The Chesterfield advertiser. [volume] (Chesterfield C.H., S.C.) 1884-1978, 1921-04-14
CHAPTER VII,

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-a banana boat
of the Consolidated Fruit company's
line plying regularly between New Or.
leans and that company depots at
Limon and San Buenaventura-whIch
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
ly and avoid the rush in case the
travel should be heavy.
The steamship office was I'm 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 II was so obvious
that unconsciOusly Webster peeped
over their shoulders (no difficult task
for one Of his stature) and discovered
u to be the passenger list of the
steamer La Estrell!ta. 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 I'm 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 who's,
bloodshot eyes were inclined to ''pop''
little e-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 q 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 and twenty on
the other. Evidently once upon
ume as the story books have 1t, he
mad been shot. Webster suspected q
Mauser bullet, fred at long range. 1t
had entered his right cheek, just be-
low the malar. ranged downward
through his mouth and out through
fold Of iabby flesh under his left
1owl II must have beer frightful
wound. but II had healed well EXCEPT
at the point Of entrance, where II 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 whims-
cally as he approa ched the counter.
I'D hate to wake up some night
and fird that hombre with the puck
ered eye leaning over me. BY the
way" he continued, suddenly appre-
hensive. "do You get much Of that
paraqueet travel on your iine?"
About so per cent. Of 1t is off color,
sir
NelS'er pondered the SO-per-cent.
probability of being berthed I'm the
same siaterOOm with one Of these
people and the prospect was as re-
voting to him as would be an unin-
vltcd negro guest at the dining table of
a southern family. He had all
Westerner's iTtred for the breed
"Well. Iwant - ticket to San Buena-
ventura" be Informed the clerk. "but
! don't relish the idea OF Greaser i'm
the same StatcrOom with me. won
der If YOU couldn't manage to fix me
with stateroom all to myself. or at
least arrange 1t so that In the event
OF company III draw white man"
Tin sorry, sir, but ] 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 statcroomsT
1.-Two"
Webster smiled brightly. He had
found q way out of the difficulty. "Tll
buy 'em both. son." he announced.
."I 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 IFS hardly fair TO the public. you
KNOW" ~, - tiai ~ .fiE2flaSr,fsa,ss.a
~. Ayuar s........... ~ 80 r...s :.