Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1901-12-06
CHAPTER XIX.

S11h1 LII Ala
It was December when once again
Maid Marion was lifted to her loung-
ing-chair overlooking the Bagum-
bayan, and little by little began pick
ing up once more the threads that.
were so nearly severed for all time,
and, as health and strength slowly re-
turned, hearing the tidings of the
busy, bustling world about her.
Others, too, had known anxiety as
sore as that which had so lined the
face of Col. Ray and trebled the sill
yer in the soft hair of Marion, his wife:
Well-nigh distracted, mother sped
across the continent to the Pacific,
there to await the coming of her sons
remains:
From the night of Walter Fosters
disappearance at Carquinez no word
of-his existence came to give her hope,
no trace of his movements until, late
in August, there was brought to her
the cabled message:
l. ''Alive, we'll, but in trouble. Have
written"
And this was headed Yokohama
Not until October did that longed-
for, prayed-for letter come-a selfish
letter, sincei it gave no really adequate
excuse for the long weeks of silence,
and only told that the boy had been
In hiding, almost in terror of his life.
Whileb still dazed by the shock of the
fire and smarting from his burns
wrote Walter, he had wandered from
the cars. at Port Costa. He had en-
countered "most uncongenial per-
sons" he said, among the recruits,
and never realizing that it was deser-
determined to get back to Sacramento
and join some other command. Yes.
There was another reason, but one
mother couldn't appreciate" I'm
known to all but one of his comrades
on the train, he had abundant money,
realized from the sale of horses and
cattle at the ranch. It was in a buck
skin belt about his waist, and this
money bought him friends who took
him by water to Sacramento, found
him secret lodgings. procured suit
able clothing and later spirited him
off to San Francisco.
But these money-bought friends
showed the cloven hoof, threatened
to give him over to the military au-
thorities to be tried for his life un-
less he would pay heavy sumo They
could only stir abroad at night, and
then in company with his jailers:
There was a man, he wrote. who had
a grudge against him, a man dis
charged from the ranch, who followed
him to Denver and enlisted in the
| same party, a man who he was most
anxious to get rid of, and the first
thing he knew that fellow, whom he
| 1>,I 70
turned up in disguise and joined forces
with his tormentors. That drove him
to desperation, nerved him to one
| sublime effort, and one night he broke
/ away. and ran. He was fleet of foot,
they were heavy with drink, and he
lodged them among the wharves and
| piers, took refuge on a coast steamer,
and found himself two days later at
| Portland.
Here he bethought him of an old
| friend and succeeded incfinding a man
he well knew he could trust, despite
his mothers old dislike for him, man
| who knew his whole past, of his de-
sertion, of his danger-a man who
was himself about enlisting for serv-
ice in the Philippines, and who per-
suaded him that. his surest way to
to hasten after the detachment, beat
it, if possible, to Manila, and join it
there at his own expense.
He still had some hundreds left
They went toe San Francisco, where
Walter took steamer at once for
Honolulu to await there the coming
of the recruit detachment. The in
fantry finally came, his friend with
them, but no sign of more cavalry
TO Walters dismay he had seer
among the passengers landed from
the Doric the disguised rough whom
as Sackett, he had so unfavorably
known before, who s.s Murray had fol
lowed him into the army. It would
never do to fall into his. clutches
again; the man would betray him in
! startly. Walter kept in hiding unit
he heard that Sackett was accused o,
stabbing staff officer of Gen. Vintoi
/ and had fled the island.
Later, owhen the next troop shiI
| came, bringing hisofriend with it, hs
again took counsel. AS the lad hGt
, fully admitted, his friend was oths
same old chum of Freiburg days-th,
| Iefriend to whom his parents had Sc
/ much objected. The fortunes of wal
had thrown them together, Willard a:
/ impecunious as ever, and the Damoi
, and Pythias, the Orestes and Pylades
the two Ajaxes of the old days were il
| / close oand intimate touch once more
J Damon, as aof old, the banker for tn,
twain. The troop ships were to pro
coed as soon as cealed. There Sver,
, reasons now why Walter wished t..
| stay in. Honolulu, but Willard urge,
his eoviegoat. once on to HongK onl
( and there awaiting the result of hi
negotiations at Manila At Hong
: Kong it was his hope to. receive tn
, word "Come over. All is WE'LL" and