Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1915-10-07
APriisonerI Ii 1
Cuba
BY MARTHA V. MONROE

ltot IaISS W a IilNAtS IA al
infantry regiment in the Spanish war.
One day while he was on picket duty
the sun was hot, the insects were buzz
ing about him, and there was absolute
ly nothing to interest him. He sat
down on a stone. The hills, the blue
sky with feecy cloud floating ov er it,
a meadow directly before him, all be-
came jumbled together.
The next thing Frank knew Span
lard was kneeling over him holding a
knife within an inch of his throat AS
soon as his eyes We're opened. for he
had been asleep, the Spaniard, who
had possessed himself of the Ameri-
cans mnsket, made signs to him to
get up. When he had obeyed the or
der his captor pointed down the hill
side. The piekets were badly posted,
and Franks supports did not see him
till he had gone some distance III then
took them some time longer to cdnsid-
er what their comrade was doing walk
ing down the hill followed by a man,
Dul oupposSa hS was Soih5 aoNh ~
the brook for drink of water. By
the time they understood that Frank
was being marched away a pri soner
his captor was directly between them
and him, and they could not put a
bullet into one without endang ering
the other. Then captive and captor
disappeared in wood.
Frank Dorrance was taken to little
village near by and lodged in q low
building, or. rather, clubhouse. II was
not fitted for Jail, but guard was
posted about it. and Frank would be
shot IL he attempted to escape.
Frank was a handsome fellow, the
very opposite of Spaniard. His hair
was very light and his eyes very blue.
The house in which he was confined
was directly back of little store
where pins. needles, thread. cakes, can
dy and fruit were sold. The day after
his capture, looking out through a win
dow, he saw Cuban girl at desk
In the back Of the store evidently
working on accounts. Presently she
looked up, and their eyes met.
A handsome boy of nineteen, looking
into the eyes of a pretty girl of fifteen
at any time Is liable to kindle spark
This girl looked away, but not for long
She was the only daughter Of a man
who was fighting for Cuba against the
Spaniards. She and her mother attend
ed to the store, supporting family Of
small children. One day their neigh
bors began to crowd the store, making
purchases. There were not more than
a hundred people in the village, and 1t
seemed that at least third of these
We're In constant need of something to
be bought at the store. Many of these
persons carried home their purchases,
but the children of the storekeeper
were constantly going out with bun
dies.
This was noticed by the only Spanish
sympathiZer In the town, who lived
opposite the store, and he wondered
how 1t could be that the sleepy little
shop could SO suddenly have wa kened
up. The villagers were no richer, nor
was there any evidence that their ne
cessities We're any greater than before,
and yet they were all buying, some of
them many times a day. AS for the
soldiers. they were all Spaniards and
strangers. and. being hated by the peo.
pie as their enemies, they knew little
and cared less what was going on in
the town.
Meanwhile there were snatches OF
lovemaking between Frank Dorranee
and the Cuban girl. though there was
no means of communication between
them. Frank had picked up d few
cut his finger with knife brought hin
for meals. and with the blood made
an apology for small message. Bu
the girl made signs for him to desist
evidently fearing that he would be seer
by the guard
One night Frank was awakened by |
scratching sound under the floor
Thinking 1t was caused by rats, h
turned over and went to sleep again
But the scratching continued an,
sounded like an animal burrpwine
Frank listened awhile. then got mp an,
put his ear down to the floor FL
heard some one digging.
He sat on the side of his bed an
tried to think out what 1t meaIIt.
The floor was old and rotten. Sud
denly he began to feel of it and foun
directly above the sound board tina
he could pull up. This he did, an6
though the noise he made was sligh
the scratching ceased. But 1t soon bt
gan again. and Frank began to 5000
up the dirt under the floor where h
had removed the board. 1t was nc
long before some of the earth gave wa
and Franks hand came in contact wit
another hand much softer and smalle
than his own.
"Senor!"
"Senorita"
It dawned on the soldier that the Iii
tie Cuban girl had burrowed under til
ground to come to him. She had prt
pared herself with enough English