Argosy, Vol. 85, No. 3 — page 31: what you’re looking at

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

AMERICANS plump, commonplace man, not very in- telligent, not very well educated, a political growth who had been a power in his own section, and for whom some provision had to be made. The post at Guanama is not quite in the class of the Court of St. James, and its incumbents are sometimes correspondingly below what might be desired. Still, Barton was the whole visible supply of United States authority, and when they had locked the library door and arranged things so that no interested listener could well come within range without attracting attention, they told their tale. John Barton listened, puffing out an exclamation here and there, removing his glasses and polishing them at regular in- tervals, scowling incredulously at Hem- mett and then at Stephen Girton—until finally they came to the end and, with a dubious glance at each other, impatiently awaited his views upon the astounding situation. They came when he had stared per- plexedly across the room for a long minute. | “T think, gentlemen, that you exag- gerate!”’ he said heavily. ‘Does that—does that mean that you don’t believe what we’ve told you?” Girton demanded. “J should hesitate to put it in just that way,” the American minister smiled tartly. ‘1 think, gentlemen—pardon me, I’m sure!—that you have seen some of these things and fancied the rest. The United States, as you*are perfectly well aware, is on good terms with the entire world.” ‘‘ So good as to make it impossible that any European nation should have decided to take a chance on coming over, picking a fight, and recapturing some of the un- believable gold supply that has flowed into America of late years?” Hemmett cried. LU . Barton laughed aloud and wearily. “Oh, but my dear sir!”’ he protested. * Hasn’t that bugaboo been laid to rest? AFTER ALL. 373 1 thought, sir, that the yellow journals themselves had wearied of harping on that absurd idea.” 66 But—”’ “And for another thing, Mr. Hem- mett,” the minister pursued _ testily, ‘operations of such magnitude as you suggest are perfectly impossible—secret- ly, at any rate! To me the idea that a gigantic naval base is forming in Gua- nama is simply grotesque.” “Well, in spite of what does or does not strike you as grotesque, you can go Straight to the president of this republic and demand permission to inspect the National Engine Works, can’t you?” Girton asked hotly. “TI can, assuredly. And I shall not render my office ridiculous by doing any- thing of the kind, Mr. Girton. I shall— er—report to Washington all that you have told me, not giving the statements as proven facts but as hearsay, sir.” ‘“‘ And you will not even verify—”’ ‘“T will do what I have said, sir, and if my government wishes me to move further in the matter, instructions to that effect will be forwarded to me, as you know. Pah, Mr. Girton! Don’t glower like that. ‘“T know—you will know when both of you are a little calmer—that the whole thing ts a false alarm. Granted that there is a gun factory out there, gentle- men. What more natural than that the Guanaman government itself, for reasons doubtless good and sufficient, has decided to manufacture its own war munitions? ‘‘ And your nightmare cruiser and the fleet that is suposed to be somewhere down the coast! The reason for them stands on the very face of your recital. ‘These Guanamans raise the very dickens at the idea of their precious taxes being spent for anything but plazas and public bull-rings and band concerts, as you very well know. ‘Unquestionably the government is forming an efficient navy, and very wisely keeping from the public the amounts spent.” CO DOOK AMUC C©