The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-02-06

mean the gold that came up with guns and ammunition. Aguinaldo is looking for the hiding place. My father. s
 high officer in the Spanish army, died of the fever last winter. We were stolen from our house in Manila by
 Aguinaldo's men and have been goins from place to place ever since. We have not told of the hiding place The Americans do not need gold, no? P The boy laughed sarcastically.
 How many men has Aguinaldo?"
 "Three hundred or more. l would advise you to look out for Pillar. He too, may come at any moment" 1 Scarcely had the words left his mouth when a storm of yells came from outside the convent, and i'm. mediately the boy rushed to his broth. CTS side.
 Great Ceasar, there's thousand ot themw cried Rogers.
 Instantly every man made for the position assigned to him. The gun was in readiness. Outside the Mausers rat tied, bullets coming from all quarters and humping sharply against the op- posite walls with a batter that warned the Americans against standing erect. Occasionally scout would peep from window and take a shot snto the darkness. but these ventures were few. 1 All lights were extinguished. The men 1 fired at the spots from which burst | the flames of rifles, then dropped sud- denly. After awhile the firing of the Filipinos dwindled into a shot now and 1 then.
 Keep fowl They don't dare risk a charge! Be ready to defend the doorr' Captain Groce commanded. The night wore on, and with the ces- sation of hostilities confidence increas- ed. Re-enforcements were not far of, and it did not seem possible that the sounds of battle could not be heard The men, worn out by the exciting events of the day, were generally si- lent. Sergeant Cornell, however, was an exception.
 ing, ''the dirty little towards! Major March will be here in the shake of a dead lambs tail"
 An hour later Bansemer. his rife in hand, sitting near one of the windows, suddenly felt some one tugging at his arm. Turning, he saw the Spanish boy. 'Won't you come and help me to carry my brother behind the stone wall" he was saying. "He is exposed self"
 "Willinglyw and Graydon followed his lead. As if he was a child, he picked up the gaunt Spaniard and carefully bore him to the place of shel- ter, but despite all that he could do to hide his suffering the pain in his arm, which the removal of the man had in. creased, was such for a moment tha: he felt faint and staggered. The boy was quick to notice it and quickly asked:
 What is the matter? WoundedY'
 "Its nothing; merely a scratch"
 "Oh, I know. Why, it's your arm. and T''- The boys face crimsoned with shame and contrition. Through the semidarkness the blush escaped Graydon's notice, but not so the truly feminine little shriek of dismay as he touched and felt the wet sleeve.
 'It was I who did it.! Oh, how can you ever forgive me?' q
 Graydon, dumfounded, stared in wonder.
 "What?' he exclaimed; you're a girl?"
 "Yes, I'm his sister," pointing to the dying man; then, with some embar- rassment: "These clothes? They are the only ones they would give me. You see, a girl would have been a burden; boy none at aL Do you think that had I been a man you could so easily have overpowered me? Nov
 The slim, little figure drew itself up straight and defiant before him. De- spite the loose, ugly garments of the Filipinos, Graydon noticed for the first time that the figure was perfectly nodded and high bred. She swept off the wide hat she wore. and the man saw mass of dark hair done up tight ly on her head. But even while he gazed her mood changed. She became subserviently anxious and begged him to let her attend to his arm. She pleaded so hard that, to please her, he yielded. Water was obtained from somewhere, the slight flesh wound washed and then, disappearing into the darkness, to his amazement she re- turned almost instantly with some bandages and dressed his arm
 While this surgical operation was going on Graydon, for the life of him. could not resist the temptation to ask her again why she had tried to shoot him. At first, so terribly In earnest did she take the question and beg for mercy, that he smiled at her, and then, seeing his amusement, she said CO., quettishly:
 How could I possibly have known that you were so nice2 Besides, had always heard you Americans re- ferred to as brutes.''
 Graydon laughed; then suddenly his face became very grave. The realiza- tion of her terrible situation had dawned upon him. A woman among a crowd of rough soldiers! Her brother and protector dying! And all sur rounded by hordes of savage enemies who at any moment might kill them! The thought dismissed all pleasantly