Forbidden Cargoes

lan jail from which Johnny Thompson had been so strangely released, the Spanish child in his arms stirred,

o owned a fifth of all the banana land in Central Am

xt?" he

run, or stand his ground, he hesi

an exclaimed

d on. "Now he's found me, he'll find me another jail. He'll put me in. If he can catch me. He can't." Ye

hnny. At the same instant the child Johnny had protected during the terrifying earthquake s

r. She found-that is, we fell over each other, so we dec

friend? You are in

t had been a terribly uncomfortable jail. "The-the jail wasn't safe,"-hi

g words, soft melodious Spanish

tastrophe, tells me you were her protector. You have returned me good for evil. Pardon. You wished to ask me something? Banana

n bars and a child to plead his cause. Before his mind's eye came the faces of good old Kennedy, of Madge Ke

rich Spaniard. "It is only the six hands I ask. They are no

n del Valle stroked his bea

eat shudder is over, please God. My servants have cleared away the rubbish and put things to right. W

d, flitting back and forth like a sunbeam, placed a confidi

at flower-filled urn had been cleared away. Two fallen trees still lay prone amid a blazing bed of flowering plants. In the bac

hing hot corn cakes and sipping coffee. There was Don del Valle and his wife, a ver

noted how tenderly they cared for the dark-eyed

ness. They speculated regarding the extent of damag

hquakes in the United S

very broad and flat. It has little backbone. Mountains are the bac

uite true. Our land is very much

Skipper Jorgensen's ship, the North Star, was lying before Belize in British Honduras without a cargo-at least it had been lying there three days before. There was no telling at what moment some one might

d himself, "would

may talk. We must make it brief. I am a busy man. In this city I operate two stores, a cotton mill

and bu

any will never purchase them. How can you hope to dispose of them? They are not used. Either they

you do not care for them, because you have no contract with the Fruit Compa

hat would pay for gathering and bringing them to the wharf. But you?" He turned his eyes upo

re kind to my child, I like you. I do

m. You call those groups hands. For a bunch having seven hands the Fruit Company pays twenty-five cents; eight hands th

Senor. It

aller? Are they less sweet? Will they spoil m

Sen

are they n

rugged his shou

little more trouble to handle. That is the only difference. There are plenty larger. The Fruit Company

more bananas. Their children love them. Do they eat them? No. Why? Because, while you sell a b

my task. But for once, in a little corner of our great country, there will be cheap bananas. Six hand bunches. Y

ny small bunches. You may have them all. I will give you a note to my m

rd to th

said the generous Spaniard. "Send me a draft. If the mo

d I will instruct my secretary about the note y

on air, Johnny made his wa

e North Star before Captain Jorgensen contracts fo

ion and many strange surprises, things are almost never done snappy. It is the land of manana (tomo