The United States of America， after looking over itsstock of consular timber， selected Mr. John De GraffenreidAtwood， of Dalesburg， Alabama， for a successor to WillardGeddie， resigned.
Without prejudice to Mr. Atwood， it will have to beacknowledged that， in this instance， it was the man whosought the office. As with the self-banished Geddie， it wasnothing less than the artful smiles of lovely woman thathad driven Johnny Atwood to the desperate expedient ofaccepting office under a despised Federal Government sothat he might go far， far away and never see again the false，fair face that had wrecked his young life. The consulshipat Coralio seemed to offer a retreat sufficiently removedand romantic enough to inject the necessary drama intothe pastoral scenes of Dalesburg life.
It was while playing the part of Cupid’s exile that Johnnyadded his handiwork to the long list of casualties alongthe Spanish Main by his famous manipulation of the shoemarket， and his unparalleled feat of elevating the mostdespised and useless weed in his own country from obscurityto be a valuable product in international commerce.
The trouble began， as trouble often begins instead ofending， with a romance. In Dalesburg there was a mannamed Elijah Hemstetter， who kept a general store. Hisfamily consisted of one daughter called Rosine， a namethat atoned much for “Hemstetter.” This young womanwas possessed of plentiful attractions， so that the youngmen of the community were agitated in their bosoms.
Among the more agitated was Johnny， the son of JudgeAtwood， who lived in the big colonial mansion on the edgeof Dalesburg.
It would seem that the desirable Rosine should havebeen pleased to return the affection of an Atwood， a namehonored all over the state long before and since the war.
It does seem that she should have gladly consented tohave been led into that stately but rather empty colonialmansion. But not so. There was a cloud on the horizon，a threatening， cumulus cloud， in the shape of a lively andshrewd young farmer in the neighborhood who dared toenter the lists as a rival to the high-born Atwood.
One night Johnny propounded to Rosine a question thatis considered of much importance by the young of thehuman species. The accessories were all there—moonlight，oleanders， magnolias， the mockingbird’s song. Whetheror no the shadow of Pinkney Dawson， that prosperousyoung farmer came between them on that occasion is notknown； but Rosine’s answer was unfavorable. Mr. John DeGraffenreid Atwood bowed till his hat touched the lawngrass， and went away with his head high， but with a sorewound in his pedigree and heart. A Hemstetter refuse anAtwood！ Zounds！
Among other accidents of that year was a Democraticpresident. Judge Atwood was a warhorse of Democracy.
Johnny persuaded him to set the wheels moving for someforeign appointment. He would go away—away. Perhapsin years to come Rosine would think how true， howfaithful his love had been， and would drop a tear—maybein the cream she would be skimming for Pink Dawson’sbreakfast.
The wheels of politics revolved； and Johnny wasappointed consul to Coralio. Just before leaving he droppedin at Hemstetter’s to say good-bye. There was a queer，pinkish look about Rosine’s eyes； and had the two beenalone， the United States might have had to cast about foranother consul. But Pink Dawson was there， of course，talking about his 400-acre orchard， and the three-milealfalfa tract， and the 200-acre pasture. So Johnny shookhands with Rosine as coolly as if he were only going torun up to Montgomery for a couple of days. They had theroyal manner when they chose， those Atwoods.
“If you happen to strike anything in the way of a goodinvestment down there， Johnny，” said Pink Dawson， “justlet me know， will you？ I reckon I could lay my hands on afew extra thousands ’most any time for a profitable deal.”
“Certainly， Pink，” said Johnny， pleasantly. “If I strikeanything of that sort I’ll let you in with pleasure.”
So Johnny went down to Mobile and took a fruitsteamer for the coast of Anchuria.
When the new consul arrived in Coralio the strangenessof the scenes diverted him much. He was only twenty-two；and the grief of youth was not worn like a garment as it isby older men. It has its seasons when it reigns； and then itis unseated for time by the assertion of the keen senses.
Billy Keogh and Johnny seemed to conceive a mutualfriendship at once. Keogh took the new consul about townand presented him to the handful of Americans and thesmaller number of French and Germans who made up the“foreign” contingent. And then， of course， he had to bemore formally introduced to the native officials， and havehis credentials transmitted through an interpreter.
There was something about the young Southernerthat the sophisticated Keogh liked. His manner wassimple almost to boyishness； but he possessed the coolcarelessness of a man of far greater age and experience.
Neither uniforms nor titles， red tape nor foreignlanguages， mountains nor sea weighed upon his spirits.
He was heir to all ages， an Atwood， of Dalesburg； and youmight know every thought conceived to his bosom.