The Washington herald., 1920-10-19
AN O.. HENRY STORY
The Lotus and the Bottle

many kinds were to be seen, but in
the roadstead off Coralio scarcely
any save the fruiters paused. Now
and then q tramp coaster, or q rnys-
terious brig from Spain, or a ssucy
French bsrque would hang inno-
Gently for a few days in the ofing.
Then the customhouse crew would
become doubly. vigilant and wary.
I At night sloop or two would be
\ making strange trips in and out
along the shore and in the morning
the stock of fhree-Stsr Hennessey.
wines and dry goods in Corslio
would be found vastly increased. It
has also been said that the customs
| oficials jingled more silver in the
pockets of their red-striped trous-
| ers, and that the record books
showed no increase in import duties
received.
The customs boat and the VAL
halla gig reached the shore at the
same time. When they grounded
in the shallow water there was still
, five yards OF rolling surf between
, them and. dry sand. Then half
clothed Caribs dashed into the
water and brought in on their backs
the Yalhalla's purser and the little
;native officials in their cotton un-
dershirts. blue trousers with red
stripes and tapping straw hats.
At college Geddie had been a
treasure as a first baseman. He
now closed his umbrella, stuck it
upright in the sand, and stopped
with his hands resting upon his
knees. The purser. burlesquing the
| pitchers contortions, hurled at the
, consul the heavy roll of newspapers,
4 tied with string, that the steamer
always brought for him. Geddie
J leaped high and caught the roll
with sounding 'thwsck." The
! loungers on the beach-about a
third of the population of the town
laughed and applauded delighted
! ly. Every week they expected to
see that roll OF papers delivered and
I received in that same manner. and
they were never disappointed. In
rovations did not flourish in Co.
ralio.
! The consul rehoisted his umbrella
and walked back to the consulate.
! This home of a great nations rep
| rese ntative was a wooden structure
! OF two rooms, with native built
gallery of poles. bamboo and nip4
| palm running on three sides Of il.
I One room was the official apartment,
/ furnished chastely with a fat-top
| desk. a hammock and three uncom-
! Portable cane-sested chairs. En-
! cravings OF the first and latest Pres
| ident of the country represented
hung against the wall. The other
room was the consurs living apart
ment.
1t was IL o'clock when he re-
turned from the beach. and there
! fore breakfast time. Chanca, the
! Carib woman who cooked for him.
was just serving the meal on the
| side OF the gallery facing the sea
a spot famous as the coolest in Co.
rslio. The breakfast consisted of
sharks fin soup, stew OF land crabs.
breadfruit. a boiled iEuana steak.
! aguacates. a freshly cut pineapple.
| clsret and coffee.
Geddie took his seat. and unrolled d
with luxurious laziness his bundle
| OF newspapers. Here in Coralio for
two days or longer he would read
of goings on in the world very much
as we of the world read those whim-
! siCsl contributions to inexsct sci
| ence that assume to portray the do
! ings of the Msrtians. After he had
| finished with the papers they would
| be sent on the rounds of the other
| English speaking residents of the
| town.
| The paper that came first TO his
| hand was one of those bulky mat
| tresses of printed stuff upon which
! the readers Of certain New York
| journals are supposed to take their
Sabbath literary nap. Opening this
the consul rested it upon the table.