The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1899-12-29
FROM
THE ENEMY'S LINE

: THE ENEMYS LINE :
Sergeant Teddy" Wilkins was lying
on his breast behind a heap OF earth
listening to the zip of Mauser bullets
over his head. The Spanish picket line
was sheltered by a group Of trees not
far away. and occasionally u guerrilla
sharpshooter sent a message Of def
ance from the high branches.
The sergeant belonged to a New
York regiment which had hurried to
the front almost before congress had
officially declared that the United
States was at war with the proud old
land which had taken the trouble tn
discover her.
ut seems to me-" remarked the SER
.geant as he casually inspected the
number of cartridges in his belt, that
this business is growing very tiresome.
What we need is a little diversion, a
little Of the manc Of war"
"Well," replied young DE Jones, who
formerly %marshaled figures on q trial
balance sheet, you'll get more ro-
nance than you want If you don't lie q
little closer down there"
Three or four Of the guerrillas had
dropped from the trees, and the Span
ish stragglers had been driven back to-
ward Santiago by a rafting fire from
the Springfield rifles Of the volunteers.
The weather was entirely too hot to
follow up an advantage gained over a
few rice fed conscripts, and Company
X was resting a bit and wondering II
the commissary department would call
upon them that day.
"Teddy" wilkins was smoking the
artistically colored meerschaum which
he had brought from home. There had
been no tobacco in the rich brown bowl
for days, and the sergeant was content
eddy putting at some Of the dried grass
Of the country.
"Hello" exclaimed De Jones. Here
they come to our pink tea! I wonder
how they found out we were receiving
this afternoon. Get out the Boston
WATERS, Sarg, and I'll hunt up the sou.
venir spoons"
"They" proved to be a slender young
woman, who walked with a springy
step, and an elderly woman, who was
anything but sylph like. who seemed
to roll along the brown earth. There
was a look Of terror in the eyes Of both
of, them. They advanced toward the
American soldiers and held their hands
above their heads.
"Mercy. mercy. senor!" cried the girl,
in broken English,
"Tell them to sit down on the sofa
and make themselves at home" sug.
gested De Jones. 1.-THE young n ID
rather good looking. at that"
Sergeant Theodore Wilkins of Com
pany X bent his stiffened limbs, ad-
justed his cartridge belt and went to
meet the newcomers.
"We beg protection" said the young
er "We have come from the
city, and we beg to be spared by the
chivalry Of los Americanos."
wilkins, who remembered somewhat
of his Clendorf. attempted to say some
thing in Spanish which he meant to be
reassuring. The girl shook her head
and a puzzled expression came into her
eyes.
"Do not spik a Spanish more, senor.'
she said. II have the English very
we'll. | went to school in Connecticut"
Whereupon the men who had been
engaged in the gentle occupation of ex.
changing compliments with Spanish
foemen burst into an %uproarious guf'
faw, to the great annoyance OF Ser
geant Theodore wilkins.
"That Spanish Of yours Is great
suggested the corporal.
A lieutenant came up just then. The
two women said that they had just
come from beleaguered Santiago In or
der that they might escape death In
the bombardment which was sure tc
come. The lieutenant told them tha1
they need fear no danger. for los
Americanos" did not make war upor
women and children. He ordered Ser
geant Wilkins and a guard of two mel
to escort the visitors out Of harms
way.
Teddy wilkins was very young. Ht
was so youthful that he had had hare
work in getting into the regiment wher
he enlisted about n year before, IL
had been educated In n military school
and the mechanism of drill seemed 9
second nature to him. :
He remembered as lac escorted tht
refugees through the chaparral tina
there was a situation In n grand opers
which was not so very different from
the one In which he found himself
He wondered If Carmen were as beau
tiful as the Cuban girl who picked hel
way among the fallen branches ant
the stones which lay In their pathway
Then he tried to convince himsel,