The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1901-07-25

serted Chinese covered within their
crowded huts. The natives, men and
women, either hid within the shelter of
their homes or fed to the sanctuary of
the many churches. All over the great
city the alarm spread like wildfire. The
battalions formed under arms, those
nearest the outer lines being marched
at once to their positions in support,
those nearer the walled city waiting for
orders. Foreign residents took mat
ters more coolly than did the Asiatic:
German phlegm, English impassiveness
and Yankee devil-may -careishness pre-
venting a panic. But those who had
families and owned or could hire car
riages and launches were not slow in
seeking for their households the refuge
of the fleet of transports lying placidly
at anchor in the bay, where Dewey's
bluejackets shifted their guilds, went
coolly to their stations and, grouped
about their guns, quietly awaited fur
Their Developments. In an agony of
fear Col. Frost had hidden his driver to
lash the ponies to gallop and go like
the wind to Malate; but the appearance
of the long ranks of sturdy infantry
resting on their arms and beginning to
look bored, measurably treasured him
before he reached his home. Once
there, however, the sight of Mia, cling
ing Historically to her sister and moan
ing on her bed, was sufficient to deter
mine his first move, which was to wire
for his launch to come around to the
bay shore and take them off to the fleet.
The next was to send and ask for an of
ticer and 20 men from the Quartet, on
receiving which message the major
commanding, standing on the dusty
roadway in front of his men, grinned
under his grizzled mustache and said:
"frosts got em again. Here. GRAY.
you go over and tell him to keep his hair
on, that it's nothing but fake ALARM
And Gray, glad enough of the chance to
go again into the presence of the wom-
an who so fascinated him, sped on his
mission. He was in fury over his re-
cent humiliation in her very sight--he,
a commissioned officer tossed aside
like child and outwitted by this daring
intruder in the shape of private sol
dier--he and his guard brushed away
and derided by a young fellow in some
strange egiment--who had easily es-
capped along the beach to an adjoining
Enclosure into which he darted and was
no more seen. The streets were full of
scurrying soldiers, and it was the SIM
plest thing in the world for him to
mingle with them and make his way to
his own command. OF course, GRAY
well knew who the man must be-Nita's
troublesome lover of whom Witchie had
told him so much. There was his chance
to recover the letters and claim the re-
ward; but man and letters both had es-
capped his grasp; and when he pulled
up, blown and exhausted after fruitless
chase, he was brought to his senses by
the sight of his own men falling in "for
business" and he had to scamper for
his sword and join them.
That was miserable evening. Mar
garet Garrison was the only member of
the household who seemed to have her
wits about her and her nerves under
control, for Frank, her liege lord, had
his duty elsewhere, and not until hours
later trotted slowly home. Margaret
plainly let Gray understand how he mad
fallen in her estimation at being so
easily tossed aside. A warning finger
was laid upon her lip. Not one word
OF what has happened while he is here"
she muttered; and nod of her fluffy
head toward the perturbed colonel told
plainly that the chief of the household
really had no place in the family coun-
ellis. To the sisters that alarm was a
blessing in disguise. 1t was all sufi-
Gent to account for Nita's prostration.
10 the rash and reckless lad, who.
claiming to be an orderly with a letter
from the colonel, had been passed by
the gate guard to the open stairway, il
AFFORDED ample cover for escape, when,
alarmed by Nita's cry, Gray and the