The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1938-03-10
chapter q
Dreams OF Empire

Chapter ~
Dreams OF Empire
CLYDE had had almost enough
u to 20 back to Massachusetts,
with when he had become inter-
ested in Mantusen Of Balingong-
and had stayed, IN one Of those
final efforts 70 double which have
betrayed so many island men,
We talked for long time there
on the afterdeck. slowly, Clyde
Jerking out an occasional num-
bled sentence, with long pauses
between. Though he was hardly
thinking Of me at all. / had never
been closer 70 my uncle than !
was that night And that essential
love of home which was his main
spring had never been so plainly
visible. He was confronted with
the greatest opportunity Of bis life,
and he knew il for what it was
an incredible, unpredictable break
Of the luck. And the strongest in
stinct be had was forbidding him
to accept IL
There were a thousand dangers,
and a thousand ways in which the
project could break down-that
was true. But. on the other hand,
no dream Of development was so
ambitious as to be out Of the ques-
ton for Balingong raj. Some day
Ealingong could have miles OF rice
paddles, and cocoanut groves, and
rubber camps in the jungle. There
could be acres Of platforms for
drying FISH and shrimp. A channel
could be fiumed through Sider0ng
bar, and line Of warehouses run
from Balingong town 70 the bay.
The Siderong would be safe for
trade for the first time in 800 years.
And perhaps some day the
aretched half-fugitive Dyaks
would become once more null
tiplying, working people. freed Of
starvation. freed Of disease. reed
CT their everlasting. enslaving fear
OF the kris.
That this course Of events would
presently bring Balingong under
the flag Of some world power was
beside the point. The thing was
Il at no dream Of empire was out
Of the question for ambitious men.
The great East India Company was
still patterning the method BY
which most Of The commercial adj
Verture~s were bringing the flags
Of the nations into these unknown
e1as. But there were other men
WI made vFavs Of their own.
The great Rziah Brooke. landing
IN Borneo with only the zlenderest
Of resources. had made himself
recognized ruler Of an independent
nation covering more territory
than England. II the luck held
l1ng CROUCH. Brooke's great ac-
ecn Dlishment might In soma part
- duplicated here
Eut-fhe fulflimeni Of such q
dream costs the lives Of more men
than die for IL The living also
ft.si b1ry themselves IN such 4
latcr. James Clyde. out Of whose
ev- rlasting effort all this must be
built wossId never see snow again.
Re would never again eat sour
cherry pie On a New England
morning keen with frost. or smell
the maple syrup boilers swee9en-
iur the clean arr of spring thaw
little things m stand in the way
CT enpire. perhaps. but dearer 20
certain men than hope.
IN Love
WHENEVER l thought Of spend
w inR eli the rest CT my lie
sweating under the blanket Of the
nalingong heat. dreams Of empire
lost NEST C their glow. Even cur
ship herself seemed unhappy and
dispirited here. her lofty trucks
kept weaving restleSsiy against
ftfle starr although there eas DO
berceplible swell The Linking
ishad a Chinese name now, but she
had been built for a whaier cut
OF Gloucester. Like al the rest Of
us. she was ! long way from home.
Don't know how TO tel CHRIS
tine" nv uncle kept mumbllng
And now | began 70 see some
thing else which l should have
seen before. and expected. but
which | had been too stupid 70
s0specf. The real trouble with my
uncle was not his kris wound
James Clyde was in love with
Christinei
Why not7 Alfeady I was a coed
deal more than half in love with
her myself. Niles away from any
other white woman. the most
ordinary girl In the world takes on
an unbelievable glamour. until il
is hard g believe that there Is
anything else ike her anywhere
And this girl was very far from
ordinary. Her courage, her acute
knowledge Of . part Of the world
few men knew anything about. her
loyalty % tie purposes her father
had conceived-these were extra
ordinary enough. But thev were
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