente Wilson. And. after a
slight pause, he added: He has not under
stood
John Lind. President Wilson's first per-
sonal representative to Mexico. was al
ready there when Mrs. OShaughnessy
arrived in October. She was greatly
struck by him. He Is evidently a man OF
many natural abilities and much ma gne-
tism-tall, gaunt. sandy-haired, unmis-
takably Scandinavian. with the blue eyes
Of the Norseman set under level brows
imagine fire behind that northern fa-
cade."
But Mr. Lind seems to have accom-
plished little good according to Mrs.
'Shaughnessy. On April 2 she writes
u Lind leaves tonight for Washington,
so exit from the tragic scene Don Juan
Lindo Il sometimes feel like calling him
Don Juan Blindo), who commenced life
in a Scandinavian town as Jon Lond, and
who ended by dreaming northern dreams
in Vera Cruz, in the hour of Mexico's
agony. My heart is unspeakably be-
wildered at this trick OF fate; and too,
| he would have long since precipitated
US into war had it not been for the shrewd
common sense and trained knowledge OF
the gifted man at the head of the feet
in Vera Cruz. CAmiral Fletcher)
"A hot Indignation Invades me as Mr..
Lind drops out OF the most disastrous
chapter OF Mexican history and returns
to Minnesota. Upon his hands the blood
OF those killed with the weapons OF the
raising of the embargo-those wea pons
that, in some day and hour unknown 10
US, must inevitably be returned against
their donors.
| II am not keen about this confidential
agent system, anyway. With more
standing in the community than spies,
and must less information. they are in
an unrivalled position to misead (wit-
tingly or unwittingly, is a detaiD any one
who depends on them for information
For some strange reason, any in
formation delivered by confidential
agents. is generally swallowed hook and
all. but unfortunately, the mere desig-
mating OF them does not bestow upon them
any eacramental grace"
Book Not Partisan.
The book is in no sense partisan, or a
plea for any particular course Of action
merely a daily narrative OF impression
Mrs. o'Shaughnessy is one of that large
number of students Of Mexico, who be-
lieve that the only solution Of the Mexi-
can problem, short of armed Intervention
would have been the recognition Of
Huerta.
1T is more than two years since the
constitutionalists under Villa and Car
rama have had our full moral and mate
rial support" she writes in her brief
foreword. The results have been a pun
itive expedition sent into Mexico to cap
ture Villa. ana very uncertain and un-
satisfactory relations with the hostile de
facto government under Carranza. AS for
beautiful Mexico-her Industries are dead
her lands laid waste, her sons and daush-
tors are In exile, or starving In the
! 'treasure-house of the world"
And in describing her feeling at Vera
Cruz, where they were staying while
awaiting the completion of arrangements
for their return to the United States, she
says:
War of Half Measures.
Il think we have done a great wrong
to these people; instead of cutting out
the sores with clean, strong knife OF
war and occupation, We have only put
our fingers in each fostering wound and
infiamed it further. In Washington there
is word they don't !ike-war. What we
are doing is war. accompanied by all the
iniquitous results OF half meas asures. and
in Washington they call 1t peaceful occu-
patton ~
"A Diplomats Wife in Mexico" is ab-
sorbingly interesting. 1t has the swift
movement and shifting Of scene Of a dra-
matte narrative, ami It leaves the reader
with distinct feeling of the color and
atmosphere of Mexico City IN one Of the
greatest crises in the history Of that
tumultuous nation.
Local stores are showing their appre-
citation of the Importance Of the book by
giving it elaborats window display. The
book now is being shown at Woodward &;
Lothrop's, S. Kann, Sons & Co., Brenta-
nos and Ballantyne's.