Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1908-12-17
MY
FILIPINO
WATCH
BY CARROLL DARLINGTON

\ town every night and put as many
miles between his meals as he have
the stomach for travelling; but mine,
as secrets go. was not so very big at
4 the beginning, and when / did stop by
the wayside for longer than a nights
4 lodging II was by compulsion OF i'll
ness, which nobody in the world could
recommend as companion to man in
the circumstances | have described.
During a very black week / lay in a
room at the Santa Catalina hotel,
where l had been overtaken by mala-
ria while making a restless tour of the
pleasure resorts of Southern Califor-
MIA. At the weeks end l pulled my
self together, paid my bill and was on
my way 10 the depot when | fell a
"a victim TO coincidence.
Ii WIS during the first stages of the
excitement attending that great run
n of tuna in Southern California waters
two years ago, and young Walter Har-
vey OF the Los Angeles branch of the
& photographic service was taking his
N first vacation in three years 10 put in
week of fishing for the big jew fish
at Santa Catalina. That is how it
1 came about that ! met him coming
from, while ] was going toward, the
| depot, He seized my hand with the
Vest appearance of delight
II Talk about luck, my boy!" he
cried. why, it's nothing short of
Aprovidential. Where you going mot
<. away from here just as | arrive!-I
mghn
Used to come fishing with me when
saw you in Frisco a month ago-just
In from Manila the day before, weren't
you? Haven't heard word from you
since-not a word. Where've you
lbeen ?-and how's the Filipino watch =?
Was there really anything in hat
lstory you were giving me up there?"
N For heavens sake. don't shout"
Iretorted. He had turned me about and
Twas walking me back to the hotel.
R"You can see that | still have the
ething-and / may add that | am get
ting sufficiently tired of it,
~ Whereupon l took the secret out of
kmy pocket and showed it to him.
II was nothing but a large silver
watch, with Oriental designs on the
Tback and some words in the native
language OF Luzon engraved in Roman
lettering on the inside of the cover
Under these words was the name OF
Emilio Aguinaldo."
|N had picked IL up on the outskirts
of Manila the morning after our first
battle with the Filipinos. The follow.
Ing night my room at the hotel had
been broken into and ransacked while
J was on visit TO friends elsewhere
| IN. the city; two days later had been
Cup by four unknown assailants
| Rnd robbed of everything 1 had on me.
which happened not TO include the
mysterious watch, as had thoughtful
by hidden it; and a week later after
a narrow escape from being kid
1paped ! had concluded Manila was no
3onger a place for pleasure-seeker
shnd embarked as speedily as / could
FOR home, taking the watch with me.
Nor had my hight altogether ended
with the close of the voyage; for even
After arriving on American soil | was
jtill oppressed, in a degree grotesque-
liz out CT proportion TO the insignifi-
fance OF the incident, by a constant
Impulse TO run away with my absurd
brize, as though IL had been the key
10 some famous international conspir.
hey.
told Harvey at dinner that evening
hat | had business in the city which
lowing day.
II After we've caught a 300-pound
luna, you may CO." he replied.
The next morning was inhospitably
hold and dark when we stumbled into
<iur clothes after a wakeful night and
tole forth from the hotel, meeting
Iur Italian boatman on the veranda
he had come to wake us up.
think we must have been fishing
bill half-hour when my companion
>]aYes a yawn and said it wasn't time
br fishing yet and he couldn't for the
life of him see why Andrea had called
Is so "beastly early"
Il not-a Gala you at ALL" said the
Xalian, Struggling his shoulders
What-a time you teenk catch-a da
Ieesh?"
mot for an hour yet" Harvey re.
lied, winding his line around peg
Il the bow of the boat and pulling out
lis pipe. "Ill have to smoke to keep
wake. My neighbor in the next room
oke me up at all hours by opening
Ind closing his windows, stamping
bund his room and otherwise creating
h all-night disturbance. He's a queer
iece, that chap. Calls himself Senior
1naldos."
Spanish observed quietly
N Mexican grandee, I'm told" pulled
Harvey through his pipe. Dead swell
HID very exclusive. Been here week
Hey say, ard knows nobody. Dresses
ulith all the noisiness of royalty. but
as one OF those exquisite polishes you
Isneraliy see on aristocrats from the
latin countries. AS a matter OF fact
hough," concluded my friend lazily
he beggar strikes me as having a
n q gypsy air. Looks Nike l imagine