Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1900-06-28
CHAPTER NN.-CoNTINuEp.

CHAPTER XN.-CoNTINUED.
The men of the house, Frost and
Garrison, were accustomed, when the
latter was at home, to breakfast to-
gether quite early. Then the colonel
would drive off to the Ayuntamiento
in the walled city, and Frank would
mount his pony and ride away to his
long days duties. Later the sisters
would have their leisurely breakfast,
secure in the protection of the guard,
would give their Chinaman chef his
orders for the day, and send him off to
make such purchases as were possible
in the now scanty market. Then read
ing, writing, receiving callers of their
own sex would fill up the morning.
There would be a brief siesta after
luncheon, an hour or so on the broad
veranda overlooking the sparkling bay,
then dress and the inevitable drive.
OF Armstrong they had seen nothing,
heard next to nothing. lie was busy
with his men over toward East Paco.
Of Billy Gray of late they had seen
rather too much. On one preteXt after
another he was now forever coming
ming to wish that Canker had had his
way; but Canller had faded dismally
The witnesses he counted on proved
dumb or departed, and it had pleased
the general-in-chief to send him with
a regiment of infantry and brace OF
guns to garrison an important point
on an adjacent island, and to tell him
that in view of the impossibility of his
substantiating his charges against
Gray the youngster had some shadow
of excuse for his violent outbreak.
Rather than bring up scandal it was
best to drop the matter entirely Gray
had been sent to duty with the -teenth
before he was thoroughly well, and
a good-hearted battalion commander,
taking pity on his obvious change for
the worse had found occasion after the
first ten days at the front to send him
back to quarters in Malate. instead of
necessarily on duty along the threat
ened line toward Singalon church; and
while he seldom came in the evening
when numbers of visitors were pres
ent, the boy had a way of dropping in
between three and four, when he could
generally count on a few moments, at
Least, alone with Mrs. Frank. She had
ynursed him well in his slow GONZALES
cence, had made deep impression on
his boyish heart, lacerated as he con-
ceived it by disappointment at home.
She had won him to her service, as she
thought, until she felt sure he was
ready to do almost anything for her
sake, then she had put him to the test,
and he had failed her. Believing, as
she did, that the boy well knew the
whereabouts of the alleged deserter,
Morton, and his friend, Nita's reckless
lover, she had counted on him to wiring
from them the letters poor Latrobe de-
clared he still possessed; but the three
weeks had passed without a sign, and
it was becoming evident to her that
GRAY had lost track of them entirely.
One brilliant afternoon, as she lay
ON the broad, cane-bottomed bedstead
with its overhanging canopy of tilmy
netting, she drowsily heard the cor
poral posting the new sentinel in the
,a1arbled corridor below, and then
marching the relief to the rear gate
opening to the beach. Nita was already
,up and moving about in her room. Mar
,garet heard the rustic of her skirts
and the light patter of her tiny feet
as she sped over the hardwood floor
of the main salon. She heard her
throwing back the sliding shutters that
kept out the glare of the sun in the
morning hours, and knew that she
was gazing out over the tree-dotted
lawn toward the gate where the guard
lounged through the warm afternoon.
All of sudden, quick and stirring, a
ibugle sounded over on the Gale Nueva,
where the North Dakotas had a strong
detachment. The call was repeated,
and, army woman though she was, she
did not recognize it. She could not
remember ever having heard it before.
Then up the street, from the engineer
barrack, there came thrilling echo, and
there was a sound of movement and eX-
,citemcnt along the dusty thorough
fare. She heard Nita calling her name,
and then the child's quick, nervous step
along the hallway toward the stairs.
Then came a sudden stop, gasping,
Nwailing cry and, spFinging from her