Page images
PDF
EPUB

second dispatch to Loudenslager, received a few hours before, had called him home. The word had been kept from us, and now, only as the long day's festivities drew to a close, we were informed that the son of the Congressman had been taken from him and that the father had quickly boarded a steamer for a solemn week's journey to the bier of his boy.

[graphic][merged small]

CHAPTER VI.

VENEZUELA.

St. Patrick's Day South-Magnitude of Venezuela-Cleveland and the Monroe Doctrine-Impressive Mountain Scenery-A Wonderful Railroad-The Hand-car and the Bull-Efforts at Commercial Expansion-Do We Understand Each Other?-President McKinley and the Manufacturers-A Sample Warehouse Experiment-Progress of Two Countries Contrasted-Mr. Cannon on South America-Solicitude for Castro-Venezuela Newspapers-High-sounding Titles.

St. Patrick's Day fell upon Sunday. It found us sailing along the northern coast of South America, covering the distance of 350 miles from the Port of Spain to the Venezuelan port of La Guaira. It was a restful day upon the sea, but not without incident, for St. Patrick had his friends aboard, including the German steward, who generously decorated the dining-room in a gorgeous setting of green. The Rev. Dr. Tiffany conducted divine services in the afternoon, and everybody attended, including Tawney and Sherman, who led the singing. Their familiarity with "Old Hundred," "Bringing in the Sheaves," "Pull for the Shore," and other old-timers-for there were no hymnals-excited universal admiration.

"Like going to church in Danville!" the Speaker said. "I'm proud of you!"

At dinner we celebrated the birthday of Mrs. Huntoon, of Providence, but Mann was not satisfied until proper recognition was accorded St. Patrick. Following the meal, therefore, he called the passengers to the after-deck, and

introduced the Rev. Dr. Davies, of Belfast, Ireland, to tell us about the Patron Saint. Dr. Davies had been making a tour of the United States, studying our penal institutions, and on his return expected to run for Parliament. He was a clever speaker, and talked about St. Patrick entertainingly. Referring to the seven cities that claimed Homer dead, "through which the living Homer begged for bread,” the doctor said there were as many claimants for St. Patrick, including Germany and England. Finally, however, he traced St. Patrick to Wales, and fixed that country as the place of his nativity. The day wound up with the announcement by the Captain, that, to comply with the quarantine regulations at Panama, as applied to vessels sailing from Venezuelan ports, Jamaica would be visited before Panama, so that five days and nights might elapse to enable symptoms of yellow fever, if any existed on board, to develop. This would add two extra days to the schedule and cost the company about $6,000, but the Captain assured us it was nothing compared to the comfort and enjoyment of the passengers. "Ghoulish glee," as applied by an eminent Democrat to certain purveyors of ungenerous comment, is the term, I think, that might appropriately describe the sentiments of our friends, the quondam insurgents, when they heard the news. The suggestion that yellow fever might exist concerned them not.

The next morning we were anchored abreast of La Guaira. The Speaker was the first man up. At 5 o'clock, when the sun was rising over the mountains of Venezuela, I found him leaning on the rail of the promenade deck, gazing in admiration at the scene before him.

"Very pretty," he said.

I readily acquiesced. La Guaira was like a toy thrown up against a hill. Its low, white houses, with their red-tile

« PreviousContinue »