THE SAN BLAS PEOPLE 



the privacy may not be all that a blushing 

 bride craves, the custom at least does away 

 with the hoary-whiskered, Anglo-Saxon, 

 mother-in-law joke, and therefore has its 

 points. 



How or when the derby hat was introduced 

 to this coast I don't know, but rumor has it 

 that Wilcox is responsible. These hats are 

 all alike. They are worn on state occasions, 

 and since they are all of one size, regardless of 

 the size of the heads beneath, I am inclined 

 to believe that Wilcox is indeed to blame. He 

 is a grave man, but he has a sense of humor. 



According to another story, he once had a 

 stick of red sealing wax in the cabin of his 

 schooner, and when a brave came to him with 

 a stomach ache he pulverized it the sealing 

 wax and administered it in a cup of water. 

 The color was gorgeous and the cure immedi- 

 ate. More demands for the wonderful red 

 medicine resulted, and before long Wilcox 

 was doing a thriving business in sealing wax. 

 He ordered large quantities of it, for the profit 

 was good. His fame spread. Then one day, 

 being short of red, he unwittingly adminis- 

 tered some green, never thinking that the 

 color arose from Paris green or some such dele- 



129 



