Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1902-07-03
STORY for an
Hole bOur


Dewey guns had scarcely become
cold at Manila bay when Jack Downs,
a Boston lad, sacrificed himself at the
altar of his country, enlisting at Bos-
ton and receiving immediate orders to
depart for the Philippines.
In a vine-cOvered cottage of SUI.
burban town hard by looston the mai
den heart of Ruth Ashburn was burst
ing as a result of the intelligence.
Jack had trodden mother earth in
the Philippines scarcely three weeks,
when in an encounter with an advance
guard of Filipinos, under the lea 1er-
ship of General Degarcia, he vas
wounded and taken prisoner and held
as such, at the home of General Aran-
go, one of the leading generals Of he
Filipino army.
Now, Jack, was a tall, good-looking
chap with brown, wavy hair and light
blue eyes, and it did not take him
many hours to crafty the apparent de-
sire to make friends with the Gener-
ais daughter, a very pretty young
lady, face to face, and sublime of fig
ure, with long dark eyelashes and
black eyes, which had fed upon Jack
from the moment of his arrival at the
house.
Several times when she was taking
her morning walk she would come
over to where he was working and
talk with him. Many days of nara
toll were in store for Jack, but be
kept his courage and determined to
make his escape if possible, with the
assistance of Marcia, the Filipino
girl.
After his day of labor he would sit
on the edge of his bed before retiring
and give vent to many bitter tears
brought on by thoughts of home and
the GU of his heart.
One night while just in this fran >
of mind an unexpected visitor entered
his room in the person of the generals
daughter, and, after hearing his tale
of a breaking heart, she, in broken
English, offered herself and any of her
officer friends at her disposal to re-
lieve him of his shackles of captivity,
with the express understanding that
he would in return aid and assist h-i
to escape the ennui of the Filipino juI-
gle and escape to America, which
country she had a burning desire to
see and visit.
Whether this was a ruse or whether
it was the promptings of heart in
love were one and the same to Jack,
whose love was only too snugly tucked
away in the memory of his Ruth to
allow anything to stand in the way Of
his freedom.
Plans for the escape were made ind
were to be carried out on the following
Wednesday night as the hour of 70
was approaching. The three days
that followed seemed like months H.
Jack, but he gathered what few little
things he could carry, and packer
them into as small a bundle as pos
sihle, so as to have them ready.
At the appointed hour he sauntered
forth, wrapped in the clothing of the
ever faithful Marcia, into the dark
ness with nothing but the hand of
protecting heaven to guide him, free
man-to make his way as best he
could to the American lines.
1t took just four hours of incessant
travel, when as the sun was endeavor-
ing to make it's initial speed into The
drowsy earth, Jack caught sight of his
first impediment in the way of his
escape.
Confronted by what he took to be an
American soldier, who was accompan-
led by three Filipinos, and, thinking
that he was in the hands OF at leas,