Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-11-04
Chapter NVIlI.

The long wait for the coming of the big
transports with the regulars was over For
the first time in history America was send
ing her soldiery past the pyramids and
through the Indian sea, landing them after
forty days and night of voyaging upon
the low, fiat shores that hem Manila bay
and showing them out to the hostile front
before their sea-legs could reach the swing
and stride of the marching step: vet to all
appearance, as unconcernedly at home as
though they had been campaigning in the
Philippines since the date of their enlist
ment. This, to be sure, in the case of more
than half their number would have given
them scant time in which to look about
them, since raw recruits We're more num-
erOus than seasoned men. But no matter
what may be his lack of drill or preDara-
ton the average Anglo-Saxon never seems
to know the time when he doesn't know
how to fight. So, with all the easy assur-
ance of a veteran. our Yankee "TommeS''
wriggled into their blanket rolls and
trudged away to the posts assigned them;
and once more the army assumed the ag-
gTeSSive.
There were changes in the composition
of the forces even before the move began.
The Dudes and the ''Toughs'' parted com
pany; and the former, with Stanley Arm
strong once more riding silent at their
head, Joined forces with Stewards riddled
regiment up the railway toward Malolos
| Colonel Frost had succeeded in convincing
the surgeons that he would be as out of
and climate, and was in daily expectation
of an order home. Billy Gray, mending
only slowly, had been sent to Corregidor
where the bracing breezes of the China
sea drove their tonic forces through his
lungs and veins, and the family rising hue
of coming health back into his hollow
checks. The boy had been harder hit than
seemed the case at first said the fellows
or the -teenth; but the wise young sur
geon of the Second Reserve" and a grave
faced colonel OF infantry could have told
of causes little dreamed of in the regiment
were either giMen to telling the half of
what he knew. a
That something most unusual had oc-
| CURED in the room of Mr.. Gray the day
that the sa@rfaeed, kind old general visited
the hospitalvat laast half a dozen patients
could have, t9ld; for an attendant went run
ming for one OF the women nurses and the
doctor himsslI hurried to the scene 1t was
on his arm 9thato half hour later Mrs
Garrison SLOWLY descended the stairs her
f1imsy whts, veil down, and silently bowed
her thanks end .asiieuX the doctor closed
the door of her carriage end nodded to the
little coacA;nan7y 1t was the doctor who
suggested 10 C9l Frost that Manila air
was not conduc5ye to his wife's recovery,
ana recompenaed Nasasaki as the place
and take Der h9me The Esmerelda bore
the White SisterS over Hongkong way with
in a week; And they left without flourish of
trumpet, with hardly the fiutter of a hand
kerchief; for, since the battle of the 9Th of
February, neither had been seen upon the
Iuneta. Their women friends were very
few; the men they knew were mainly at the
front. The story got out somehow that
Garrison had asked to be relieved from
further duty as aid-de-camp and returned
to duty with his regiment, and that Drayton
would not have it. The generals manner
toward the hard-working staff officer,
though often preoccupied as of old. grew
even kinder. He did not see the sisters off
for China, he was far too busy" was the
explanation; but he offered Garrison q fort
nights leave and urged his taking IT, and
was obviously troubled when Garrison de-
clined. You need rest and the change of
air more than any man I know" said he:
but Garrison replied that change of scene
and air would rot help him.
There We're two young fellows in khaki
uniforms landed from the hospital launch
on the back trip from Corregtdor one warm
March day. One wore the badge of a sub
altern of the --teenth Regulars. the other
the ehevrons o. corporal and the hat