248 MYSTIC ISLES 



what we call menial labor and other work. Nor did we 

 until recently. The kings and nobles of Europe were 

 actually served by the lords of the bedchamber and the 

 maids in waiting. The American boot-black was really 

 a boot-white, as all wore white canvas shoes except 

 preachers and sailors. 



The boot-white called out, ''Shine!" and the word, 

 unpronounceable by the native, entered a himene as 

 Una. Within a week he had his Tahitian consort doing 

 the shining most of the time while he loafed in the Paris 

 saloon. He lived at the Annexe, and told me that he 

 was not really a boot-cleaner, but was going around the 

 world on a wager of twenty thousand dollars, "with- 

 out a cent." He, too, had a credulous circle, who paid 

 him often five francs for a shine to help him win his bet 

 by arriving at the New York City Hall on a fixed date 

 with a certain sum of money earned by his hands. He 

 raised the American flag over his stand, and referred to 

 Uncle Sam as if he were a blood relation to whom he 

 could appeal for anything at any time. 



All the foregoing was brought out in our conversa- 

 tion at the British consul's. Willi, temporarily conduct- 

 ing American affairs in French Oceanic, gave a denoue- 

 ment. 



"The shine is n 't a bad fellow," he said, "but he 's 

 serious about the twenty thousand dollars. His state- 

 ment was doubted to-day by an English sailor, who 

 called him 'a blarsted Hamerican liar,' and the shine 

 took off his own rubber leg, and knocked the sailor down. 

 He could move faster on his one leg than the other on 

 two, and Monsieur Lontane had to summon two assist- 

 ants to take him to the calaboose. He would n't re- 



