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Page 22
Santos leaned over, and with a graceful gesture that she could not
resent, raised her finger tips gallantly to his lips.
"Thank you," he said with, a courtly smile. "We have already won!"
The next day Ramon introduced her to the other members of the Junta.
It was evident that he was in fact as well as name their leader, but
they were not like the usual oily plotters of revolution who
congregate about the round tables in dingy back rooms of South
Street cafes, apportioning the gold lace, the offices, and the
revenues among themselves. There was an "air" about them that was
different.
"Let me present Captain Lee Gordon of the Arrayo," remarked Santos,
coming to a stockily-built, sun-burned man with the unmistakable
look of the Anglo-Saxon who has spent much time in the neighborhood
of the tropical sun. "The Arroyo is the ship that is to carry the
arms and the plant to the island--from Brooklyn. We choose Brooklyn
because it is quieter over there--fewer people late at night on the
streets."
Captain Gordon bowed, without taking his eyes off Constance.
"I am, like yourself, Mrs. Dunlap, a recent recruit," he explained.
"It is a wonderful plan," he added enthusiastically. "We shall sweep
the country with it."
He flicked off the ash of his inevitable cigarette, much as if it
were the opposition of the governments they were to encounter.
It was evident that the Captain was much impressed by Constance. Yet
she instinctively disliked the man. His cameraderie had something
offensive about it, as contrasted with the deferential friendship of
Santos.
With all her energy, however, Constance plunged directly into her
work. Indeed, even at the start she was amazed to find that money
for a revolution could be raised at all. She soon, found that it
could be done more easily in New York than anywhere else in the
world.
There seemed to be something about her that apparently appealed to
those whom she went to see. She began to realize what a tremendous
advantage a woman of the world had in presenting the case and
convincing a speculator of the rich returns if the revolution should
prove successful. More than that, she quickly learned that it was
best to go alone, that it was she, quite as much as the promised
concessions for tobacco, salt, telegraph, telephone monopolies, that
loosed the purse strings.
Her first week's report of pledges ran into the thousands with a
substantial immediate payment of real dollars.
"How did you do it?" asked Santos in undisguised admiration, as she
was telling him one night of her success, in the dusty, cobwebbed
little ship chandlery on South Street where the Junta headquarters
had been established.
"Dollar diplomacy," she laughed, not displeased at his admiration.
"We shall soon convert American dollars into Vespuccian bullets."
They were alone, and a week had made much difference in the
fascinating friendship to Constance.
"Let me show you what I have done," Ramon confided. "Already, I have
started together the 'counterfeiting plant,' as you call it."
Piece by piece, as he had been able to afford them, he had been
ordering the presses, the stamping machine, and a little "reeding"
or milling machine for the edges of the coins.
"The paper, the ink, and the bullion, we shall order now as we can,"
he explained, resting his head on his elbow at the table beside her.
"Everything will be secured from firms which make mint supplies for
foreign governments. A photo-engraver is now engaged on the work of
copying the notes. He is making the plates by the photo-etching
process--the same as that by which the real money plates are made.
Then, too, there will be dies for the coins. Coined silver will be
worth, twice the cost of the bullion to us. Why," he added eagerly,
"a few more successful days, Senora, and we shall have even arms and
ammunition."
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