The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1901-12-27
CHAPTER XIX.


ing-chair overlooking the Bagum-
bayan, and little by little began pick
ing up once more the threads that
were so nearly severed for all time,
and, as health and strength slowly re-
turned, hearing the tidings of the
busy, bustling world about her.
Others, too, had known anxiety as
sore as that which had so lined the
face of Col. Ray and trebled the sill
yer in the soft hair of Marion, his wife.
Well-nigh distracted, a mother sped
across the continent to the Pacific,
there to await, the coming of her sons
remains.
From the night of Walter Fosters
disappearance at Carquinez no word
of his existence came to give her hope,
no trace of his movements until, late
in August, there was brought to her
the cabled message:
"Alive, well, but in trouble. Have
written"
And this was headed Yokohama.
Not until October did that Ionged-
for, prayed-for letter come-a selfish
letter, since it gave no really adequate
excuse for the long weeks of silence,
and only told that the boy had been
in hiding, almost in terror of his life
While still dazed by the shock of the
fire and smarting from his burns
wrote Walter, he had wandered from
the cars at Port Costa. He had en-
countered "most uncongenial per
sons" he said, among the recruits,
! /. :. II
ton, wartime desertiOn at that, had
determined to get back to Sacramento
and join some other command. Yes.
There was another reason, but one
mother couldn't appreciate" I'm
known to all but one of his comrades
on the train, he had abundant money,
realized from the sale of horses and
cattle at the ranch. 1t was in a buck
skin belt about his waist, and this
money bought him friends" who took
him by water to Sacramento, found
him secret lodgings, procured suit
able clothing and later spirited him
off to San Francisco
But these mOney-bought friends
showed the cloven hoof, threatened
to give him over to the military au-
thorities to be tried for his life un-
less he would pay heavy sum. They
had him virtually a prisoner. He
could only stir abroad at night, and
then in company with his jailers.
There was man, he wrote. who had
a grudge against him, man dis
charged from the ranch, who followed
him to Denver and enlisted in the
same party, man who he was most
anxious to get rid of, and the first
thing he knew that fellow, whom he
supposed had gone on to Manila,
turned up in disguise and joined forces
with his tormentOrs. That drove him
to desperation, nerved him to one
sublime effort, and one night he broke
away and ran. He was fleet of foot,
they were heavy with drink, and he
dodge d them among the wharvcs and
piers. took refuge on a coast steamer,
and found himself two days later at
Portland.
Here he bethought him of an old
friend and succeeded in finding a man
he well knew he could trust, despite
his mothers old dislike for him, man
who knew his whole past, of his de-
sertion, of his dauger-a man who
was himself about enlisting for serv-
ice in the Philippines, and who per-
suaded him that his surest way to
win exemption from punishment was
to hasten after the detachment, beat
it, if possible, to Manila, and join it
there at his own expense.
He still had some hundreds left.
They went to San Francisco, where
Walter took steamer at once for
Honolulu to await there the coming
of the recruit detachment. The in
fantry finally came, his friend with
them, but no sign of more cavalry.
TO Walters dismay he had seen
among the passengers landed from
the DOric the disguised rough whom,
as Sackett, he had so unfavOrably
known before, who as Murray had fol-
lowed him into the army. 1t would
never do to fall into his clutches
again; the man would betray him in
stantly. Walter kept in hiding until
he heard that Sackett was accused of
stabbing staff officer of Gen. Vinton
and had fled the island.
Later, when the next troop ship
came, bringing his friend with it, he
again took counsel. AS the lad had
fully admitted, his friend was the
same old chum of Freiburg days-the
friend to whom his parents had so
much objected. The fortunes of war
had thrown them together, Willard as
impecunious as ever, and the Damon
and Pythias, the Orestes and Pylades,
the two Ajaxes of the old days were in
close and intimate touch once more.
Damon, as of old, the banker for the
twain. The troop ships were to pro-
coed as soon as coaled. There were
reasons now why Walter wished 70
stay in Honolulu, but Willard urged
his moving at once on to Hong-Kong
and there awaiting the result of his
negotiations at Manila. At Hong
Kong it was his hope to receive the
word "Come over. All is well, and,
finally, as his funds would soon run
out, ne closed his letter with the re-