The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1904-12-02
dow. however. alled him with sur

What are yon doing here, Isabel
lar he demanded.
mo habla,' she murmured in her
quaint mixture OF Spanish and Eng
lish. No habla. l get you out"
Walters's heart ieapeG at the hope.
The girl began WORK ing with some in
strument at tie set rocks forming
the window sill into which the bars
were luort se,. # she could remove
to him then the most glorious thing on
earth--something he must have at any
cost.
He tiptoed up to the heavy bamboo
partition separating the long room
occupied by the PRISONERS from the
Smaller place where the guard slept.
Through the cracks he could see lying
on their cots the members of the
guard who were Off duty; at the door
sat the sergeant aoI.ng in his chair;
in front the sentinel vas pacing up and
down
Walters noted with satisfaction that
the other two soldiers confined with
him were sleeping OH the side oppo-
site his bunk.
The guard-house was stone camar-
inc which had been used by it's Fill
pl1o owner for the storage OF sugar
aiid rice. 1t was 1y no means conSid-
cred invincible is a prison, but the
vigilance of thhe guard was intended
to counteract its elements of weak
ness.
However, there was anticipated NO
effort at escape on the part of the
three incarcerated Americans who
could hardly find an incentive to risk
their lives in the df Dse, marshy coun-
try, filed as it was by hostile Filipinos.
The consequent relaxation of the
watchfulness maintained over the
building permitted the girl to perform
her task undetected. 1t was not
difTicuil feat for her slowly to loosen
and finally to remove one of the
crl;mbling, porous stones. The iron
upright was then quickly forced aside,
and Walters slipped through the win
dow
AS the two crept away under cover
of the darkness, Walters rapidly form
ulated his plans.
Isabella" he said suddenly, I'm
going away from all this-into the
mountains. I'm done with America
and Americans forever" After
pause, he continued You've been
very kind to me, Isabella Will you
With 10 tai
The girl kesiiated, while Walters
waited breathe: sly for her decision.
Yes, senor--I will go"
He pressed the hand that trembIed
in his. You went regret it, Isabel
Ia he said. you have been the only
one that's ever seen much in me to
care for, and / will not forget it.
Well find us a place where nobody
will ever discover us, and we'll build
us home. Now" he continued, I'm
going to slip into the quarters and
get my gun and some things; you get
what You need from home and wait
for lie at the church"
After the girl had disappeared in
the darkness, Walters stood few mo-
ments looking at the light Pickering
through the door of the guard-house;
he could discern the sentinel on num-
Der one. Yes, he was satisfied. He
cared not to go back to America
where he had learned what life could
give of suffering. There was nothing
now that would cause him to turn
back; he was rice; he would forget.
Life had still something left to Of
fer
An hour later, while slipping eau
tiously across the road near the church
on the outskirts of the town, he STUN
bled over some soft inanimate object
on the ground. He put dswn his hand
and touched the face of man. In
stinctively he realized that the man
was dead On his knees beside the
figure he explored it with his hands.
His fingers travelled over the we'll
known uniform of an American soldier;
at the side his hand was wet, and he
felt a rent in the khaki blouse. The
warm blood was still f3wing. Wal
ters rose to his feet, and stepped quick
ly into the shadow of some bushes on
the roadside.
Sentry on number three, boloed on
post" he muttered. THAT means an
attack-the devils will probably strike
just at daybreak" That would be in
less than an hour he knew. AS he
crouched in his shelter, he saw dark
forms creeping silently along the road
one or two at a time, all moving in
the same direction. The Americans
would be murdered in their beds.
Walters thought of the girl waiting
at the church not so yards distant; he
could join her and by daylight they
could be far away toward the noun
tains. What affair was this of his?
Had he not renounced his race? If
he went back to warn the troops, he
would probably never reach the quar-
| tiers alive; and even if he succeeded in
saving the garrison and himself, after
it was all over he would only get
put back in prison for his pains. That
would mean an end to his dream OF
oblivion on the mountain side. He
would be taken back to America
Gods Country" as the men called it.
At the name there ran through his
mind fragment of the improvisation
the soldiers sang when starting on q
hike:
But Gods country is behind us-long age