The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1921-11-11
CHAPTER WI.

Webster reached New Orleans at
the end of the first leg of his journey,
to discover that he was one day late
to board the Atlanta banana, boat
Of the Consolidated Fruit company's
line plying regularly between New Or
leans and that cOmpany's depOts at
LimOn and San Buenaventura-whic
necessitated a wait of three days for
the steamer La Estrellita of the Ca
ribbean Mail line. running to Caracas
and way ports.
He decided to visit the ticket Office
Of the Caribbean Mail line Immediate
~ and avoid the rush in case the
travel should be heavy.
The steamship office was In Canal
street. The clerk was waiting on two
well-dressed and palpably low-bred
sons Of the tropics. to whom he had
just displayed a passenger list which
the two were scanning critically.
Their interest in 1t was so obvious
that unconsciously Webster peeped
over their shoulders (no difficult task
for one Of his stature) and discovered
it to be the passenger list of the
steamer La Estrellita They were con-
versing together in low tones and Web
ster. who had spent many years Of
his life following his profession in
Mexico, recognized their speech as the
bastard Spanish Of the peon.
He sat down in the long wall seat
and waited until the pair. having com
pleted their scrutiny of the list. turned
to pass out He glanced at them cas-
ually. One was a tall thin man whose
bloodshot eyes were inclined to pop"
a little -infallible evidence In the
Latin-American that he is drinking
more hard liquor than is good for him.
His companion was plainly Of the
same racial stock, although Webster
suspected him of slight admixture
Of negro blood He was short. stocky.
and aggressive looking; like his COM
paniOn, bejeweled and possessed of a
thin. carefully cultivated mOustache
that seemed to consist of about nine
teen hairs on one side ard twenty on
the other. Evidently once upon a
time as the story books have it. he
had been shot. Webster suspected a
Mauser bullet, fired at long range 1t
had entered his right cheek, just be-
low the malar. ranged downward
through his mouth and out through
fold of tiabby flesh under his left
iOwl. 1t must have been frightful
wound, but it had healed we'll except
at the point of entrance, where it had
tendency to pucker considerably,
thus drawing the mans eyelid down
on his cheek and giving to that visual
organ something of the appearance Of
bulldogs.
Webster gazed after them whimsi-
cally as he approached the counter.
I'D hate to wake up some night
and find that hombre with the puck
cred eye leaning over me. By the
way" he continued, suddenly appre-
hensive, do you get much of that
paraqueet travel on your line?"
about 80 per cent. Of 1t is off color,
sir"
Webster pOndered the S0-per-cent.
probability Of being berthed in the
same staterOom with one of these
people and the prospect was as re-
Voting to him as would be an unin-
vited negro guest at the dining table of
southern family. He had all a
Westerner's hatred for the breed.
swell. 1 want ticket to San Buena-
ventura" he informed the clerk, "but
I don't relish the idea of Greaser in
the same stateroOm with me. won
der IL you couldn't manage to fix me
with stateroom all to myself. or at
least arrange it so that in the event
of company I'll draw white man."
"Pm sorry. sir. but I cannot guar
antee you absolute privacy nor any
kind of white man. It's pretty mixed
travel to all Central American ports
How many berths in your first
class staterOOms?"
"Two."
Webster smiled brightly. He had
found a way out of the difficulty. "rll
buy 'em both, son." he announced.
Il cannot sell you an entire state
room, sir. It's against the orders of
the company to sell two berths to
one man. The travel is pretty brisk
and It's hardly fair to the public, you
know"