Argosy, Vol. 85, No. 3 — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

AMERICANS say, I do congratulate you, old man! Carmen ’ll be tickled to death, too. She said something about you and Mercedes, and I paid little or no attention; but— well, by thunder, we ave Guanamans now in good earnest, aren’t we?”’ ‘For the rest of our lives, I guess,” muttered Mr. Girton with the strange solemnity that had come upon him. Silence followed for a _ little—the heavy, comfortable silence of two men who understand each other perfectly. Hemmett was thinking pleasantly of the luck that had come to his old friend; Girton thrice started humming a little native love-song and thrice caught him- self and stopped. And then, his own thoughts straying in the direction Hem- mett’s had taken, he mused after a time: ‘It isn’t a bad place to live our lives, all things considered.” ‘‘T suppose it looks more like heaven to you just now than anything else,” Hemmett chuckled, “ but it’s not so bad at that. We had some rousing adventures here in the good old days, but things are quiet now and forevermore. Guanama’s at peace with herself and the world, and if they had only reelected Ferrata presi- dent everything would be perfect.” Briefly, Stephen Girton left the rose- garden of his personal thoughts. “How in blazes did they ever elect Altara, anyway?” he demanded. ‘“ No- body ever thought the radical party had a look-in; everybody assumed that Fer- rata could serve for the rest of his life. But they jammed in Altara by a hundred votes—and he'll make a rotten presi- dent!” “He will that,” Hemmett agreed. “He seems timid about his own shadow. His darned inauguration yesterday was rushed through like a wedding ceremony in an alderman’s office.” ‘“ But it was just as legal and binding,” Girton grinned. ‘A lot of those votes for him came down from Carama way, where they’ve built the uniform-manu- facturing city.” “T know they™did,” said Hemmett, AFTER ALL. 355 ‘and a lot more came from the Ricoto neighborhood and the new factories there —and if it comes down to that, the heaviest Altara vote in any one region came from the section of this very town where the employees of the National Engine Works live. That went perfectly solid for Altara!”’ And here they stared at each other in gentle astonishment until Girton smiled: ‘“Do you suppose there’s any connection between the two things? Have our va- rious new big employers of labor been influencing their employees to vote out Ferrata?” ‘“J—doubt it,” Hemmett said slowly. ‘‘ Although this whole industrial boom is rather queer, to my mind. Almost any- thing queer is likely to come of it. Why, just see what is happening here at this minute, Steve! Guanama’s new factories are furnishing millions of dollars’ worth of supplies every month to the European armies that gould be made more cheaply and bought more cheaply in the United States and carried to Europe more cheaply after they’re made, and—”’ ‘Say! That’s a fact, isn’t it?” cried Mr. Girton. “Well, although I have never given it much serious thought until the last week or so, it is unquestionably a fact. I’ve been so infernally busy with the tobacco business that I’ve never considered the matter until very recently; but it is a fact that certain European nations are paying more than they need to for the stuff made here! Why?” ‘Well, for that matter, why did all the money flow in and why did all the fac- tories start up at about the same time? It all began two years ago.” “Tt all began about the time that certain of our senators decided that Guanama needed a big navy, and jammed through the proposition in the face of all kinds of opposition!”’ Girton spoke sud- ‘denly, and second by second the languor of recent months left his countenance, just as it was leaving Hemmett’s. “It all began about the time that Canita, the MICLOOOK C©