Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1900-01-23
md muddy pools and stagnant ditch,

and muddy pools and stagnant ditch,
and hurl themselves upon the lurking
enemy in the bamboo copse beyond,
had been the ardent longing of the line
since daylight came to illumine the field
before them. Yet stern orders with
held: Defend, but do not advance, said
the generals message; and the whisper
went along from man to man: There
is trouble in town behind us, and the
chief may need us there"
But, as eight o'clock passed with no
word of uprising in the rear, and the
cheering over toward Santa Ana grew
loud and louder, the nerve strain upon
the tenth became well-nigh intolera-
BILE. "For Gods sake, can't we be doing
something instead of lying here firing
into hornets nest?" was the murmur
that arose in more than one company
along the impatient line; and the gruff
voices of veteran sergeants could be
heard ordering silence, while, moving
up and down behind their men, the line
officers cautioned against waste of am
munition and needless exposure. Lie
fiat, men. Keep down!' were the
words. eve won't have to stand this
forever. You'll soon get your chance"
And presently it came. The cheer
Ing that had died away, far over to the
left beyond the wooded knobs that sur
rounded Singalon and Block House 12,
was suddenly taken up nearer at hand.
Then crashing volleys sounded along
the narrow roadway toward the east,
and a bugle rang out shrill and clear
above the noise Of battle; and then
closer still, though unseen in the gloom
Of the dense thicket in which they lay,
the men of the Second battalion, strung
along Filipino trail that led away to
the rice fields, swung their big straw
hats and yelled for joy. A young of
ficer, his eyes flashing, his face flush
ing with excitement, came bounding
out from the grove at the left Of the
crouching line and made straight to
where the veteran battalion command
er knelt in rear of his center. 1t was
Billy Gray, adjutant of the Third bat
talon, acting that day as adjutant to
the regimental commander. The bull
let's whistled by his head as he darted
springingly along; and in their joy
at sight of him even old hands forgot
the reserve Of the regular service and
| some man shouted: Now we're off,"
and the popular query: whats the
matter with Lieut.. Gray?"
AT any other time, under any other
circumstances, both questioner and
respondents who gleefully shouted:
"He's all right" would have been
promptly and sternly suppressed. But
the senior captain at their head we'll
knew the excitement tingling in the
nerves of that ong-suffering line, and
only smiled and nodded sympathy
He saw, too, that Gray was quivering
with pent-up feeling, as the boy halted
short, saluted, and, striving to steady
his eager voice, said:
Captain, the colonel directs that
you open sharp fire on the woods in
your front and occupy the enemy there.
He is about to charge with the Third
battalion and drive them out of the
trenches we've located over yonder;"
and Billy pointed eagerly to the left
| front-the southeast.
The captains grizzled face took on a
look of keen disappointment. you
mean We've got to stay here and see
you fellows go in?"
| "Only for few minutes, sir. The
colonel says that for you to charge be
fore he's got onto their flank would cost
too many men. You'll get the word as
soon as he's got the works."
well said, Billy boy! That sounds
almost epigrammatic. Hullo! You
hit? stoop down here, man. Don't
try to get perforated"
MY hat only" was the answer, as the
boy stopped quickly to hide the ire
pressible twitching about the muscles
of his lip. A Remington had ripped
from side to side, tearing way through
the curly hair at the top of his head
and almost scoring the scalp. To save
his soul he could not quite suppress
the trembling of his knees; but, steady.
Ing himself by great effort, he contin
ued: The colonel says to commence
firing by yolley the moment our bugles
sound the charge. Now I must get
back"
"All right, youngster. Tell the col.
onel l savoy, and Well do our level bes,
only, let us into it as quick as YOU
can"
But Gray heard only the first part OF
the sentence. He was painting when
he reached his placid, gray-mustached
chief, and could only gasp out: 1.-The
captain understands, sir" And then
| the regimental commander simply
turned to the battalion leader, stand
ing silent at his left in little clump of
tlmber-another veteran captain grown
gray as himself in long, long years of
service:
SHOWS our time, old man! Pitch in!
Gray, We'll go with him."
All along the line from right 10 left
there ran the cross-country road con.
Meeting the broader highway, from Ma.
late TO San Rafael and Paranaque on
the west, and from Paco by way of Sin.
gallon to Pasay. In front of the right
wing all was swamp, morass or rice
fields. In front of the left wing all was
close, dense bamboo and jungle, save
where the broad, straight roadway led
on past Block House 10, or the narrow.
er cart track stretched southwark, over.
arched in places by spreading branches
and commanded at its narrowest path
by the swarm of dusky fighters ii
Block House IA. A year before the blue