Evening journal., 1900-02-28


alone finding food for half a dozen
mouths beside her own. ia country
that was well nigh devastated. But
she did it, somehow or other. Then
came sickness to vary the routine. and
her father and mother were pretty
nigh dying for want Of medicines.
That was how she came TO run the
risk Of signalling us.
OF course / sculled out to the ship
again and brought back our medicine
chest and som cans of soup and
things to 90 with It. Meanwhile the
skipper had gone along with her to
the hut she had built, and so / toted
the things up there myself in a half
a dozen loads or so.
Her shanty was a pretty tough look
Ing piece Of architecture, made Of
brush and long grass. but It served
every purpose, and l don't wonder at
the Dons not having sighted it on
their coast patrols. The old people
were in a pretty bad state. We possi-
bly, could not move the sickest ones,
and the others were not a great deal
better.
"As soon as one Of our ships that
has doctor on hoard comes round Ill
bring him ashore with me- said the
skipper to the young lady; 'mean-
while, as you say you have a little
knowledge of medicine and its uses
presume you can do something with'
our chest"
never did see a girl carry on so
about being grateful. and how noble
we were" and all that sort of theatri-
cal talk. But of course you must eX-
pect such from those Cubans. They re
all hOt-blooded creatures. and say ex-
actly what they mean right out. But
/ for that matter the Senorita scarcely
needed TO talk Her eyes told every
thing. She followed us out Of the hut
when we went down towards the boat
again.
us there anything more we can do
4 for YOU madamT says the ensign.
with his hat in his hand and bending
forward as If he was talking TO the
Queen of England and not a bare
footed Cuban girl with enough good
looks to supply an ordinary dozen.
Il should earnestly repeat my advice
10 you Of seeking safety on board my
vessel with all your companions that
can be moved. l am truly sorry to say
that ! fear the days Of your parents
are already numbered"
Il thank you, noble American" re-
piled the Senorita in her pretty lisping
fashion, but we both have sacred du-
ties. Yours with your ships to the
fight / my people to nursel But one
thing there is you can do for me more,
and every moment shall | call bless
ings upon the heads of my preservers
Give to me the-what call you it,
that thing" Pointing TO the revolver
Ia, I.f L. .I l.rrf
not your name"
Without a word the skipper took
the weapon from its belt, saw that It's
chambers were properly loaded and
handed it to her He was about tC
give her extra cartridges from hi,
pouch, but she stopped him.
'No, no, she cried; zone shot will
my purpose serve-twO at most.'
Then we understood, and l imag
ined I heard the skipper snifiie once
A., or twice as we went down to the
beach. I'm free to acknowledge tha
I did as much. Pshawl
Well. sir the AcquackcuOck cruises
up and down that par, of the cOas
for a week or more. Not a day bu
: what we managed to pass by th
place where the SenOrita and her fell
! hospital hung out. and usually sh
would come down 10 the shore. wher
! she was rather hid from landsight e
and wave that old red blanket to .e
us know that all went well. OF cours
! we did not dare answer back yer.
much for fear of having others Sc
the signals that were not intended 70
: them: but it made every soul on boar
= mighty glad to see that old scrap
: bobbing about. I can tell you. An
u once or twice took the skippe
i ashore there again. with a lot of Ou
: duds for her to make clothes out OF
= and little knicknacks of food and sue
and he would have palavered with he
, by the hour If had not made believ
y to see smoke out to seaward or some
= thing like that. And one time he pu
y 4 ring that had belonged to his mott
y er-I heard him tell her soon he
. finger. and the last time he kissed he
u when l made believe not to be lool
y ing. And I don't blame either him Z
y her for that matter. / enjoyed th
wartime love making almost as niue
y as they did. Hang me for regula
= soft soap swabi Here's my blamed ol
y eyes filling up just as If they'd bee
- scuttled for insurance.
|. Well. the next day we were stean
- ing along towards what we called III
, "Senorita's landing" Our pilot ha
got so used to being ordered to hea
y the ship in there that he steered ;
y an easy angle on his own accoun
n Just to save time. And so we wei
y within nice range OF the shore L
y never know just what made me elm
~ up on top of the pilot house alongsit
d. Of our little cannon. At any rate the
=. - happened to be, and the ammunitiC
= chest was handy. Just as we can
!. abreast Of an open piece Of country
y. gave careless look ashore. and tn,
" my eyes fairly bulged out of my hea
ie ] saw about half a dozen Spanish ca
airy soldiers riding along in a lit
~ compact troop. and the middle fello
n had a different sort of saddle clio
= from the restl
"a what in blankety-blank do "
- mean firing off that gun without n
eI orders. Landiss?" beloved the ski
W per, coming out from his cabin at q
g sound of the report: And good gr
q cious, man. you're nothing else thi
le a murderer. You have no right
u, shoot men down in cold blood III
thatr
zone or two are only wounded a