Waterbury Democrat., 1901-04-22
EcOpyrightsd. lsOO by J. B. LlppineOtt col

l launches, bancas and cascoes from fleet and shore. The debarkation of l the cavalry began in the afternoon. | They had left their horses at the Presidio, 6,ooO miles away, and were troopers only in name. The officers who came as passengers got ashore in the course of the day and made | their way to the Ayuntamiento to re- | port their arrival and receive their assignments.
 The Red Cross nurses looked in vain for the hospital launch that, it was supposed, would hasten to con vey them to comfortable quarters ad- | joining the sick wards or convalescent camps. They listened with the deep est interest to the description of the assault of the 18th of August that made Merritt master of Manila, and the elders, masculine and feminine, who knew something of what battle meant, when American was pitted against American, looked at each other in wonderment as they heard how much had been won at cost of so little.
 Sandy Ray, kissing Marion good-by and promising to see Stuyvesant in the near future, went over the side with his troop and, landing at the stone dock at the foot of the Paseo de Santa Lucia, found himself trudg- ing along at the head of his men un- der massive walls nearly three cen turies old, bristling with antiquated, highly ornamented Spanish guns, and streaked with slime and vegetation, while along the high parapets across the moat thousands of Spanish sol diers squatted and stared at them in sullen apathy.
 Maidie's knight and champion fn- deedl His duty called him with his fellows to far-away suburb up the Pasig river. Her duty held her to await the movements of the sister, hood, and what she might lack for sympathy among them was made up in manifest yet embarrassing inter- est on part of the tall young aide-de- camp, for Stuyvesant was bidden to remain aboard ship until suitable ac- commodation could be found for him ashore.
 Under any other circumstances he would have objected vehemently, but, finding that the Red Cross contingent was to share his fate, and that Miss Ray was one of the dozen condemned to remain, he bore his enforced lot with Christian and soldierly resigna- ton.
 E "only," said Dr. Wells, "one would suppose that the Red Cross was en- titled to some consideration, and that all preparation would have been made for our coming" It was neith- CT fattering nor reassuring, nor, in- deed, was it kind, that they should be so sighted, said the sisterhood that evening; but worse still was in store, for on the morrow, early, the Esmeralda came steaming in from Hong-Kong, where, despite her roundabout voyage, the Belgic had arrived before the slow-moving Sac- ramento had rounded the northern point of Luzon, and on the deck of the Esmeralda as she steered close alongside the transport, and thence on the unimpeded way to her moor ings up the Pasig, in plain view of the sisterhood, tall, gaunt, austere, but triumphant, lowered the form of the vice president of the Patriotic Daugh- ters of America.
 For two days more the Sacramento remained at anchor in the bay over a mile from the mouth of the river, and for two days and nights the Red Cross remained aboard, unsoughs, Iansummoned from the shore. The situation became more strained than ever, the only betterment arising from the fact that now there was more space and the nurses were no longer crowded three in room. Mrs. Dr.. Wells moved into that re- gently vacated by the cavalry com. mander, and Miss Ray and her now earnest friend, Miss Porter, were re- ieved by the desertion of their eld- est sister, who preempted a majors stateroom on the upper deck.
 Butt stirred up new trouble by promptly coming to Miss Ray and bidding her move out of that stuffy hole below and take Maj. Morton's her 'if that was agreeable.'
 It would have been, very, but Miss Rays head was level," as the purser put it, and despite the snippy and exasperating conduct of most of the sisterhood, that wise young wom. an pointed out to the shipmaster that theirs was semi-military or- ganization, and that the senior, Mrs. Dr. Wells, and one or two veteran nurses should have choice of quar- ters.
 By this time Miss Porter's vehe- ment championship of her charming and much misjudged friend had ex. cited no little rancor against her. self. The more she proved that they had done Miss Ray injustice, the less they liked Miss Rays advocate. It is odd but true that many woman finds it far easier to forgive another for being as wicked as she has de- clared her to be than for proving her. self entirely innocent.
 One thing, anyhow, Miss Porter couldn't deny, said the sisterhood- she was accepting devoted attentions
 Ceo-7-777v7-77,
 F. H