Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1900-01-05
FROM
THE ENEMY'S LINE

( THE ENEMY'S LINE )
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Sergeant Teddy" Wilkins was lying
On his breast behind heap of earth
listening to the zip of Mauser bullets
over his bead. The Spanish picket line
was sheltered by group Of trees not
tar away. and occasionally n guerrilla
sharpshooter sent a message OF def
ance from the high branches:
The sergeant belonged to::a New
York regiment which had hurried to
the front almost before congress had
officially declared that the United
States was at war with the proud old
land which had taken the trouble to
discover her
1T seems to me-" remarked tie ser
geant as he casually inspected the
number Of cartridges in his belt, that
this business is growing very tiresome.
What we need is a little; diversion, a
little OF the romance OF war; j.,
WELL" replied young De Jones, who
formerly marshaled figures on a trial
balance sheet. you'll get more 70.
nance than you want If you don't lie i:
little closer down there"
Three or four of the guerrillas had
dropped from the trees, and the Span
ish straggiers had been driven back to-
ward Santiago by rafting fire from
the Springfield rifles of the volunteers.
The weather was entirely too hot to
follow up an advantage gained over a
few rice fed conscripts. and Company
K was resting u bit and wondering il
the commissary department would >all
upon them that day. =.
Teddy Wilkins, was smoking the
4rtisttcally colSred meerschaum which
nc had brought from home There had
been no tobacco in the rich brown bowl
for, days, and the sergeant was content.
edly putting at some of..the dried grass
of the country. :.
"Helio?' exclaimed De Jones' Here
they come to our pink teal. wonder
how they found out we were receiving
this afternoon. Get out the Boston
WATERS, sarg, and IN hunt up the SOU
= venir: spoons.''' -: $ .:: -: =.
''They" proved to be:a slender y6pullha
woman; :'yho., walked with a: springy
Step and an: elderly womana*who was
anything. but sylp1i like who seemed
to roll aloi.g: Fire Brown earth. There
was lock of terror. in the eyes of both
Of them. They advanced toward the
Americans soldiers land held their hands
q hS3- Il 7,,;x, N,1
apote eite! Z: Aeaos: - ~ tx;
= Mercy. mercy, senorr' cried the girl,
in broken English. -
Tell them to sit. down on the sofa
and make themselves at-home,' sue-
gested De Jones. '"The young one Is
rather good looking. at that"
Sergeant Theodore Wilkins OF Com
pany K bent his stiffened limbs, ad-
justed his cartridge belt and went to
snset the newcomers.
1--WE; beg protection" said the young
1r woman. I'VE have come from the
city, and we beg to be spared by the
Sbiyalry Of los Americanos."
{. Wilkins, who remembered somewhat
Of his Clendorf, attempted to say some
thing in Spanish which he meant to be
reassuring. The girl shook her head
and puzzled expression came into her
eyes.
''sDo not spik Spanish more, senor,'
she said. II have the English very
we'll / went to school in Connecticut -
Whereupon the men who had been
engaged in the gentle occupation of ex-
changing compliments with Spanish
foemen burst into an uproarious guf-
faw, to the great annoyance OF Ser
geant Theodore Wilkins.
''That Spanish Of yours is great -
suggested the corporal i
a lieutenant came up just then. The
two women said that they had just
come from beleaguered Santiago in Or
Her that they might escape death in
The bombardment which was sure to
come. The lieutenant told them that
they need fear no danger, for '"los
Americanos" did not make war upon
women and children. He ordered Ser
geant wilkins and guard of two men
to escort the visitors out of harms
way Il. 9
Teddy Wilkins was very young. He
was SO Youthful that h.S had had hard
work IN getting into the regiment when
he enlisted about Il year BEFORE, He
had been educated in Il military school,
and the mechanism of drill seemed q
second nature to him. -.
N He Remembered as lie escorted the
refugees through the chaparral that
there was a situation in a grand opera
B which Vas not SO very different from
the d ne gifl which he found himself
he olldes.ed II Carmen We're as beau
ItifuN asstiie3 Cuban girl who picked her
way S5s lln the fallen branches and
the s 81 lay I'D their pathway.
Then RED &, 70 Il convince =himsslf