The suburban citizen., 1900-02-24

J ! J . : 8 !. !. !. J !. 4: !. !. !. q. ]. ]. !.
lgkSlQCYN when the news of
! lMN " n the victory at Ma
! (M ~ Mia Bay startled the
! Q2THH world, great change
- y y q took place in San
q Francisco, the door
" q to the new posses
sions in the far away Orient. The
Philippines were the lawful conquest
of the United States, but it would be
no easy task to subdue the sullen
people there into recognizing the new
order of things; aud so the great
regiments Of volunteers that had been
called for in those first excited days
we're sent West as well as East to
! fight for their nation. AT the West
San Francisco gave glad welcome to
all who came within her gates. With
/ shrieking of whistles, beating Of
drums, waving of flags, and smiles
and flowers from the girls who lined
the sidewalks, the march from the
ferries out to the Presidio, the mill
tary reservation at the extreme end
of the city, was a long triumphal pro-
cession, no matter which State it was
whose delegation were beingreceived.
Nor did the enthusiasm once flag
during each successive occupancy Of
the tents. The Preside suddenly
became the objective point of pleas
ure seekers, and from morning till
night vast crowds swarmed out there,
to be entertained by the military ex.
ercises that took place daily, and by
the scraps of conversation to be en-.
tered into with these strangers, who
had much to tell and to learn in re-
turn from the girls who docked out to
see them.
During the summer months of 1898
there were two visitors who had been
ut the camp regularly for a week be-
fore they were noticed by any
one. And this was not remarkable.
The girl, thin slip of a thing, who
might have been any age from ten to
fourteen, was easily lost sight of in
the crowd of gay, laughing young wom-
Rnhood that was always greatly in
evidence, and her companion, a small
boy, who could not have been so very
much younger, in point Of years, was
by no means attractive in any way,
with his tow head, pale eyes and
freckled face. An unlovely object
Johnny surely was, and his appear
ance was not at all improved By the
great tears that ran down his face the
day that Private Brown first met him.
He was saying piteously between long
drawn sobs "Aunt Margery, 1 want
Aunt Margery," greatly to the amuse-
ment Of several dashing girls, who
drew their skirts aside as he went
blindly on his way. "Oh, 1 want
Aunt Margery, I dol do"
Brown, breaking loose from a few
companions with whom he had been
idly lettering along, took one dirty
little hand in his and began asking
questions that soon resulted in
rapturous greeting between the little
fellow and the solemn eyed child,
whose attitude was almost motherly.
"Oh, Johnny, JohnnyP' her voice had
an odd break in it. "You frightened,
frightened me so. You shouldn't have
run away from mel told you Oh,
JOHNNY" and she ended what should
have been a lecture with a great out
burst of affection as she caught him
in her arms.
The young soldier was turning
AWAY, but threw hasty word over his
shoulder. "That's hardly the proper
discipline for disobedience, he said,
carelessly. "I know a better way
than that Of making youngsters
mind"
Her great eyes were raised to his.
half in protest, half in appeal. Il
know" she said, meekly. "And it
was very wrong of Johnny" she
burned to the boy with a great show
Of severity; then as the man took a
step forward, the color came into her
cheeks, tears into her eyes-and the
catch in her voice that tried hard to
be steady was too pathetic to be met
with indifference, and Brown smiled
TT her reassuringly as he turned back
again to listen to the few broken
Jentences she seemed to wish him to
hear.
II know it's discipline he wants."
Ihe said. "That's what J. bring him
here for I heard some people say
once what discipline there was here
and 1 kind Of thought Johnny might
learn, too. He amt got no one to
teach him-just but me-and he didn't
mind me much; so I thought
thought that if I brought him out
bere--he might learn, sir, just a little
how to mind and all that. He's
been real good, but to-day I guess he
forgot. Don't you think, sir, he
might learn just little?"
Brown nodded carelessly. He would
have left them then, but his eyes,
wandering over the grounds, discov-
cred that his companions had drifted
from sight, and seeing nothing else
just then that promised any great
amusement, he turned back to the
little creature beside him and the ap-
peal in the eyes raised to his caused
him to suggest that they should sit
down on the grassy slope and that she
should tell him some more. She