Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1900-01-06

were shops, anu tuefe Weie Ptee'J'
dark eyed girls. No bothersome
Mauscr bullets came speeding their
way to ripple the placidity. No night
alarms came out of the darkness, tum-
bling the garrison out of bed to be
shot at by unseen foes, rs happened
every other night to their fellows IN
other out-Cuban towns held by the
Spanish soldiery.
"rho insurrection is over" re-
marked tho Comnandant one day TO
his lieutenant. eve shall soon be
going home"
"It's not so bad here" replied the
lieutenant, musingly. He had found
wherewith to solace him for his exile.
Gradually, as spring approached,
there came change. 1t was not de-
fined, but the Commandant realized
that something had come over the
Spirit of garrison existence at Bara-
Goa. He heard from Havana that q
Yankee warship had been destroyed
IN the harbor. He got no details.
The authorities ut Havana were too
busy to bother about the little garri.
son away down at Baracoa. From
the little coasting vessel that came
coca sionally into BarAcoa the garri-
son heard all manner of vague rumors.
The Commandant and his officers
discussed with some interest the
chances of war with the United
States. Bat they did not attach much
Importance to it. One of the younger
officers summed up the situation by
remarking that the Yankees were
commercial pigs who would be more
likely to shoot themselves than the
enemy if they attempted 70 handle Il
gun. The Commandant would no!
deny that Yankees were commercial
pigs, but he had q rather restless
feeling that there were n great many
Of them. In the rank aud file it was
agreed unanimously that il the Cap
tan-General at Havana would only
send G ship to Baracoa His Maiesty's
faithful garrison there could sail to
tho United States-whereve that pig.
land was-and take the place by as.
sault. Then the subject was dis.
missed for the moro important one
OF the dark Keyed girls.
As the spring days enlightened, the
vague feeling of unrest that had come
over the Commandant increased.
There was evidently something going
wrong in Daracoa. He was not at all
so certain of the loyalty Of the inhab
itants as he had been at first. He
saw little groups in the streets, that
melted away as his officers approached
He heard whisperings and thought he
detected an air of unfriendliness.
Sometimes he even felt thate chidef
being laughed atalotuis old man ani
himself. fAIat his long exile from Spair
had made him childish. Then as lit
walked through the town it suddenly
struck him that the population wa.
dwindling in au cxpicable fashion
1t seemed, too, an unusually larg,
number of shops were closed, ant
some of the houses had deserted ap
pearance.
The Commaudant went back to his
little Office, and sat down to think. il
added sharply to his uneasiness wher
he recalled that it was very Ions
time since he had heard from eithe1
Havana or Santiago. Tho last mes
sages he had sent had been unan
swered. This had not worried hin
before, partly because he was very
much used to Spanish official delay
and partly because his messages hat
not been important. But now hi
wrote peremptory demand which
was cheerfully licked off in the little
tin rooted telegraph Office.
A few days later the Commandant
againg depressed by indefinable sus
picions, summoned his officers ant
asked sternly if the order against in
habitants leaving the town was being
strictly enforced. With one voic,
they answered that it was. As mat
ter Of fact it had not been enforced a
ct all. The people had all been Sc
very, very loyal and the dark-eyed
girls so kind. But-Caramba!--nov
measures would be taken without de
lay.
1t was too late. Almost dazed, thu
Commandaut found that he was gar
risoning virtually deserted town
The population had melted away as i
by magic. And, worst of all, it hat
managed to take with it all it could il
the way of provisions and drink.
Baracoa was fairly well defended
and the Commandant and his men sa
themselves down to await the attaci
which they knew would come. Fo
days nothing happened, and the Span
iards occupied themselves in THROWN,
up breast-works. The Comman6nn
telegraphed urgently to Santiago tina
he was besieged. There had been IL,
sign of it but he knew that it was true
No answer came. Nothing came
that was the worst of It, Finally, il
desperation, the CcGmandant sent on
accommodating party of twenty men
aud waited anxiously. He would hav,
been pleased to hear the sound of tir
ing, even ifhe knew that each ant
every one Of his scouting party wa
being killed. No sound came back t,
him. Neither did any one Of the re
connoiterinS party.
For three weeks the garrison waite,
in dreary solitude. Not vessel came in
to Baracoa, aud the Spaniards scanne,
the waters in vain for sail. On
day, far out on the horizon. the Com
mandant made ont the smoke and fun
nels OF a procession OF mighty craft
moving eastward, that he knew to b
warships. The sense of isolation be
gan to be almost uncomfortable. As HI
recalled that he had not heard on