The suburban citizen., 1901-06-15

his powers of diplomacy. Although
sixty years of age, he was stil agile.
and the scars OF combat which Gov
cred him from head to foot, were evil
dence of his years Of experience. He
had learned that to evade a blow was
far better policy than to met It. He
saw the deadly CLEAN OF his assail
ants eye and the evil intent II bore
before the kris was fairly on its wayl
BY a clever duck Of his head he es.
| capped what seemed for a moment TO bt
certain death. The weapon fell. but
its razor-edge missed the Datto. cut
we'll into the neck of the servant fol
lowing closely behind him, and added
third to the list Of Its Victims. An
other stroke Of the cruel kris ended
the life of one Of the DattOs hench
men who stood In the path OF the mur
derous Moro's escape. So suddenly
was the whole affair concluded thai
scarcely another weapon was drawn
before the list Of deaths to be credited
to the kris with the plain handle had
been swelled to four
In cutting his way through the
crowd. most Of whom had made q wild
eak-away from the affair. no fewer
than five Of his fellow-townsmen werS
wounded by the renegade. Incredible
as it may seem. the heeing Moro
gained the farther edge of the crowd
and obtained good start, unscathed
before the Datto's warriors had gath
cred their scattered wits and giver
chase. A shot was fred at the re
treating figure; but the Moros are ne
marksmen, and he stood in no danger
from their guns.
1t seemed for the moment as though
the man might make good his escape
Indeed such might have been the
outcome had not the desire to take
human life been so strong within him
AS he was running down the road he
met an aged and infirm Moro who
happened to be passing, and although
the old man was too weak to prove a
fit antagonist for a mere child, the
murderer ceased his flight long enough
to bury the kris with the plain han
die from the crown to chin, straight
through ne head Of the old patriarch
of the village
The blow that robbed the old man of
his life, however, proved the indirect
means Of the assassin's death. Be.
fore the maddened Moro had time
again to raise the dripping blade the
campilans and krises Of the avengers
had struck deep into his head, neck,
side and back, and the spark of life
left his mangled body before he could
emit a single groan.
When 1 arrived at the depot a mo-
ment later the kris with the wooden
handle was lying unnoticed in the long
grass a few yards from the corpse Of
It's former owner. picked it up, and
subsequently obtained the permission
of Datto Baqu to keep it as a souve-
mir Of the lurid event.
All this went on in the very midst of
the town, and almost within a stones
throw OF the American troops as they
were lounging about their quarters.
When the MorOs scattered in every di-
rection, crying 'El Moro, El Morow at
the top Of their lungs, Captain Gillen-
water, the commander, drew his COM
pany quickly and quietly into line, not
aware Of the nature Of the excitement,
but resolved to be prepared to meet
whatever developments might ensue.
The whole affair was over, however,
in far less time than It has taken to
tell it, and the Americans breathed a
sigh Of relief when they learned that
the Moro who ran amok" would run
no more.
That is the story of the kris with the
wooden handle which now forms the
gem of my friend Feldman's collec-
tion.-The World Wide Magazine.