Waterbury Democrat., 1901-04-25
IcOpyrighted. 1900 by J. B. LIppincott Col
CHAPTER XIV

on the lookout everywhere among the suburbs for two indicators dis CincJIy dlftering in type, yet, equally in demand. One, said the descrip- tions, was burly, thick-set, some what slouching American, in cloth ing of the sailor slop-shop variety, a man of five feet six and maybe 40 years, though he might be much younger; a coarse-featured, heavy bearded man, with gray eyes, gener- ally bleary, and one front tooth gone, leaving a gap in the upper jaw next the canine, which was fang like, yellow and prominent; a man with harsh voice and surly ways; a man known as Sackett among sea- men and certain civilians who prob ably had made their way to Manila in the hopes of picking up an easy living; a man wanted as Murray among soldiers for deserter, jail bird and thief.
 The other malefactor was less min utely described. A native five feet eight, perhaps. Very tall for Tagal, slender, sinewy and with tuft of wiry hair and 16 inches of shirt miss ing. For further particulars and the missing 16 inches, as we'll as the hair, inquire at Col. Brent's, No. 199 Calle San Luis, Ermita.'
 It seems that soon after dark that eventful evening Mrs. Brent and Miss Porter had seen Maidie comfortably bestowed in the big, broad, cane-bot- toned bed in her airy room, and had left her to all appearances sleeping placidly towards eight o'clock, and then gone out to dinner. Whatever the cause of her agitation on receiv- ing at Brent's hands the little card photograph of herself, it had sub sided after a brief, low-toned con- ference with Sandy, who quickly came and speedily hastened away, and later visit from Dr. Frank, whose placid, imperturbabte, restfu1 ways were in themselves we11-nigh as soothing as the orange-fower wa ter prescribed for her. Even the lit tie night-light, floating in its glass, had been extinguished when the la dies left her.
 The room assigned to Marion was at the northwest corner of the house. 4tS GNO 41OAL n1A0OWS .ORCACo OA bAlC wide gallery, that in turn opened out on the Bagumbayan parade. Its west windows, also two in number, were heavily framed. There were sliding blinds to oppose to the westering sun, translucent shells in place of brittle glass to temper, yet admit, the daylight, and hanging curtains that slid easily on their supporting rods and rendered the room dark as could be desired for the siesta hours of the tropic day.
 The dinner table, brightly lighted by lamps hung from hooks securely plaster are unknown in this seismic land), was set on the rear gallery overlooking the patio, and here, soon after eight, Brent, his little house hold, the doctor and two more guests were cozily chatting and dining. while noiseless native servants lowered about and Maidie Ray presumably slept.
 But Maidie was not sleeping. Full of a new anxiety, if not of dread, and needing to think calmly and J VI her almost too assiduous attendants and closed her eyes upon the world about her. A perplexity, 8 problem such as never occurred to her as a possibility, one that sorely worried Sandy, as she could plainly see, had suddenly been thrust upon her. Hith- erto she had ever had most devoted mother as her counselor and friend, but now time had come when she must think and act for herself.
 The little card photograph picked up by the men on the scene of the scufae at the edge of the Bagum- bayan had told its story to her at least and to Sandy. It could only mean that Foster, he who spent whole days and weeks at their New Mexican station to the neglect of his cattle ranch, he who had listed in the cavalry and sappeared-desert ed, maybe-at Carquinez, had eluded search, pursuit, inquiry of every kind, and, all ignorant, probably, of the commission obtained for him, had, still secretly, as though realizing his danger, followed her to Manila.
 This, then, must have been the tall
  stranger who called himself an old friend and would give no name, for it was to Foster, in answer to his most urgent plea-perhapsl touched by his devoted love for her lovely daugh- ter-that Mrs. Ray had given that little vignettc photograph long months before. There, on the back, was the date in her mothers hand: Fort AveriiI, N. Mex, February Is, 1s9S." We'll did Marion remember how he had begged her to write her name beneath the picture, and how, for some reason she herself could not describe, she had shrunk from so doing. There had been probably half dozen pictures of Foster about their quarters at AverilE photographs in evening dress, in ranch rig, in winter garb, in tennis costume-but only one had he of Maidie, and that not of her giving.
 Now, what could his coming mean? What madness prompted this stealth and secrecy? If innocent of willful desertion, his proper course was to have reported without delay to the military authorities at San Francisco