The San Francisco call., 1898-05-26

too, would Hay them doom and dee" And to such as may hap to give the lives they offer so freely may there come to brighten the bitter hour a thought of the afternoon when San Francisco bade them good-by and sent them from her rich in an affection which shall abide.
 Every boat which came near received from the boys the order Blow your whistle" and the whistle blew. Then from the crowded deck and the rigging where they chung would come a series of hurrahs, to which spontaneous re- ply was certain, and the clamor hardly knew pause There were cheers for the Governor and the State officials steaming alongside in the show of gold braid There were cheers for the meanest boat afloat if only it displayed the red, white and blue, and just as hearty as if for the ocean going steamer moving with slow dignity up and down. There were whitehall boats of the crudest type. One contained a boy and two girls. They had some flags and flowers. Blow your whistle" de- manded the soldiers. The girls waved the flags and tried to cast the blossoms aboard the Picking. They'd have blowed a whistle if they had it." said a jolly young soldier. Three cheers for the whitehall" Only one craft was cheered more nightly.
 The tug Monarch drew near. At the fore was a flag upon which was the em- bIem of the Red Cross. Then the sol diers burst into a shout. Again and again they expressed the gratitude for the kindness and nobility that emblem represents. They threw kisses to the ladies-not after the manner of gallants seeking conquest-but as to mothers and sisters, and I doubt not could they have reached the deck of the Monarch they would have saluted the women on the lips with kisses as pure as they had bestowed when saying farewell to those of their own blood. And the salutes would have been returned. The Mon arch came to the side of the Picking and was made fast. On the forward deck stood a woman who had been active in Red Cross work and she wore a pin of the order. A boyish soldier spied 1t. He tipped his hat. T would like to have that pin," he said. She took it from her bosom, thrust it into a handkerchief and sent it up in a basket that had been lowered. Then there was a scramble for the token, but the one who had asked for it got it and smiled back his sense of gratitude and triumph. Per haps he will find in the token some day a comfort. It may carry his mind back to a knowledge that he has a place in the common affection. Keep we'll the pin, young soldier She who gave it is one of many whose prayers will follow you wherever fate may call.
 Sometimes for several minutes the noise would be so deafening that the bands seemed to be playing in panto- mime. Whistle vied with whistle, and from every throat there would issue all the sound of which it was capable. One could be conscious that he himself was cheering, but his neighbors' cheers he would have to take on faith. Then there would be lull, and into it would break the faint boom of a cannon. All the while the men were laughing as blithely as if they were bound for pleasing excursion, and through all the noise there proceeded the work of put ting supplies on board. The c ty of Sydney was ready, as those versed in signal lore affirmed they could read.