Waterbury Democrat., 1901-04-26
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Ecopyrishtsd. 1900. by ;. B. Llpplncstt col
CHAPTER xY.

 when, five minutes later, the house hold had taken account of stock and realized the extent of their losses.
 Maidie's had evidently been the last room visited. The dressing table and wardrobe of the opposite chamber that occupied by Col. and Mrs. Brent had been ransacked- The colonefs watch and chain-too bulky. he said, to be worn at dinner in white uni form5[his Loyal Legion and Army of the ePotomac insignia and some Prized though not expensive trinkets of his good wife were gone. Miss Porter's little purse with her modest savings and a brooch that had been her mothers were missing. And with these items the skilled practitioner had made good his escape
 On the floor, just under the window in Maidie,s room, lay a keen double edged knife. The stumps of two or Ffhres matches found in the coloneFs apartment and others in Miss Por- rter's showed that the thief had not feared to make sufficient light for his purpose, and from the floor of 1larion's room, close to the bureau,
 
 the prowler was alaramed, Miss Por- ter picked up one of the old-fash- doned ssphosphors' that ignite noise 1essly and burn with but a tiny flame.
 Marion's portemonnaie was in the upper drawer, untou&aed,. and such iewelry as she owned, save two pre- cious rings she always wore. was stored in her fathers safe deposit box in the bank at home. The colonel was really the greatest loser and de- clared it served him right, both pro- wost marshal and chief of police hay- ine warned him to' leave nothing "ly- dne around loose"
 At sound of shots on the Calle Nueva Brent had salIied forth, and, rushing impetuously into the dimly- lighted thoroughfare, had narrowly missed losing the top of his head as well as his watch, an excited sentry sending bullet whizzing into space by way of the colonePs pith helmet, which prompted the doctor to say in his placid and most effective way that more heads had been lost that night than va1uables, and one bad shot be- gat smother.
 Sentries down towards the barracks, hearing the three or four quick re- ports, bethought them of the time honored instructions prescribing that in case of blaze which he could not personally extinguish the sentry should shout sFire! discharge his piece and add the number of his post" Sagely reasoning that nothing but a fire could start such row, or at least that there was sufficient ex- cuse to warrant their having some fun of their own to enliven the dull hours of the night, Numbers and touched of their triggers and yelled sFirei" Five and 6, nearer home, fol lowed suit. and in two minutes the bugles were blowing the alarm all over Ermita and Malate, and rollick- ing young regulars and volunteers by the hundred were tumbling out into Hhe street. all eagerness and rejoicing S at the prospect of having lark with Hhe Bomberos, the funny little Manila 6remen with their funnier little .squirts on wheels.
 It was fully half an hour before the officers could "locate' the origin of the alarm and order their companies back to bed, an order most reluctant ly obayed, for by that time the near est native fire company was aroused and on the way to the scene. 9th CTS could be expected in the course of the night, and the Manila fire de apartment was something that afford ed the Yankee soldier unspeakable joy. He hated to lose such an oppor- tnnity.
 But for all his professional calm, Dr. Frank was by no means pleased with the excitement attending this episode. For an hour or more off, cers from all over the neighborhood gathered in front of Brent's and had to be told the particulars, Billy < Rays daughter" being pronounced the heroine everybody expected her to be. while that young lady herself, now that the affair could be called eiosed, was in a condition bordering on the electric. "oyerwrought and nervous" said Miss Porter, "but Laughing at the whole business"
 What Frank thought he didn't say Fbut he cut short Sandy's visit to his sister and suggested that he go down and tell the assemblage under the front gallery that they would better return to whist-or whatever game was in progress when the alarm was given. The colonel could not invite them in as matters stood, and they slowly : dispersed, > leaving only a senior or two and Lieut.. Stuyyesant to question further, for Stuyvesant. coming from afar and arriving late, was full of anxiety and concern.
 Despite his temporary escape, cir eumstances and the civil authorities (now become decidedly military) had thrown him into still further asso- citation with the woman whom he would have so gladly shunned-the fmportnnate Miss Perkins. He had taken a turn around the block-aEd refuge in the English club-until he thought her disposed of at home and his carriage returned. He had come across the little equipage, trundhng slowly up and down the street in search of him, had dined without ap- petite and smoked without relish, striving to forget that odious wom- ans Hints and aspersions, aimed ev- and bod orpna