Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1915-11-13
Among the Missing.

Among the Missing.
Annette sank back. gasping with
the smoke The situation. 20 her,
seemed hopeless. Inside. the ammuni-
ton was slowly giving out. Without,
the house was surrounded on all sides
by insurrectos. She crept to the
planters side
I've fired my last shot, she said.
Can I have more?" She got it, but
stiil fingered. DO you think you can
hold the placer" she queried
The planter smiled and shrugged
his shoulders, The insurrectos-
what are they?" he exclaimed. Moth.
ing" He peered through his loophole.
~Eye-yah," cried the planter, who is
the stranger there?"
Annette followed the direction of his
finger. She shrank back
'Scarfacei" she cried, in despair.
He knows how to load" said the
planter. shaking his head soberly, but
at any rate we can hold out-until the
Americanos come"
IF our messenger got through" fall
tered Annette,
Their messenger did get through
A quarter of an hour before a black
had penetrated to the camp of the
marines and had given the alarm-and
the whole camp had started off ON the
double quick.
"Boysi" shouted Neal, pressing to
the fore, American women-don't for
get--come on"
In an upper room in the planters
house Mrs. Hardin shrank back in
corner with fear Bullets were rid
ding the walls. Joe Welcher lay face
down. Inez. with presence of mind,
had placed a mattress against the
wall and with Joe's aid had placed an
uptuTned bed against the other They
were fairly safe. Besides that, just
once, Inez had found chance to wave
to Hernandez, and Hernandez had
kept the insurrectos from firing on
that corner of the house. Inez crept
downstairs-looked about her-saw
Annette and the planter in close con.
versation-then crept back again.
She plucked Joey Welcher by the
sleeve "Joe," she whispered. go
down-pass through the corridor by
the kitchen-open the rear door"
Not on your life" said Joe. do
you think want to die?"
You'll die If you don't" she said.
''Come, follow mel"
Once below, Inez cooked her revol-
YER do as l say" she commanded
Joe obeyed With terror in his eyes
he tore and wrenched at the fastenings
of the rearmost passageway. Finally
he stepped back. She's unlocked"
he exclaimed Inez, unafraid, stepped
forward, opened wide the door and
beckoned 1t was signal. Herman
dez saw it and bounded forward.
Follow me, insurrectos," he com
manded
A hundred men obeyed. With a
shout they dashed into the huge living
room on the ground Hoor--with an
other shout they fired a volley into
the backs of the defenders. The
planter, drawing bead on an insur-
recto without, was seized suddenly
from behind, gagged and bound. A
strong pair of arms seized Annette
and lifted her from the floor and bore
her, screaming, from the room.
Three minutes later she was thrown
into far room in a secluded corner of
the house. Into the same room We're
thrown Inez and Mrs. Hardin and Joe
Welcher.
With a sudden wrench Annette tore
loose board that barricaded the win
dow Then her eyes frightened.
sLook," she cried. THE marines
they come. Neall Neal!"
Her shout was not heard, of course,
but it was accompanied with the wave
of white handkerchief. Neal, at the
head of the squad, saw it-and the
squad pressed forward at double
speed.
Below, among the insurrectos, An
nette could hear the panic.
The Americanos-th Americanos
fleet"
Neal reached the house-saw who
waved the kerchief With a sudden
bound no leaped upon an arbor, scram-
bled and crawled somehow-with some
naval trick-up the face of the house.
1 rammed in the barricade and leaped
into the room.
Annette" he cried.
| But at that instant the door of the
room was burst open and Hernandez,
with Ponto and the Brute and q dozen
/ insurrectos, daTted in.
take everybody here-including
I him." commanded Hernandez. Take
I! them-you know where. But remem-
berthe women are mine, not yours.
Neal fought like tiger, but without
| success. In five minutes or less the
captives. Neal and Annette included
were led through dark passageways
to some underground corridor. They
were driven on and on-they knew not
| where.
An hour later the squad of marines
reported to their officer
''We can't find woman on the
| place, except the blacks" they said
Are we all here?' queried the off.
Ger, anxious for his men. Just call
the roll and see"
"All here returned marine. but
no, not all here. There's one missing
Gunner Hardin. sir