Waterbury Democrat., 1901-04-24

the NLuneta. The crowd had d1Sap- peared. The carriages were nearly all departed. The lights were twink ling here and there all over the placid bay. It was still nearly an hour to dinner-time at the generals mess, and he wished to be alone to think over matters, to hear the sooth- ing plash and murmur of the little waves, and Stuyvesant vowed in his wrath and vexation that Satan him. self must be managing his affairs, for, over and above the longed-for melody of the rhythmic waters, he was hailed by the buzz-saw stridencies of Miss Perkins, whose first words gave the lie to themselves.
 ''I'm all out of breath, and so het up runnin' after you can't talk, but l was just bound to see you, an I've been to your house so often the sol diers laugh at me. Those young men haven't any sense of decency or re- spect, but I'll teach 'em, and you see they'll sing another song. Where can we sit down?" continued the lady, her words chasing each others heels in her breat Unless haste. s'These lazy, worthless Spanish officers take every seat along here. Why, herei your carriage will do, an I've got thou sand things to say!" ctHeaven be merciful,' groaned Stuyvesant to him. self.) "I saw you driving, and told my cabman to catch you if he had to fog the hide off his horse. Come, aren't you-don't you want to sit down? I do, anyhow! There's no comfort in my cab. Here, I'll dismiss it now. You can just drop me on the way home, you know. Pm living down the. Calle Real few blocks this side of you. All the soldiers know me, and if they had their say it wouldn't be the stuck-up Red Cross that's flirting with doctors and living high on the dainties our folks sent over. The boys are all right. It's your generals that have ignored the P. D. As, and I'll show 'em present. ly what miss they've made. Wait till the papers get the letters have written. But, say''-("A this is the woman thought might be literary!" moaned Stuyvesant as he meekly fol lowed to the little open carriage and, with a shiver, assisted his angular visitor to seat.)
 "A key!" she shouted, "A key, cochero! No quiere mas hoy. Ma mana! Ocho! Sabe, cochero? Ochoi Now dop'tchewbe-what' late in their lingo, anyhow? 'Tisn't tardy, I know; that's afternoon. Tardeeo? Thank you. Now-well, just sit down, first, lieutenant. You see we know how to address officers by their titles, if the Red Cross don't. I'd teach 'em to Mister me if was an officer. Now, what want to see you about first is this: Your general has put me off one way or another every time I've called this last two weeks. I've al- ways treated him politely, but for some reason he'll never see me now, and yet they almost ran after me at first. Now, you can fix it easy enough, and you do it and you won't regret it. I only want him to listen to me three minutes, and that's little enough for anybody to ask. You do it, and can do good deal more for you than you think for, an I will do it, too, if certain people don't treat me better. It's something you'll thank me for nightly later on, if you don't now. I've had my eyes open, lieutenant, an I see things an I hear things an know things you mighty little suspect.'
 Pardon me, Miss Perkins," inter- posed Stuyvesant at this juncture, his nerves fairly twitching under the strain. "Let us get at the matters on which you wish to speak to me. Ma late, cochero!" he called to the pyg- my Filipino on the box. s.I am great ly pressed for time," he added, as the carriage whirled away, the hoofs of the pony team flying like shuttles the instant the little scamps were headed homeward.
 Well, what I want mostly is to see the general. He's got influence with Gen. Drayton and I know it, and these Red Cross people have poisoned his ears. Everybody's ears seem to be just now against me and I can get no hearing whatever. Everything was all right at first. Everything was promised me and then, first one and then another, they all backed out, and want to know why-Pm bound to know why, and they'd bet ter come to me and make their peace now than wait, until the papers and the P. D. As get after lem, as they will-you hear my words now-they will do just as soon as my letters Teach the states. You're all right enough. I've told aslem how you helped with those poor boys of mine aboard the train. Bad way they'd been, in if we hadn't been there, you and I. Why, just canvassed that train till I got clothes and shoes for every one of those poor burned-out fellows, but there wouldn't anybody else have done it. And nursing?- you ought to have seen those boys come to thank me the day went out to the Presidio, an most cried--some of them did-said their own mothers couldn't have done more, and they'd do anything for me now. But when went out to their camp at Paco their major just as much as ordered me away, and that little whipper- snapper, Lieut.. Ray, that could take on my knee and spank. He-Lieut. Ray-a friendF of yours? We'll, you may think he is, or you may be a friend or his, but can tell you right here and now he's no friend, and