Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1901-11-15
aeoo. by the J. B. LippIneou Col
o CHAPTER xy.ZCosr1NUrp..

CHAPTER XV.-CoNTINUEp.
Despite his temporary escape, cir
eunstances and the civil authorities
(now become decidedly military had
thrown him into still further asso-
citation with the woman whom he
would have so gladly shunned-the
approximate Miss Perkins. He had
taken turn around the b1ock-and
refuge in the English club-unt1 he
Thought hef disposed of at home and
his carriage returned. He had come
across the little equipage, trundling
slowly up and down the street in
search of him, had dined without ap-
petite and smoked without relish,
striving to forget that odious wom-
ans hints and aspersions, aimed ev-
adently at the Rays, and had gone
to his own room to write when a
corporal appeared with a request
from the captain in charge of the
police guard of Ermita to step down
TO the Office.
1t was much after nine then and
the excitement caused by the alarm
~vas about over, the troops going
back to barracks and presumably to
bed. The captain apologized for call
ang on him that late in the evening,
but told him a man recognized as
Murray, deserter from the cavalry,
was secreted somewhere in the neigh
borhood, and it was reported that he
(Stuyvesant) could give valuable in
formation concerning him. Stuyve-
SAINT could and did, and i'm the midst
of il in came Miss Perkins, flushed,
eager and demanding to know if that
villain was yet caught-"and if not,
why not?"
Then she caught sight of Stuyve-
SAINT and precipitated herself upon
him. That man Murray had hate
fully deceived her and imposed upon
her goodness, she declared. She had
done everything to help him at the
Presidio, and he had promised her a
paper signed by all the boys asking
that the p. D. AS be recognized as
the organization the soldiers favored,
and showed her a petition he had
drawn up and was getting signatures
so by the hundreds. That paper
would have insured their being rec
ognized by the government instead
of those purse-proud Red Cross peo-
pIe, and then he had. wickedly de-
serted, after-after-and Stuyvesant
could scarcely keep a straight face
getting $50 from her and q ring that
lhe was. going to wear always until he
came back from >Manila-an officer.
oh, he was a smart one, a smooth
one! All that inside of three days
after he got to the Preside, and then
Svas arrested, and then, next thing
9 she knew, he had fed-petition,
money, ring and all.
Another soldier told her the sig
satures were bogus. And that very
night she had recognized him. spite
IF his beard, and at sight of her he
1ad cut and run ("Weu he might"
thought stuyvesant). And then Miss
Perkins yielded to the strain of over
saxed nerves and had to be conducted
tome.
She lived but a block or two away,
and lit was Stuyvesant who had to
slay escort. The air, unluckily, re.
rived her, and at the gateway she
turned and had this to add to her
previous statements:
''Yeu think the Ray people your
friends, lieutenant, and I'm not the
<ind of woman to see a worthy young
nan trified with. You've been go
ng there every day and everybody
Knows it, and knows that you were
sent away to Iloilo in hopes of break
ng you of it. That girls promised
n marriage to that young man who's
got himself into such a scrape all or
aer account. He's here-followeC
ker here to marry her, and if he's
sound he's liable to be shot. Oh, you
.an believe or not, just as you please
but never say didn't try to give you
lair warning. Know? Why, I know
much more about what's going or
aere than your generals do. 1 have
friends everywhere among the boys;
they haven't. Oh, very well,s if yot
ont listen" (For Stuyvesant ha6
fLrned away in wrath and exaspera
0ion.l "But you'd be wiser if yot
seard me out. I've seen Mr.. Foster
and had the whole story from hil
Cps. He's been there every day, too
sill he was taken sick"
But Stuyvesant was out of the gate
and at last out of hearing, and will
q vicious bang to the door the II
IF the p. d. AS, so recently victi1..
zed by the astute Sackett. retired t.
:he sanctity of her own apartment
narveling att the infatuation of men
And yet, though Stuyvesant ha,
angrily striven to silence the woman
and had left her in disgust, her word
lad not failed of certain weight
Again he recalled with jealous pail
the obvious Indifference with which
ais approaches had been received
Erue, no well-bred girl would be NOR
Ahau conyentionally civil to a strau