The Argosy, Christmas 1912 — page 247: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE LETTER HE DIDN’T WANT. lady of the previous evening walking with an elderly companion. Even to Jimmy’s blind eyes she was lovely. And at that moment she turned slyly, so as not to attract the attention of her companion, and her dark eyes laughed squarely into his. Then she passed on. Hardly had she gone when Jimmy was attracted by a low whistle, and, looking down, he saw the man with the note staring up at him. Jimmy glared at him, but the man only held out the envelope and motioned to Jimmy to come down and get it. With an exclamation of disgust, Jimmy went inside and wrote another long letter to Mrs. Morton, but he did not mention the occurrences that had so upset him. After dinner he grew more rest- less, and, lighting a cigar, strolled down to the water-front to watch the tiny lights of the vessels bobbing up and down in the little harbor. Sud- denly, in a lonely spot, he heard a whisper behind him, and, swinging about, found himself face to face with the persistent note-bearer. With a grin the man held out the envelope once more, respectfully re- moving his hat and bowing profound- ly. It was too much! With an oath Jimmy seized the fellow and shook him violently. “ Haven't I told you to keep away from me?” he shouted, gripping the man’s coat-collar more tightly. “I’ve a notion to throw you off the dock!” “ But, sevor,’ the. man_ pleaded. “Tf the sevor will only open—” Then Jimmy’s temper got the best of him. Clutching the seat of the man’s trousers with his free hand, he heaved him into the air and far out over the stone wall. There was a cry, a splash, and then silence for a mo- ment. Jimmy hesitated. Now he could see a dark form struggling in the water. Before he could move, however, there came the patter of running feet, and a lantern was thrust into his face. He was surrounded by an excited, jabber- 233 ing group of native policemen, who covered him with their rifles as they might a desperate criminal. A call came from over the wall, and two of the policemen dragged the swimmer out of the water. Now there was more rapid exchange of Spanish and a barefooted officer in a once gor- geous uniform pushed his way through the little group. Dripping and with chattering teeth, Jimmy’s victim told his story, and without further ceremony the police led them both off to the office of el capitan de policia. Jimmy -was furious. He longed to drag the effem- inate little official from behind his desk and serve him as he had served the bearer of the scented note. But his captors prodded his ribs with the muz- zles of their short rifles, and el capi- tan calmly twirled his long mustache as the water-soaked complainant plead- ed his case. Then the official turned and gazed with well-assumed sternness at Jimmy, addressing him in Spanish. “You'll have to talk United States,” Jimmy retorted angrily. “I can’t un- derstand that jabbering.” El capitan smiled indulgently and addressed himself once more to the dripping man, from whose garments little streams of water were rapidly forming pools upon the stone floor. “Look here!” shouted Jimmy, in- terrupting. “I can’t make out what you're trying to get out of your sys- tem, but you’d better make an effort to understand me. I’m down here to sell pocket-lighters, and I want to be allowed to do it in peace. I can’t help it if ’'m good-looking and your sejio- ritas fall in love with me. But unless you release me at once and keep this old idiot away from me while I’m here, I'll have a United States gunboat come down and blow your dinky little town off the-map! Get that?” Apparently el capitan did. The words “ United States gunboat” at least conveyed an intelligent meaning to him. One had once been there, and CoOMmicbook CO