The Van Buren press., 1898-09-10
BOSTON WAS SAVED.
How Famous Trait of Her Fair
Daughters Fooled the Spanish
Men-Of-NRr.


There had been sounds all day-dull,
deep, booming sounds-from various
directions. True, there were enough
sounds on previous occasions, but none
quite so emphatic. And now Boston
realized that the worst was at hand.
The Donna Ipecachuana and the
Donna lingo y Sarsapareelah were an
nouneed off the harbor, and at any
moment the bombardment might COM
menee. Everywhere people could be
met hurrying toward the interior OF
the state, loaded down with family
trees and Puritan Bibles, and all the
minor household gods. The gilded
Goldfish cleaned duly on the state
house. The grass on the Common
turned an ashen brown.
At 9:30 ante-meridian the Donna
Tpecachuana yawned heavily and drop
shell from her bow gun. The pro-
jectile entered the city at the fish
wharf, and chasing itself up the mar
row street that suggested a convenient
opening, speedily found itself in diff
culties. In following the tortuous
course it curved here and there and
left and right, and In zigzags and
obliques, until it reached Washington
street, where it was too tired and con-
fused to explode.
The shell was simply a warning. Tt
had the desired effect. Mayor Quincy
and the city authorities moved quick
y. They had the Spaniards' terms. A
ransom of S10,G00,O00 to be raised in
six hours, 500 tons of coal and five off
hand shots at Bunker Hill shaft
There was only one more condition.
Twenty Boston maidens, the flower of
the hub, were to be Immediately sent
aboard the enemy's ships as hostages,
to be held in testimony of Boston's
good faith.
At ten o'clock the maidens left the
wharf in two barges, ten to a barge.
The suns rays touched with fire their
cleaning spectaeles and yellowed the
texture of their reconeentrado neeks.
Their ages aggregated 1888 years.
They did not weep. There was a
look of high resolve upon their CHS
eled features. A moment later they
were speeding away over the ripping
waves.
A chill breeze swept over the decks
as the two installments boarded the
respective warships. Each captain in
voluntarily looked at the barometer.
Then he looked at the ten maidens
After that he cheerfully looked back
at the barometer.
The fair hostages, statuesquely cold,
sat in row of chairs on the after deck.
They were not disturbed. The hand
some Spanish officers who strolled by
with smiling eyes and cleaning teeth
did not come back. The marine who
with chdttering jaws-patroled the
deck kept his eyes resolutely fixed on
an imaginary point six PAGES in front
of him. And all the time it grew cold
er.
The captain of the Don Jingo in his
great coat consulted the executive Of
ficer in I'm ulster. They couldn't un-
derstand the ever-increasing chill.
Nor was the puzzle lessened when the
chief engineer sent up word that ice
was rapidly forming in the starboard
draught condenser, and that the
pumps were clogged with icy needles,
And all this time a raw, offshore wind
swept the decks. The captain, who
was an affable man as well as a dark
and revengeful enemy, approached the
hostages and was about to ask them
If they had brought their wraps with
them, when they turned upon him such
chilly stare that he felt the marrow
of his bones grow cold.
With difficulty he moved away on
his benumbed feet and was immedi-
ately confronted by the boatswain.
Sir" said the latter, in choice Bis
cayan, eve won't do any bombarding
to-day. The powder is frozen so hard
that you can't cut it with an AK"
Don't try!' roared the captain.
"Well get out of this as quick as the
Lord will let us. | don't intend to be
frozen up stiff in this internal eli
mate. Send those gi-girls ashore and
We'll up anchor and away!"
Twenty minutes later the warships
were steaming rapidly southwark and
the maidens were on shore telling their
overjoyed friends how they had frozen
out the dread invaders.
And the captain of the Donna Ipecac-
huana and the captain of the Don
lingo y Sarsapareelah may never know
how they converted their ships into
floating refrigerators by taking on
board those coldly chaste Boston dam
els.-Cleveland Plain Dealer.