Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-12-15

4 vi GDuISt / SCUllCb Ollu w Vie slid updll
and brought back our medicine chest and
some cans of soup and things to go with it.
Meanwhile the skipper had gone along
with her to the hut she had built, and so l
toted the things up there myself in a half
dozen loads or so.
Her shanty was a pretty tough looking
piece of architecture, made Of brush and
long grass, but 1t served every purpose,
and l don't wonder at the dons not having
sighted it on their coast patrols. The old
people were in a pretty bad state. We
could not possibly move the sickest ones,
and the Others were not a great deal bet
ter.
"As soon as one of our ships that has a
doctor III board comes round I'll bring
him ashore with me- said the skipper to
the young lady. meanwhile, as you say
you have a little knowledge of medicine
and it's uses, l presume you can do some
thing with our chest"
never did see a girl carry on so about
being grateful, and chow noble we were"
and all hat sort of theatrical talk. But
of course you must expect such from those
Cubans. They're all hot blooded critters
and say exactly what they mean right out.
But for that matter the scnorita scarcely
needed to talk. Her eyes told everything.
She followed us out of tho hut when we
went down toward the boat again.
SIS there anything more we can do for
you, madam?' says the ensign, with his
hat in his hand and bending forward as il
he was talking to the queen Of England
and not a barefooted Cuban girl with
enough good looks to supply all ordinary
dozen. Il should earnestly repeat my adj
vice to you Of seeking safety on board my
vessel with all your companions that can
be moved. am truly sorry to say that
I fear the days of your parents are already
numbered"
II thank you, noble American, y replied
the senorita in her pretty lisping fashion,
'but we both have sacred duties-yours
with your ships to the fight, 1 my people
to nurse! But one thing there is you can
do for me more, and every moment shall I
call blessings upon the heads of my pre-
servers. Give to me the-what call you it?
that thing" pointing to the revolver in
his belt. II know it's good use, but not
your name"
Without a word the skipper took the
weapon from his belt, saw that it's cham
bers were properly loaded and handed it to
her. He was about to give her extra car
tridges from his pouch, but she stopped
him.
"No, no." she cried Zone shot will my
purpose serve-two at most!"
Then we understood, and / imagined I
heard the skipper sniffle once or twice as
we went down to the beach. I'm free to
acknowledge that l did as much. Pshaw!
Well, sir, the Acquackanock cruised up
and down that part of the coast for a week
or more. Not a day but what we managed
to pass by the place where the senorita and
her field hospital hung out, and usually
she would come down to the shore, where
she was rather hid from land sighting, and
wave that old red blanket to let us know
that all went we'll. OF course we did not
having others see the signals that were
not intended for them, but it made every
soul on board mighty glad to see that old
serape bobbing about, l can tell you. And
once or twice I took the skipper ashore
there again, with a lot Of IL buds for her
to make clothes out Of and little knick-
knacks of food and such, and he would have
palavered with her by the hour if I had
not made believe to see smoke out to sea-
ward or something like that. And one
time he put a ring that had belonged %
his mother-I heard him tell her soon
her finger, and the last time he kissed her
when l made believe not to be looking.
And I don't blame him or her either, for
that matter. Ienjoyed the wartime love-
making almost as much as they did. Hang
me for a regular soft soap swab! Here's
my blamed old eyes filling up just as if
they'd been scuttled for the insurance!
Well, the next day we were steaming
along toward what We called the ''seno-
rita's landing" Our pilot had got so used
to being ordered to head the ship in there
that he steered at an easy angle on his
own account, just to saw time. And so
there we were within nice range of the
shore. I'll never know just what made
me climb up OF top of the pilothouse
alongside Of our little nno At any
rate, there 7 happened to be, and the am
munition chest was handy. Just as we
came abreast of an open piece of country l
gave a carel IS look ashore, and then my
eyes fairly bulged out of my head l saw
about half dozen Spanish cavalry soldiers
riding along in a little compact troop, and
the middle fellow had a different sort #
saddlecloth from the rest.
"What in blankety blank do you mean
firing off that gun without my orders,
LandissS" beloved the skipper, coming
out from his cabin at the sound Of the re-
port. "And good gracious, man, you're
nothing else than a murderer. You have
no right to shoot men down in cold blood
like thatl"
Zone or two are only wounded appar-
entity, sir, I'm sorry to say" 1 replied, ~
luting as l spoke, "but I got the chap
with the scarlet blanket saddlecloth all
right"
WHAT" he yelled. But he knew as
well as l did, poor fellow
The look of the inside of that wretched
hut was something frightful. But the
senorita had used the skipper's revolver in
time to save what was more than life
Percie w. Hart in Criterion.