Evening star., 1921-05-15
Miss Diego
And the Matador
By Mildred Cram
Illustrated by F. C. Yohn
By Mildred Cram
Illustrated by F. c. Yohn.
YE lunched at the American
consulate in an open court
yard ablaze with flowers. Tho

- consulate in an open court
yard ablaze with flowers. The
table was set under a yellow
linen awning, a gentle voiced Indian
boy served very deftly. and Pug. ar
rayed in a suit OF the consurs white
Gothes, felt electrical with wellbeing.
He lifted his glass toward the nag
that fiuttered lazily over the con-
suiate, and the consul. an amazingly
shy, likable chap. met Pug's eyes with
a look of deep understanding as they
drank to the brave symbol of their
race.
"Bianchi has begun to lose faith"
he said, 'in the Marias claim The en-
gineer- in chief sent down by your
father paid no attention to the threats
of the government. He began work at
once surveyed the old trail. actually
broke ground. Some OF the material
was unloaded at the company's docks
did nothing. Bianchi and l had almost
won him over" The consul smiled.
when the nationalists got wind OF
the matter young Gonelli erupted like
Magella at the head of his band OF
ruffians and harangued the people
from every balcony in the city. He has
a way with him. you know. He isn't
a Magellan at all; like most of the
new school of soldiers and politicians.
q, he came out here from Sicily about |
five years ago. He has an enormous |
conoeit; yet he's likable. He canvassed
Masella like a whirlwind-bullied. |
Dragged. threatened. cajoled-and |
finally won over old Diego himself
Diego knew that revolutions are
founded on Just such issues. He lis
tened to Gonelli. swerved very grace
fully to his side and appeared with
tpo hn halo0nv ~
hand resting very fondly on Gonellis
shoulder. The Marias, you understand.
belonged to Magella-state property.
state advantage. national wealth and
enough money in the whole country to
work the mines. And they are the
company'A Old Bianchi staked those
claims twenty-five years ago-the
first prospector to cross the Santa
Pug asked very earnestly: -Just
how much have the Magellans bene-
ated by our mines in the Santa Chris
svery little The company always
imported American labor when It
You don't agree to that. do you.
tho Magellan point Of view: Would
the Magellans object to us II We had
let q few of these gold nuggets sift
into the national treasury"
Inc CDaSui stared at In6 Ok niS |
cigarette with a slight frown- Be
fore I answer" he said. may ask
how far you can 60? Do you repre-;
sent the Fairchiid Company, or will
IT'S my Job" Pug explained .rml,
here to put the railway through and
to put the fear of God and the name
Of Fafrchfld into Magella. I'm as
green as that parrot Of yours over
there; IL you, have any advice"
a, /
T<Hheonsul Ieaned across4ths table
and lowered his voice. ''Go to
Diego With that talk of gold nuggets
from tho Fairchild mines.- he said
eagerly. Tell Diego that Magella is
going to@beneft: say that your father
stands behind your promises Listen.
Mr.. FAirchtld-MagelIa deserves fair (
treatment. 1t is beautiful country.
confounded1y mismanaged. Tho peo- (
starved an the time. The very min
ute Gonelli gave them a cause to hight
for and die for, they attacked the /
American party engaged In building |
the new railway. shot the chief engi-
neer and drove the rest back to Colum-
bia. where they are now, barricaded in
the village and afraid to move. The
manager. Mccarthy. II with them.
Bianchi. waiting for . miracle. IL
locked in his house in the suburbs.
Whenever he ventures out some one
spits at him and calls him ugly names,
and the poor old chap takes IL awfully
to heart. As for me. Il is only my Of
ficial manner that protects mel think
the blessed idiots imagine that keep
an army and fleet in my coat pock-
et- He laughed. raised his glass and
said: Here's to you. Mr.. Fairchild.
You've got 4 man-sized Job"
Pug laugned and pushed back his
ohaiE. Where does Diego nve?" he
GonelH gets there"
'Gonelii IL unloading those rifles. But
I shouldn't advise you to risk the
and I'll show you the palace"
They mounted to the fiat roof by an
outside stone stairway. and the consul.
shading his eyes with one hand. pointed
across the city to the twin campanih Of
Piax.a Independence. Pug made out the
facade Of the opera house, fiamboyant.
spectacular. and unavoidable. Nearer
the consulate. separated from II by a
tabieland of unbroken roof tops, Pug
could see square of rich green-the
garden OF the presidents palace.
Pug chuckled. took deep breath.
swung his arms and started away with
out a backward glance.
We'll. I'll be damned the consul
aid. aren't you going to take hat?"
But Pug was gone. He was thinking.
as he padded over the Magellan roof
tops. that the waxed dancing floor at
Claride's would never see him again.
He preferred the joyous sunshine Of
Magella to all the artful electric illumi-
nation on Broadway. He liked the tin |
Cling uncertainty. the alluring mystery.
the vast promise of Magella. The air
was heavy with the odor Of ripe fruits
ard flowers. the acrid, pungent dust Of
unpaved streets: a faint, alluring FRA
GRANGE of incense from old churches 1t
was the hour Of siesta. The towering
Santa Christina peaks dozed behind q
~ast curtain Of mist The sea was pol
ished and deeply blue. fringed by
wide half moon OF beach where lazy
breakers rolled slowly in and broke in
long. white lines Of dazzling foam. Far
out Pug saw the Liberia. a dozen small
boats clustered like barnacles against
her rusty sides.
II WAS easy going across the roofs TO
that patch of green, the presidents gar
den. Pug dropped from a long. low
building that backed up against the
palace-he stables probAbly-and land
oak He lay there a moment. clasping
the big tree affectonately. out OF breath.
but exalted. Then he slid cautiously to
earth and fell headlong into the sort of
thing that never happens except in sto-
ries. 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. Behind her
a fountain played, very cool and fresh. |
o thin jet OF sparkling water falling into
q shallow basin And there were old.
old hedges clipped as level ~ . T
square. and blazing flowers and tall
wallis Of the palace glowing In the sun.
ssHAllo." Pug said.