Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1901-06-04
CHAPTER XII.

October had come and the rainy
season was going, but still the heat
OF the midday sun drove everybody
within doors except the irrepressihle
Yankee soldiery, released ION pass
from routine duty at inner barracks
or outer picket line. and wandering
about this strange, old-world metrop.
oils OF the Philippines, reckless OF
time or temperature in their deter
mination to see everything there was
to be seen about the whilom strong
hold of "the Dons" in Asiatic waters
Along the narrow sidewalks of the
Escolta, already bordered by Amer
lean signs-and saloons-and rem
dered even more than usually precar-
ious by American drinks, the blue
shirted boys wandered, open-eyed,
marveling much to find 'twixt twelve
and two the shutters up in all the
shops not conducted, as were the
bars, on the American plan, while
from some, still more oriental, the
sun and the shopper both were ex-
cluded four full hours, beginning at
IL.
South Of the walls and outworks of
Old Manila and east of the Luneta
lay broad, open level, bounded on
the south by the suburb of Ermita,
and in the midst of the long row of
Spanish-built houses extending from
the battery of huge Krupps at the
bay side, almost over to the diagonal
avenue of the Nozaleda, stood the
very cozy, finely furnished house
which had been hired as quarters for
Col. Brent, high dignitary on the de-
partment staff.
It's lower story of cut stone was
pierced by the arched driveway
through which carriages entered to
the patio or inner court, and, as in
the tenets of Madrid the queen of
Spain is possessed of no personal
means of locomotion, so possibly to
no Spanish dame of high degree may
be attributed the desire. even though
she have the power, to walk.
No other portal, therefore, either
for entrance or exit, could be found
at the front. Massive doors of dark,
heavy wood from the Luzon forests,
strapped with iron, swung on huge
hinges that, unless well oiled, defied
the efforts of unmuscular mankind.
A narrow panel opening in one OF
these doors, two feet above the
ground and on little hinges of its
own, gave means of passage to house
hold servants and, when pressed for
time, to such of their superiors as
would condescend to step high and
stoop low.
To the right and left of the main
entrance were store rooms, servants
rooms, and carriage-room, and oppo-
site the latter, towards the rear, the
broad stairway that, turning upon
itself, led to the living-rooms on the
upper hoor-the broad salon at the
head of the stairs being utilized as
dining-room on state occasions, and
its northward end as the parlor.
Opening from the sides of the salon,
front and rear, were four large,
roomy, high-ceilinged chambers.
Overlooking and partially over
hanging the street and extending the
length of the house was a wide in
closed veranda, well supplied with
tables, lounging chairs and couches
Of bamboo and wicker, its floor COW
cred here and there with Indian rugs,
its surrounding waist-high railing
fitted with parallel grooves in which
slid easily the frames of the windows
of translucent shells, set in little
four-inch squares, or the dark-green
blinds that excluded the light and
glare Of midday.
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