Adventure Magazine Cover, June 20, 1925 — page 75: what you’re looking at

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

Medicinal Methods 57 then you can be buried out here and the drug can be saved to prevent an epidemic in the city.” Faced by this sunny prospect, Julio Romero rose to heights of eloquence that he had never before attained; and it was his oratory that had elevated him to the presidency of the union. He spoke of all that they had done for O’Keefe and the well beloved Compania in the past, he mentioned the sorrowing wives and children of the men thus condemned to death, he even offered O’Keefe the sum of a hundred or so pesos that was in the treasury of the union. When he had almost despaired of ever melting that hardest of hearts, O’ Keefe suddenly said— “Very well, I w ill cure all of you, if you will sign this paper.” “What paper is that?’ Romero glanced suspiciously at the document O’Keefe had taken from his pocket. “An agreement to call off the proposed strike, and to have no strikes or similar troubles during the rest of the year.” Romero tried to evade the issue— ‘The whole union is not here.” “All the officials are here. If you and these others sign, and you give me a note to the rest, I can get the signatures of the men on the other ships.’’ Although the astute Romero was very sick, he felt that something was wrong, he did not like the business, he very distinctly smelled a rat. But the fear of death was on him, and the others were crying out for him to sign, so he took the proffered pen and affixed his scrawling signature to the document. As each man signed he was given a drink from the bucket of water into which O’ Keefe had emptied one of the bottles from his medicine case, and was told to sit down and keep still. O’Keefe left them seated in long rows on the deck, and told the mate to have the chief tally clerk turn them to later in the afternoon, if they seemed suf- ficiently recovered. TWO days later O’Keefe was making up the month’s general 2 statement for the accounting de- “ partment of the home office. »At the end he added together the amounts of a couple of slips from “The Drug Store of Doctor Brute!” for the purchase of a large quantity of a strong emetic, a personal re- celpt signed in a crooked old-fashioned hand with the name of the man who had been cook for the union, and a bill for a new charcoal stove. He wrote the item, “Special Expenses. ..$257.00,”” and looked at it critically, wondering how many letters he would have to write before the home office was finally satisfied with the correct- ness of the item. At that moment Julio Romero walked in. O’Keefe quietly turned the accounts face down, and leaned back in his chair. “You wish to see me, Don Julio?” he asked. “The Carib Warrior has just finished load- ing, and we are come ashore.”’ ‘‘And are you all completely recovered?” “We are of such a healthfulness that it is difficult to believe that we were ever taken with the deadly cholera,” replied Romero suddenly. “Tt pleases me greatly to learn of it,” responded O’Keefe courteously, and waited for the other’s next move. Romero changed his ground. “The signing of that agreement pleases - you greatly, verdad?”’ O’Keefe shrugged his shoulders. “YT was not worried. The wages and hours are fair, and there was no reason for a strike. I feel sure that your sense of fair- ness would have prevented a strike at the last moment, even if no agreement had been signed.” Romero digested this. In his heart he admitted the truth of the first part of what O’Keefe had said, and he saw no point in taking exception to the rest at this time. He fired his last shot— ‘“That old one who cooked for us that day, he came ashore with you in the launch.” “Being old, he did not recover as quickly as the rest of you. I brought him ashore for more medicine.” “But I just came from his home, and he is not there. My heart goes out to the old one in his sickness, and I would visit him.” “Unfortunately he will be deprived of that pleasure. Don Pedro has taken ship to return to his old home in Spain.” Romero’s eyes grew black with rage, and the first words of a string of profanity came tumbling from his lips, but suddenly he smiled. Julio Romero was in most ways an unmitigated rascal, but he could also be a good loser. ‘“‘May God prosper his journey,” he said. COMIGDIOOKSEEO