The Virginia enterprise., 1904-12-09
dow, however. flied him with .suris-:

dow, however, filled him with sur suiS;
prise. -.
What are you doing here, Isabel
lar" he demanded. ..
mo habla," she murmured in her
quaint mixture OF Spanish and Eng
lish. mo habla, get you out"
Walters's heart ieapcd at the hope.
The girl hogan working with some in
strument at tile sc:t rocks forming
the window sill into which the bars
were 1uortised. # she could remove
one he could escape. Freedom seemed
to him then the most glorious thing on
earth-sonething he must have at any
cost.
He tiptoed up to the heavy bamboo
partition separating the long room
occupied by the Ir!soners 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 aoMng in his chair;
in front the sentinel az pacing up and
down
Walters noted with satisfaction that
the other two SOldie.s confined with
him were sleeping on the side oppo~
site: his bunk.
The guard-house was a stone camar-
inc which had been used by its Fill.
pl2o owner for The storage of sugar
ara rice. 1t was oy no means consid-
cred invincible Is 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 d! pse, 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 Indetected. 1t was not a
difficult feat for her slowly to loosen
and finally to lenlove one of the
crImbling. porous stones. The iron
upright was then quickly forced aside,
and Walters slipped through the win
| dow.
| AS the two creyt away undbr 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 a
pause, he continued you've been
very kind to me, Isabella. Will you
go with me to the mountains?"
The girl ke*ilated, while Walters
waited breathle:sly for her decision.
Yes, senor--I will go"
He pressed the hand that trembled
in his. "You won t regret it, Isabel
la." he said. You have been the only
one that's ever seen much in me to
care for, and I will not forget it.
Wen find us a place where nobody
will ever discover us, and We'll build
us a 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 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 t1oe; 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
stinctiyely he realized that the man
was dead. On his kneas 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 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. "'Thnt 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
i NJ Ia Oh