Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1902-10-09
FiIibuSteTS.
BY FRANK H. SWEET.

BY FRANK h. SWEET.
Copyright. 1902 by Daily Story Pub. Coz
A group of Spanish officers were
standing in front of the mess quarters
at Bahia Honda. They had just come
in from Havana and on the morrow
were to start across the mountains
toward Cristobal on special service.
1t had been a long, hard march, and
they were hugry and tired. In spite
of all that was behind and of what
might be ahead, their one thought was
of the meal whose savory odors were
issuing from the hastily improvised
mess quarters. The sun was not yet
down, but the shadows of the date
palms lay thick about their feet.
They watched them listlessly, waiting
for the mess call, and then ready to
seek the low matched building where
they were to sleep. From the shad-
ows of the same date palms % group
of ragged, emaciated boys watched
them keenly. They, too, were mindful
of the odors that came from the mess
quarters, for they shifted eagerly, and
from time to time they whispered to
one another and pointed toward the
building or the officers. Presently e
boy of nine or ten, with keen, snap
ping black eyes, stole to a palm tree
that was but few yards from where
the officers stood. In the shadow of
this he waited until his companions
had circled round to the shelter of a
clump Of bamboos on the other side,
and very near to the entrance of the
mess quarters. There they paused, as
though for a signal.
And it was not long coming. With
sudden wild whoop the boy with the
swapping eyes sprang forward into
the very midst of the officers, swing
ing his arms and dancing about as
though he were mad. In an instant al
| most, and before they had recovered
from the surprise of the unexpected
onslaught he had snatched a sword
from one of the scabbards and bound
ed away. At the same moment a cry
Of CONSERVATION came from the mess
quarters.
But the officers did not notice that
They were too amazed, too angry a.
the audacity of this ragamuffin, who
had stopped few yards away and was
now brandishing the sword defiantly
in their very faces. With exclama-
tons of anger they sprang forward to
a man, and the ragamuffin, instead of
trying to escape, lodged this way and
that, under the outstretched arms of
one, behind another and almost be-
tween the legs of a third, all the time
haunting them and daring them on.
He was like an eel that squirmed out
of their hands even after they caught
him; or flea that was anywhere ex-
cept where they thought 1t. Five
minutes passed in exasperating dodg-
ing and doubling before they succeed
ed in dragging him back, struggling
and grinning to the mess quarters.
And it was not until afterward that
it occurred to them that he mad made
| no real effort to escape.
AS the excitement of the chase and
capture began to subside they noticed
| for the first time that their mess cook
and his boy assistant were shutting
about wringing their hands.
What are you doing here, Garcia?"
one of the officers demanded impa-
tiently. go back and hurry up sup
per-"
But Garcia continued to wiring his
hands.
There is none" he walled. mo
meats, no breads, no fruits. Oh.
senorsI oh, senors! What shall we do?
Me and my boy Jose were finishing a
beautiful superior, so beautiful
and horde of wild creatures rushed
in and threw flour into my face and
tripped Jose. and when we recovered
there were no meats, no breads, no
fruits. Oh, seniors! oh, senors!"
Two or three of the officers rushed
into the mess room. When they re-
| turned their faces were blank.
| "Garcia's right" they said, "the
place is stripped as clean as though
visited by locusts."
Then they stopped abruptly, as