Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1899-01-05
I l..
LIEUT.. TERR1L1's STRANGE RELEASE.

LIEUT.. TERR1LL's STRANGE RELEASE.
Lieutenant Terrill was ordered to
Guyana the day after the death of
the Spanish captain.
Carefully packed in his meagre lug
gage was coat of Spanish army pat
tern with an officers badge and the
rents and the blood stains made by
four American bullets. The withered,
yellow duenna had brought it to him.
rerrill did something foolish for O
brawny Kentucky officer when he
packed that coat among his belong
ings. He looked upon the breast of
the coat for the stain of tear drops
from the pretty Senorita Maxia's eyes.
He blushed like any girl. He called
himself a sentimental fool.
The yellow fend had been let loose
at Ponce, and people were dying by
the score. 1t was foolhardy for Lieu
tenant Terrill to wander there from
Guyana. There were more dangers
than that of yellow fever threatening
visitors to Ponce. 1t had been aban-
doned by American soldiers, and
Spanish sympathizers had resumed
their tyranny. Lieutenant Terrill
could give no satisfactory reason for
his visit to Ponce. He was not apt
to inventions, and had he told them
that fancy to be nearer the lovely
senorita Maxia Antonius had been the
moving cause of his journey they would
have ieered at him for his presump-
tion. They cried "Spyl Spy!" And
so Lieutenant Terrill was thrown into
prison.
He was not allowed to send q mes
sage to his regiment, nor to his home.
While not incomunicado, he was SO
despised and feared as q spy that no
one in Ponce would be the bearer of q
word from him. The jailer was inso-
lent, and the guards made ghastly
pantomime of blindfolded man be-
fore line of men who were aiming
Mauser rifles at him. And, again, the
Kentuckian called himself fool, and
smoked vigorously.
One day there was q disturbance
outside the Jail. Lieutenant Terrill
looked through his barred windows.
Was the pantomime of tho blindfolded
man standing before lire OF Spanish
soldiery with Mauser rifles to be en-
acted? He set his teeth firmly. He
would die Ike o Ken5uckian and an
officer.
There were Spanish soldiers COM
ing. They were armed with Mauser
rifles. At their head, however, walked
a young, graceful figure, whose bent
head was gracefully draped with lace
mantilla. The outline of the olive
cheek showed through. He had seen
that cheek pressed against bearded,
dead face. Beside her walked with
cred, yellow duenna.
| They came to see him executed.
Was it cruelty or pity?
His iailer unlocked the door. Eis
manner was most deferential.
"You are free, Senior Americana"
Senorita Antonius was just behind
the iailer.
-you--it is pleasant that you are
free, Senor," she stammered. "You
were good to my dear father" and
tear tricklei through her long black
lashes.
Bentuckials are not laggards either
in love or war. Lieutenant Terrill
grasped the senorita's hand with both
OF his, even while the duenna gasped
and the Spanish soldiers looked as
though ready to aim Mauser rifles.
pleasant 10 be free, senorita, but
heavenly to owe it to you," he cried,
even while the olive face turned Grim
son.
They walked to the nearest hotel,
the lieutenant and tho senorita and
the duenna, the guard having dis
persed, because no longer necessary.
Senorita Antonius shyly told how q
Spanish color-sergeant, who was one
of her suitors, had boasted that an
American had been found prowling in
sanely and alone about Ponce, and
that he had been imprisoned and
would be shot as spy, though the
color-sergeant's opinion was that he was
lunatic; how she had suspected that
the lunatic was her late protector and
her fathers friend; how she had been
able through the influence of her dead
fathers name to secure his release;
and--well, how glad she was. She
looked very .sweetly at him then be-
meath the mantilla. though the duenna
frowned and mumbled. Lieutenant
J Terrill, I have said. was no laggard in