Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-06
A FILIPINO BOY.
His Experience During a Two Years
Residence Here.

A very interesting Filipino in Washington
Is Pablo. the servant of prominent physi-
clan whose office is on H street. across the
street from the Shoreham Hotel. This
physician was a contract surgeon in the
army. He saw active service in the Philip
pines and was commended for bravery and
efficiency by his superior officers. When
he resigned and came back to this country
he brought, as relic Of his island service.
a Filipino boy, who had been with him sew
eral months. Between the doctor and Pa
bio there had grown up strong mutual
feeling of affection, and when the time
came for his master to leave Manila for
America Pablo wept sorely and begged to
be brought along.
This was two years ago, and Pablo has
now grown wise In the ways OF America
and Americans. His employer and bene-
factor promptly put him In the pubic
schools and now Pablo is full-t1edged high
school boy, working during out-of-school
hours. He is about nineteen years old and
unusually bright. His understanding Of the
English language Is perfect, or otherwise
as he sees AT. If Pablo wants to speak En-
glish he does so with ease, but If told to do
anything he does not want to do he falls
back on a food of protesting Spanish.
Like all Of his kind he Is devoutly faith
full, and many curious little Incidents have
served to prove this One summer day,
shortly after Pablo came to Washington
he was left to hold the doctors horse and
buggy while the doctor went across to the
Shoreham to answer to a call. While he
was gone rain storm came up. The phyM-
clan. Of course, waited in the hotel until 1t
was over and then went home. What was
his surprise but to find Pablo standing
where he had left him half an hour before
holding the horse. Pablo was weeping,
weeping bitterly.
The doctor had been of a mind to bring
Pablo to task for not taking himself and
ho nd h,tCc Ant Of OF t,,,t
the lachrymOse condition of the Filipino
restrained him. He tried to get the fearful
Pablo to tell him what was the matter, but
the grief-stricken youth would only shake
his head and mutter unintelligible Filipino
patois.
And do you know" said the doctor a
few days ago, ut was months before /
found out what that boy was crying about
few days before, and 1 thought it was be-
cause he had got this wet that he was cry
ing, but 1t wasn't All his tears were due
to the fact that my horse had received a
ducking."
The time Of Pablo's life." however, was
when the Philippine commission was in
washington not long ago. Pablo hobnob-
bed with the visitors extensively. So did
his master. who had known several of them
In the islands. Pablos associates here are
mostly the well-dressed negro girls of the
high-school class. with few white friends
thrown in for luck. When 1t came to his
couhtrymen though, he was strictly in 1t.
Inc commission was stopping at the
Arlington, and thither, upon several occa-
sons. went Pablo to dine Finally the doc
tor. who was also going to the Arlington to
dine. began to wonder who was boss he or
Pablo.
Pablo was not as attentive to his work
as he might be, and at last the doctor
thought it would be we'll to have an under
standing. He called Pablo up and dis
cussed the matter with him. 1t was decid-
ed that the doctor was still the head man
OF the firm and now Pablo is working as
blithely as of yore.