There are really two methods of seeing the
Canal Zone; as an employee or as a guest at the Tivoli, both of
them at about five dollars a day--but at opposite ends of the
thermometer.
There remained a week-end between that Friday morning and the last
day of January, set for the beginning of the census. Certainly I
should not regret the arrival of the day when I should become an
employee, with all the privileges and coupon-books thereunto
appertained. For the Zone is no easy dwelling-place for the non-
employee. Our worthy Uncle of the chin whiskers makes it quite
plain that, while he may tolerate the mere visitor, he does not
care to have him hanging around; makes it so plain, in fact, that
a few weeks purely of sight-seeing on the Zone implies an
adamantine financial backing. In his screened and full-provided
towns, where the employee lives in such well-furnished comfort,
the tourist might beat his knuckles bare and shake yellow gold in
the other hand, and be coldly refused even a lodging for the
night; and while he may eat a meal in the employees' hotels--at
near twice the employee's price--the very attitude in which he is
received says openly that he is admitted only on suffrance--
permitted to eat only because if he starved to death our Uncle
would have the bother of burying him and his Zone Police the
arduous toil of making out an accident report.
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