Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-04-19
1rHE EVENING STORY
The Call.

don't!' she said, and he burst into tears
She had felt his absence.
Then people, the poor, lOwly folk OF
the village. began to troop in with pity
ing EXPLANATIONS and rude, naive gifts.
Among them were two little girls who
stood awed at the door. He remembered
them. When his wife had first come and
they strolled in the evening. together the
little girls would follow them at dis
presence, they had come nearer. and
finally she had found what they longed
for. They wanted to touch her hand.
And after that the husband and the wife
had to steal out on their evening walks
for if seen by the little girls the lady had
to give one hand to each, leaving the
man to follow behind alone.
They were poor. dirty little things, but
when they stood there, one with a soiled.
overripe banana. the other with to-
at the market, he stopped down and
kissed them on the foreheads.
Then he padlocked the door to be
alone and took his station by the side
of the little cot. And the morning passed
as the night had. and he felt himself
slowly becoming mad. In the afternoon
a thought made his heart thump.
At Sibalay. twenty miles below the
mouth of the Hog. there was then a post
OF native constabuiary, and once every
Two a iduHcn from lIOliO came
to stock it with provisions He had made
note of the dates the boat was to come.
He looked among his papers and found
it. It was due that very day., Since
morning, while he sat stupid there, the
boat had been discharging cargo; that
and in Iloilo there were Americans, doc
tors. hospitals, hope!
And there was still chance The
boat. in its course back to Iloilo. must
cross the mouth OF the Hog. There might
be time to intercept 1t.
He ran out Of the house and down to
the river. and the best he could find after
an hours search were two old bancas.
moldy and full of water. but he dashed
them together. Then he stormed at the
Casa Popular till they gave him the town
prisoners. a villainous six He then had
his wife carried on her cot to the boat
and they started down the river.
From the beginning everything went
wrong. He had counted upon the swollen
river current: he found that the sea tide
was on the flood and backing up. The
impressed prisoners were sullen. and after
he saw that promises of reward had no
effect he made them work with his re-
volver at their backs
Thus they went down the river, between
the high palm-lined banks, the boats
leaking the tide purring against them
the men straining with fear upon them.
and he standing at the stern, tense as
maniac, feeling hope slowly and inexo-
rably slipping from him. And all the
time, from the cot at the bottom of the
boat. came the soft. continuous, patient
little plant.
When they reached the mouth of the
river the surf we looming on the bar
and they could cross. 1t was dark,
and in the dsta ce red and a green
light was passiae slowly.
They paddle, back five miles up the
river to the p eblo of Hog and camped
in the deserted convent. Toward mid
night White, the constabulary officer,
came along. He was on his way to Sib-
alay.
The two men had a long conference.
Then White impressed two carabaos from
the presidente and started off in a driz-
zling rain. There was an army wagon,
with two American horses. at Sibalay
and he was going after them. With the
wagon, Delaroche could perhaps make
Pulupondan. sixty miles to the north, and
catch the little steamer that piled be-
tween that town and Iloilo.
All night Delaroche sat by the bed of
his wife in the big. empty, ruined convent.
Once, toward dawn, she started up sud
denly and he caught her. "Laddie, lad
die" she cried. with a grea. joy in her
voice. as she felt his presence. Then she
fell back into the stupor.
AT noon the wagon came, driven by an