Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1904-12-07
earth--something lie must have at any

earth--something lie must have at an,
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 ne could see lyins
on their cots the members of the
guard who were Off duty; at the doo1
sat the sergeant ao,2ng 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 on the side oppo.
site lis bunk.
| The SGard-house was stone camar-
inc which had been used by it's Fill.
pl2o owner for The storage of sugar
attn rice. 1t was oy no means consid-
cred lnvincible Us a prison, but the
vigilance OF thhe guard was intended
to counteract it's elements of weak
ness.
| However, there was anticipated NO
effort at escape on the part of the
three incarcerated Americans who
! could hardly find en- incentive to risk
their lives in the df use, 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 lnuetccteu. 1t was not a
difficult feat for her slowly to loosen
and finally to lcnlove one Of the
| 'cr';ml'ling. 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, Waite rs 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 a
pause. he continued you've been
very kind to me, Isabella. Will you
go with me to the mountains?'
The girl Ee*iiated, while Walters
waited breathe: sly for her decision.
yes, senor--I will go''
lie pressed the hand that trembled
in his. "You won regret it, Isabel
Ia he said. ''Iou have been the only
one that's ever seen much in me to
care for, and will not forget it.
Wen find us 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
Tor ME at the church,
After the girl had disappeared in
the darkness, Walters stood a 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 free; 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 down his hand
and touched the face of a man. In
stlnctlvely 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 flowing. WAL
tiers 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 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 a fragment of the improvisation
the soldiers sang when starting on q
hike:
But Gods country is behind us-long ago
and far away,
And we're hghtin' Filipinos round the
old Manila bay,
And we're goin' home in boxes-but this
story's what it tells:
When you've heard the flag a-callin,'
why, you won't heed nothin' else."
When you've heard the flag a-call-
ill., Yes, the flag was calling
now.
What is wrong" asked Capt. Ora
ham, starting up in bed as a man stag
gered into his room calling his name.
1T is I, captain-Walters. There's
an attack to be made in a few minutes.
A hint 900 E:i1iniv0n 1x1sv, tn <H,1