Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1900-01-19

new year. an doubt of the hostile senti-
ments of the insurgent leaders had van
ished. Already there had been ominous
clashes at the front; and with every day
the demeanor of the Philippine officers
and men became more and more in
solent and defiant. Ceaseless vigilance
and self-control were enioined upon the
soldiers of the United States, nearly all
stalwart volunteers from the far west,
and while officers of the staff and of the
half-dozen regiments quartered with
in the city were privileged each day to
stroll or drive upon the Luneta, there
were others that never knew an hour
away from the line of the outposts and
their supports. Such was the case with
Stewards regiment far out toward the
waterworlls at the east. Such was the
case with the Primeval Dudes on the
other side of the Pasig, lining the banks
of the crooked estuary that formed the
Rubicon we were forbidden to cross.
Such was the case with Canller and the
tenth in the dense bamboo thicket to
the south, and so it happened that at
first Armstrong and Billy Gray saw
nothing of each other, and but little
of the White Sisters, probably q for
tunate thing for ALL
Ever since that memorable night on
! the Queen of the Fleet, Gray had stu
diously avoided his whilom friend and
counselor, while the latter's equally
studious avoidance of Mrs. Garrison
had become observed throughout the
ship. The dominion and power of that
little lady had been of brief duration,
as was to be expected in the case of
| woman who had secured for her undi-
vided use the best, the ARREST and by
far the largest room on the steamer
q cabine de luxe indeed, that for a
weeks voyage on an Atlantic liner
| would have cost small fortune, while
| here for u sea sojourn Of more than
double the time under tropic skies, and
| while other and worthier women were
sweltering three in a stuffy box below,
it had cost but smile. The captain
had repented him of his magnanimity
before the lights of Honolulu faded
out astern. The general began to real
lie that he had been made cat's-paw
of and, his amour propre being wound
ed, he had essayed for day or two
majestic dignity of mien that became
comical when complicated with the
qualms of seasickness. There was even
noticeable aversion on part of some of
the officers of the Dudes who, having
made the journey from "tbe bay" to
Honolulu with the women passengers,
army wives and Red Cross nurses, nat
urally became the recipients of the
views entertained by these ladies.
| Quick to see if slow to seem to see, Mrs.
Frank has lost no time in begging one
of the young soldier wives to share her
big stateroom and broad and comfort
able bed, and the lady preferred the
heat and discomfort between decks to
separation from her friend. Then Mrs.
Garrison rendered both the rum of her
cabin during the day and evening; sug-
gested, indeed, that on hot nights they
come and sleep there, one on the bed
and one on the couch; and they thanked
her, but-neyer came. She coddled the
general with cool champagne cup when
he was in the throes of NAL de mer, and
held him prisoner with her vivacious
chatter when he was we'll enough to
care to talk. But, after all, her most
serious trouble seemed to consist in
keeping Billy Gray at respectful dis
lance. He sought her side day after
day, to Armstrong; mild amaze, as
has been said; and when he could not
be with her was moody, even fierce and
ugly tempered-he whose disposition
had been the sunniest in all that gray,
shivery, dripping soiourn at the San
Francisco camp.
But once fairly settled in Manila, the
White Sisters seemed to regain all the
old ascendency. Col. Frost had taken
a big, cool, roomy house, surrounded
by spacious grounds, down in Malate
and close to the FLASHING waters of the
bay. Duties kept him early and late
at his office in the walled city; but
every evening, after the drive and din
ner. callers came thronging in, and all
Witches witcheries We're called into
play to charm them into blindness and
to cover Nita's fitful and nervous
moods, now almost painfully apparent.
Frost's face was at times thunder
cloud, and army circles within the outer
circle of Manila saw plainly that all
was not harmony betwixt that veteran
Benedict and that fragile, futtering,
baby wife. The bloom of Nita's beauty
was gone. She looked wan, white, even
haggard. She had refused to leave
Hong-Kong orcome to Manila until Mar
l {o H.
of that sisterly wing. Frank Garrison
had been occupying room under the
same roof with his general, but both
general and aide-de-camp were now
much afield, and Frank spent far more
days and nights along the line of block
houses than he did at home. The COM
| Ing of his wife was unannounced and
Utterly unlocked for. did l consult
my husband!" she exclaimed in sur
prise, when asked the question one day
| by the wife of veteran field officer.
"Merciful heaven, Mrs. Lenox, there
was no time for that except by cable,
and at four dollars a word. No! If
any doubt of what Frank Garrison will
say or do exists in my mind l go and
do the thing at once, then the doubt is
settled. If he approve, well and good;
If he doesn't-well, then I've had my
fun anyway"
But it made little difference what
Frank Garrison might think, say or do
when Nita's need came in question. 1t
was for Nita that Margaret Garrison so
suddenly quilted the Preside and has
tened to Hawaii. 1t was for her sake.