The Washington weekly post., 1900-11-13

. niGluE hDulthAFff "a AfsA1 OF a mile
/ beyond the Ire Not sign OF hostile"
anywhere. and toward midnight the OIL
Ger watching with the men was for hav-
log threc-fourths of his guard roll into
i their blankets. 1T is so very QUIET said
I be.
That's iust the reason I shall keen
I awake" said Hylands. "A FUIpino l.
never 80 dangerous as when You can
neither see nor hear him. Reckon IN get
| up on the old church tower"
/ He did, and. save the twinkling lights
/ - Nanila four miles off to The west and
/ those % the fleet slumberlng on the bosom
/ Of the bay, and the sentinel stars" in he
/ cloudless skies, no g,immer was there
I anywhere. IL was after / O'Clock. when
even the dogs had ceased bowling. that
/ me young officer saw q sight that filled
aim with interest IL not concern.
Slowly there rose from somewhere up at
ihe delta OF the Pasig a steady glowing
clear white star that scared heavenward
! perhaps I've hundred feet and then hung
mere as though tethered TO earth lie
nad seen the same phenomenon before
once from the bread azotea oyerhanging
/ the Pasig az brigade headquarters. and
/ then II was followed In few minutes by
4 a STIR somewhere along the lines. Eager
| " hyiands hailed the post OF the guard in
| The chuTchyard below. and the answer
| came prompt and clear: AYE, ayei We
/ can see II from here" Intently. then
! they listened. expecting every moment to
/ hear the cracking OF MauseEs out beyond
/ tie wooded heights where the black bulk
/ OF Guadalupe lOomed against the east
ward sky. Watch out for slgnals"-those
words Of Maj. Marvin rang in his ears
| with meaning such warning never SEEM
| co to have before. Where along the three
| mile front would the attack fan? Where
| should he look for the rush OF their own
! rockets-the signal Marvin spoke Of? One
white rocket anywhere along the line
meant. Enemy forming for attack at
| this point" one red rocket, Attacked in
force, but holding our own" two red
| rockets sent together, Attacked in force
help needed" Singly he had seen both
the white and the red, but never yet had
the brigade called for help, thin as We're
the lines.
Ten. fifteen minutes passed and all at
| the front was still as the desert. Then,
! all on a sudden, not from the direction Of
| Guadalupe. not from HaystOck Knoll. but
the very opposite. from the distant rear.
he heard the faint swish Of the aerial
flight, followed instantly by the smothere1
pop of a rocket chamber. and whirI-
Ing about. saw the dim trail of sparks
| floating earthward over Santa Ana. saw
with an agony of dread a dim red eye
glaring at him through the nght-the
danger signal at the home OF her he loved
Down the crumbline stairs he tore, heed
less OF yawning gaps. Hatless he sprang
to the open court, where the guard, amaz-
ed at his shouts, had sprung 10 arms.
Get my horse, quick. Bring him to head
quarters he ordered, as he darted down
the stony road and brought up standing
at the leveled bayonet Of the sentry in
front Of the coionel's bungalow Hurst
the adjutant, was the first man to respond
to his excited hail. Something's wrong
at Santa Ana. They've swung out their
signalr'
Take the first horse you find" was the
answered shout, for if "a laGgard in love"
Hurst was no "laggard in war" ''We'n
follow as quick as we can" And, needing
no further authority, Hylands gnatched
the reins from the cavalry orderly who
/ had been doing at the roadside. and.
swinging astride the mettlesome pony,
vanished, Gathering, into the night They
heard him as they hurriedly dressed go
crashing over the HILL heard the yell of
the sentry at thezwestward gate and the
ringing voice of the wild rider shouting
his name and rank-we used no counter
sign that winter az Manila. They heard
the hOOfbeats dying away TO the west,
and then as Hurst and his comrades came
scrambling cut, buckling on belts and hOl-
sters and forming the reserves, the sound
of distant shots.
A mile away by the shortest line lay the
roofs of Santa Ana, its outskirts picketed
! by the volunteers, and never did Filipino
| traverse that mile in the time Jack Hy-
lands made that night His pony flew un-
der the lash, and with heaving fanks and
! all in a drip and lather of sweat, came
| tearing into sight and hearing of the lit
tie party that sprang TO arms and shouted
fierce challenge at the fork OF the roads
| "Hylands-you all know me- was the an
| swering shout. Something's wrong at
Maj. Marvin's. Don't stop me. Come
alCng."
Know him? OF course they did, Come?
OF course they would, Half dozen eager
biue-shirted lads were streaming after him
when, minute later he sprang from sad
die and burst into the majors gate. AL
ready lights were twinkling in neighbor-
! ing house, Something must have occurred
10 cause alarm. corporal with two men
| N1Hit iuulllllS up the street as lHe lieu
| tenant disappeared through the gateway
and dove in after him. Through the dim
court they rusned just in time 10 see half
a dozen shadowy forms go bounding
through the shrubbery toward the river.
Halt! HAITI were the orders. Bang!
| Rang! the reply.
I Up the stone steps TO the second floor,
! three at a bound. leaped Hylands. Away
| TO the bank flew pursuers and pursued.
| \ thin cloud of sulphur smoke hung
about the dark salon as Hylands reached
| the top. Nell, Nell! Where are you?
| What's wrong?" he cried, then stumbled
over some PROSTATE form. but caught
| himself on the massive table. Four femi-
/ nine voices went up in little sobs or
! shrieks of relief and joy. ITS Mr. Hy-
| landsr' Its the guard!" "Oh, God be
thanked" But Jack heard only one.
| There was a quick sputter of shots at the
| river. a sound of yelling and running
/ But Hylands had ears for nothing with
/ oat the walls. He sprang 10 where he
knew her door 10 be. A dim night light
/ revealed ii opening. a slender form in
I some long, clinging wrapper sinking as
! II Tor support against the easement, and
IN an Instant his strong arms had clasp
/ cd an folded Il to his bounding heart.
Uhreslsiing, aye, gladly. gratefully the
| race he loved sank un0n his shoulder and
| her soft lips close to his were murmur-
ing, "Nou?-Oh, thank God!"
ana there she might have STAYED for
another minute but for the coming forth
OF other women with lights and exclama-
lions ana huge excitement, and then the
up rush Of the guard, pouncing upon the
prostrate' bleeding body of a Tagal Of
heer shot through the lungs. In breath
less snatches the story was told-bow
, Nell knowing that the failure of Nv
lands 10 come meant warning Of dancer
al the front had lain awake long affar
the others had retired. How she had fin
ally left her room and gone 10 the rss-
gallery TO look out over The s,ar,t.
stream and was suddenly aware 80
swarm OF dark figures scrambI,rg
stealthily over the low wall al the rI,,er1
side-Tagals she knew at glance. Tbev
had noated over from the opposite banI
an a "a IL or In baucas honEns so.,h.,