Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1920-03-01

WET BUT NOT WILD.
i save millions to his employer.

u save millions to his employer.
In the principal hotels here you
can get almost any kind Of drink
known to civilized man for = rela-
lively high price, resembling those
paid In New York and other big
cities while war time prohibition
was in force, but before the amend
ment became effective. By going
around the corner to = native bar,
you-can obtain exactly the same
drinks for about one-half as much.
This puts the visiting bibbler on the
horns Of . dilemma. The barkeep-
ers in the big hotels are the only
ones who speak English. After he
has been here about four days,
what the American tourist Graves
above all things is to find someone
who can cater to his wants in his
own language, while II he wants
some drink not generally made In
these parts, the English speaking
barkeeper is about his only hope.
At the same time. the we'll known
Yankee instinct for . bargain is on
the job, SO that he cannot refrain
from trying sign language and ges-
lures in the low rate emporiums. It
is really quite . show to watch a
man from Detroit, who does not
know any more Spanish than a
monkey, trying to order q horses
neck from q non-English speaking
Cuban barkepeer. He points at
bottles, utters names, goes through
motions. The native listens grave
ly. He is not a mind reader, but he
has Imagination and lis a born
gambler. He mixes up seven or
eight kinds of liquor, shakes the
mixture with ice, adds an olive and
a piece of orange peel, and politely
offers it to the customer. The Gus
toner takes one sip, makes a ter
rible face, and begins all over
again. This time he. shouts the
names OF the ingredients in a loud
voice, as though hopeful that
mere noise might serve to make an
idea penetrate foreign understand
ing. The barkeeper, all unflurried
nonchalantly empties his first eff
fort into the Stops, and prepares
to start all over.
By this time a small crowd of ma
tives has collected-not an amused
laughing crowd, but grave, polite
crowd, anxious only that the stran-
ger shall have what he wants. Sew
eral interpreters volunteer, each Of
them equipped with about siz
words Of English, and the very besI
of intentions. The American by
this time is red in the face. and
cursing the entire island Of Cuba
but still determined. He finally gets
what he wants, after running about
a pint of assorted liquors and ilis
own temper, but without having
disturbed the polite equanimity o.
the natives in the least.
An interesting phase of thu
abundance of alcohol on this ant
other islands near our own virtuou!
shores is the small but stead,
stream of it which flows toward thu
mainland. While every passengel
who lands at Key West is rounded
up in a sort Of barn and locked il
until his baggage and sometime
even his pockets have beer
searched for liquor, nearly ever,
freight vessel that makes port il
ably safely to bring good man.
quarts ashore. This is no discredi
to our estimable internal revenue
service, for the illicit traffic b.
water is almost impossible to stop
But thought that they searche,
every vessel as soon as she mad
port, and put all alcoholic liauo
under lock and key until she saile'
again." said the man from tn
north.
| "a steamer is a hard thing t
! search" explained the man VIII
had spent his life on one. IF nee
essary We can put the stuff down il
the bilge under two feet OF water
i and one foot of oil, and then lie
the inspector in his hundred an
fifty dollar suit dive otter it if b
wants to"
Il So it happens that all up and dow
; the sandy coast of the souther.
part Of our great republic, bonde
goods may be purchased at price
which include risk run. While on
of the greatest Of American prohi
! bitionists was holding forth recent
/ ly in certain southern town to
large audience on the triumph c
prohibition, almost within soudn c
, his voice a brisk business wa
being done in good bourbon at 81
a quart