Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-01-27
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consul Gerry liked him. pitied hin, and
| IoIEot 10 pity himself One night be in
Vlted the Consul to his room. Thev sat In
s,. ..g uaIGony' bottle of whisky and a
| syphon between them Gerry started to
put his glass on the rail
Don't do IT," said the Consul with his
twisted smile, "it might carry awav" Ia
! went on more seriously. "trs rottcp THO
/ WhoIe place Is rotten. There's n blight
OH the men and the women and on the
children. Cod" ''''
Gerry put down his glass untouched
! ny don't you 20 home2"
Ine Consul took long drink. eyed the
| empty glass and spoke into it, IL used
/ 10 think Just like that. Why don't Won po
| nome | used to think could 20 home
-that 1t was just a question of buvinp a
| ticket and climbing aboard a liner RutZ"
ne broke off and glanced at Gerry as he
reflled his glass.
But what" said Gerry.
Wei said the Consul "Tm lust
I drunk enough to tell you rm only proud
IN the mornings before I'm Thoroughly
walked up. used to drive a pen for "A
! western daily at SIS a week II was uood
! pay ana ! married on It. | and the girl
we lNed like the Corn-fed hogs OF our ma
| i've state. Life was one sunshine and
"heh the baby came We Joined hands
ana said good-by to- sorrow forever Then
| ner people got busy and landed me this
loh' The pay was $4,000 aud If you want
10 see now big $4,000 year can look lust
go ana stand behind any old kind of plow
IN Kansas. | Jumped mt it. We sold ont
our little outfit and rakcd up lust enough
10 Sc" me out here The girl and the
idd went to visit her people was to
save UP out of the first quarters pay and
sehd Tor them. That was three years
ago"
~
Sillu nothing, hut lit a long cigar The
Consul went ON. "The price of "A lunch
here would give me three squares at home
ana ! could support the family for a
month on the price of suit Of clothes
l5ut even so, ! could have sent the money
II had been somebody's clerk Some
how, we don't realize at home what posi-
tion means abroad Little humdrum ne
ccsstics, food and clothinu. the few drinks
OF the evening after the days work with
winch every man in the tropics braces
mind and body ana no harm done, these
commonplace things and the dcCcncv i'm
appearance" that any official must keep
up they made that big $1,000 look like
n SNOWFALL in summer Try? | did try
But couldn't run to dozen suits of
whites and twice as many shirts. / got
to wearing a collar for two DAYS as well
And let me tell you that when You're
among the clean in the tropics. that's the
beginning Of the end.
They couldn't understand it at home
First came surprise, then scoidng. then
just plain pleading. That did for mo. I
left my place at the bar in CMny's and
took scat at the tables I've sat there
for two years and nobody ever takes my
chair. They call it the American Con-
Sulatc.
"I've still got to tell YOU the worst.
Just to speak EnSlish here makes you
member OF elan. The people I'd
made friends with, and some that
hadn't. took UP purse for me. Enough
to cover my ticket and a tidy sum be-
sides They'd done II before. Irish,
scotch English or American. it was all
one to them. They gave an cX-frcnd the
last chance of home. They might have
known that with me, if was far enough
gone to take the money, | was too far
gone to save. took it und | went
to my room and llJOeTcd."
lie stopped again. There was a long
silence; then he went ON, "And SO
took the money. The steamer sailed
without me, In three days the money
was gone"
you paid it back" said Gerry. His
face was red with shame. He felt as if
he had helped to steal from that relief
fund.