Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1921-02-10
CHAPTER XVIII.
A Wanderers Return

Ene principal ouJG@A Al &iNAhS tAtS
+ sketch of ms life 10 the public being Il
trace the development OF character
| under the conditions and environment
OF life as they have existed in these
United states for the men OF my race
and generation. and 10 give as faith
| full q picture as may be of life in the
sunny South during that period. the
seven years following the close OF my
college career viii be passed over in
a very few paragraphs. For these
seven years being passed in wander
ings outside OF the country, offer lit
tie material of interest to a student OF
American life.
To me personally. they we're any
thing else than embarrassing, or
wanting in incident, adventure or ex-
element
Immediately after graduation, / had
received an offer from a Central
American mining company of a posi-
ton as engineer in their employ: and.
seeing no immediate opening in my
native land, had accepted il. Then
logan life.of seven years OF wander
ings, oil efforts and struggles. hopes
and disappointmeuts fortunes seen
only to be snatched away before they
were fully grasped, and all the ups
ard downs of life that would make a
thrilling romance. but have a very
slight bearing on the subjects Of this
history.
During these years ! mined gold in
Columbia and Peru. built railroads IN
Brazil. bridges in Venezuela. worked
silver mines in Mexico. made a vow
age to Europe in the interests OF a
mining syndicate. spent a year in a
venture TO the South Seas that ex-
tended to China and Japan, suffered a
brace or shipwreeks, and witnessed
revolutions too numerous to count
met and mixed with all classes of
people from the Cholos of Peru To the
gentlemen Of coal black color and eff
l.arisian education and manner OF the
upper ten of Haiti; from the canoe
living pigmies OF Terra del Fuego to
LIZ DllA Z aCSACHQaLlo VA lAC pA0hu
Hidalgos of Spain and Portugal; and
from the denizen of the South Sec Is
lands. clothed ii. a laya-laya and coat
ing OF cocoanut oil to the lGose-skirt-
I'd, pig-tailed Chinalnan
This varied experience of life and
men undoubtedly did much to de-
velope my character in q direction
l.ndreamed CT by. and impossible of
conception to, the friends OF NY
childhood remaining quietly at home
Some of the feelings and prejudice8 Of
my timo and country were removed,
some modified, and some well, soIae
are with me vet.
/ can remember distinctly and al
most feel 1t now the cold chill that
ran down my spinal column the first
ime / ever dined in the same room
With full-blooded negro. II was al
The old Grand Hotel in Panama; dur
ing the early days of my Central
American life could hardly refrain
from getting up and pitching the mai
who, by the way, had come in with a
number of white Generals and Colon
els -out of the window. an action
that would have led to serious conse-
Iuences, as / later discovered he was
IN official of some prominence, and a
nan of considerable education and re-
iinemert AT later period, in some
Of the mixed countries to the south of
rs, | have diLed not only in the same
room, but at the same table with
many of them in clubs, hotels and at
official banauets-and without any un-
usual tremor.
However with all that, and with all
he wide and varied experience Of
those years. could no more bring
myself to sit down to table with a ma
tive black in this Gods country OF
ours. than | would climb the exterior
Of the washington Monument with
,ut other aid than my bare hands.
So muck for the tenacity Of life, of
prejudice feeling instinct call ii
any name you will!
But it is useless to discuss such
tljngs, ard viii return to the thread
of my story at the time of the eve OF
my return to my native land.
/ had reached the age of twenty
seven. and was the experimenting
engineer OF some large silver mines
in the State OF Chihuahua, Mexico, al
the time. when received a telegram
from Charlie Douglas asking me tc
come to washington as soon as pos
sible.
Charlie was at the time q member
of Congress and / knew that he was
succeeding and fiourishing wonder,
fully in his legal business. ana that he
would only have telegraphed me q
| some matter important to myself S.
I hastily arranged 10 leaves the mines
and was soon speeding homewards
Throughout all the cheqnered years
OF my wanderings. had maintained /;
steady correspondence with Evelyn
thus keeping track OF the family AM
my old home friends; and through al
the vicissitudes and disappointment
Of life. had quietly nursad one ambi
ton: to reach stage Of fortune tina