New-York tribune., 1921-05-15
W n LUNCHED at the American Conauls
- ate in an open courtyard ablaze with
H. n flowers. Pug, arrayed in suit of
fha sps ,y9,;&s clnShav F.et alaa


H. n howers. Pug, arrayed in a suit of
the consuls white clothes, felt cleo
trical with wellbeing.
"Bianchi has begun to lose faith the con-
sui said in the Marias claim. The engineer
in chief sent down by year father paid no
attention TO the threats Of the government.
lie began work at once, surveyed the old trail,
actually broke ground, Some of the material
wss unioaded at the company's docks liz Ma
geIla. The President, old Diego, did nothing.
Bianchi and had almost won him oveT.7 The
consul smiled. when the Nationalists got
wind of the matter young Gonelli erupted like
first-cass volcano He isn't Magellan at
all; like most of the new school of soldiers
end politicians he came out here from Sicily
about five years ago. He has an enormous
eonceit; yet he's likable, He canvassed Ma
gella like whiriwind--bullied, Dragged,
threatened, cajoied--and finally won over old
Diego himself. The Marias, you understand,
belonged to Magella--state property, state
advantage, national wealth, and all the rest of
it. Why, there isnt,enough money in the whole
country to work the mines. And they are the
company's."
''Just how much have the Magellans bene-
flied by our mines in the Santa Christina2.
ssVery little. The company always i'm
ported American labor when it could"
Would the Magellans object to us if we
had let few of these gold nuggets sift into
the national treasury"
The consul leaned across the table and
lowered his voice. $50 to Diego with that
talk of gold nuggets from the Fairchild
mines,'' he said eagerly. Tell Diego that
Magella is going to benefit; say that your
father stands behind your promises The
people go in for glory, but they're half
starved all the time. The very minute Gonelli
gave them cause to fight for and die for they
attacked the American party engaged in build
ing the new railway, shot the chief engineer
and drove the rest back to Columbia, where
they are now, barricaded in the village and
afraid to move. AS for me, it is only my
official manner that protects rne-I think the
blessed idiots imagine that | keep an army
and feet in my coat pocket" He laughed,
raised his glass and said: Here's to you, Mr..
Fairchild. You've got man-szed job"
Pug laughed and pushed back his chair
Where does Diego live?" he asked. "I'm
going to see him before Gonelli gets there"
They mounted to the fat roof by an out
side stone stairway, and the consul pointed
across the city to the twin campanili of the
cathedral. Nearer the consulate, separated
from il by tableland of unbroken roof tops,
Pug could see square of rich green--the
garden of the Presidents palace
Pug chuckled, took deep breath and
started away without backward glance
1t was easy going across the roofs to that
patch of green, the Presidents garden. Pug
dropped from long, low building that backed
up against the palace-the stables probably
and landed in the sturdy branches of an old
live oak. Then he slid cautiously to earth
and fell headlong into the sort of thing that
never happens except in stories. A. girl was
sitting on the grass reading book. One of
those girls you dream about. Pug stared at
her and she stared at Pug, there in the green
shadow of the old live oak.
Hello" Pug said.
Hello" she answered
Then they both laughed, and Pug said to
himself, with leap of his heart: "This is the
girl / wanted all along. She isn't afraid of
anything, not even of me-" Aloud, he said:
.sYou speak English 49,"
II went to school in Pittsburgh" she an
swered, and there was just the hint of an
accent, Pittsburghan- Spanish, which made her
English delicious.
Like t?" Pug asked.
Pittsburgh" She nodded, meeting Pug's