The Wahpeton times. [volume] (Wahpeton, Richland County, Dakota [N.D.]) 1879-1919, 1909-04-29

AASO tA0 0uaFVA3. 'SIVu VI M6uli0, 6uOs
as guardia, served many years. I
had been, married, and we had one
son. and he was more than the idol
and Joy Of his mothers heart,cfor my
wife rs Visayan. and the love Of .
Visayin woman for her fir.t.born Ii
beyond the knowledge Of man. He
grew to be like me IN strength and
stature, marvel among men, and
was proud Of him; and prouder yet to
see how my mujer gloried in and loved
him for his strength and size. for It
made him like meme, . member Of
the ever-to-be.trusted Guardia Civil,
with my Mindanao medal to wear at
the fiestas.
"And at last he. our Jose, was en-.
listed in the infantry as I had been,
and my mujer wept as she stood be.
side me and saw him march in the
ranks, from pride that her 'muchacho'
was the tallest man in the line, AID
his shoulders were those of man and
a half,-and Wsayan woman seldom
weeps. But I, who had been sol.
der, did not weep. though I felt sad
and doubtful, for knew that the
Spanish officers were not as they had
been in my day, and that there was
discomfort among the lines. But I
gave him my bolo to wear and USE
the one with the nine notches in the
back Of the blade, senior, with the hilt
which had been carved by my father.
I'VE saw him but seldom after that.
and knew not where he was stationed,
for the infantry soldier in the service
Of Spain has little time but to serve,
and sometimes his mother would
grieve because he was not there with
her, and then rejoice because another
day had gone and the end of his serv.
Ice was nearer.
Then came the mutiny. Your grace
knows. sin dudo, how it was arranged
that the regiments in Cavite should
kill their officers and the white resi-.
dents, and then send up rocket as
signal to the troops in Manila to do
the same and capture the city. But
your grace, perhaps, does not know
that 1t was through the Guardia Civil
that word of the uprising was sent to
the commandante in Manila; for the
Guardia Civil,-of which was one,
senor,-whatever its sympathies are,
is true to the cause to which it is
sworn-as true as the steel of the
bolo-and some loco among the mu-
tineers had told friend who was a
guardia. And when the rocket went
up from Cavite, the troops in Manila
had been disarmed, and we, with the
white troops, were on our way to Ca
vite.
when we landed, the mutineers
had fled and were hiding, but they had
done their work, and when I saw tt
all, senior, the poor white senoras and
little children!-my blood became like
the hot yellow wine which the Ingleses
drink with soda-water, and l cared not
that the mutineers were my country.
men or that the bodies were those Of
Spanish. Our hearts cried out for
vengeance, and we obeyed the orders
to enter every nipa-hut in Cavite and
drive our bayonets through the floor
for 4 was under them that the mu.
tineers were hiding-and the scars Of
our bayonets are there in the huts of
Cavite to-day. entered two huts and
thrust my bayonet through the floor
of each until the screams below had
ceased. Then entered q third. and
thrust, and there were no screams.
but a hand with bolo came up
through the floor and gashed my leg.
as your grace sees. put my foot on
the bolo and thrust again with all my
great strength: and then the hand re-.
Taxed and the fingers opened and shut
and tore 1T the bamboo strips on the
floor like q cats claws-and saw that
the bolo had nine notches In the back
Of the blade and that the handle had
bsen carved by my father.
"Our son. the pride and Joy Of his,
mqther's heart-a Visayan woman's
heart, senor-was buried in the ditch
in Cavite with the others. and I, his
father, who had loved him and killed
him-I placed him in it-for I was q
member of the Gnardia Civil.
THAT Is the cause, senior, of tho
scar on my leg, and also the cause
Of my not resenting the insults from
my mujer; for had killed her first
born and destroyed her Joy in.life. The
insults Of woman to a man are but
little to the loss Of her hrst-born to q
Visayan woman; and II she can bear
her loss the better that I should bear
in meekness what she says or does to
me in her anger, may We both live
thousand years."