Mexico weekly ledger., 1918-06-06

vas living Just two blocks
from the main uprising; and for hours
johnson sat and heard the noises Of
the fight She tells Of the many
t~reaeherous devices that the natives
used against our army; how they bur
died poisoned thorns in the sand
along the paths Of Attaek; how they
dug great holloWs in the top Of hills,
and. hiding here for weeks, suddenly
swooped down upon the surprised
Americans with poisoned weapons.
Some Of her most thrilling expert
enees were staged among the island
ers Of the Southern Philippines, who
year their hair long. have harems,
practice vassalage. and are heathens.
They think that a una has no soul.
but that by killing a Christian man
they take another step toward their
heaven. One wealthy old lord, sur
rounded by the customary train Of
servants and dressed in the charact-
eristic skin-tight suit Of a man Of his
rank. sat in front Of a tropical hut,
his home, which was gaudily painted
in red, green, blue yellow and white
stripes. On being questioned as the
peculiar decoration, he explained that
he had five wives and that no two
could agree on the same color, so he
pleased them all. Thereupon he beck
oned a slave and from a little jew
eled box selected a pink BEETLE nut and
sprinkling some lime on it placed the
delieacy in his mouth and began TO
chew.
Has Many Valuable Relics.
From these same island people
Mrs. johnson purchased one Of the
most valuable relics of her large col
lection. 1t is a hand-wrought double
Darrell gun with a tiny saluting piece
mounted just above the balance. The
stock is handsomely carved. 1t is now
being displayed in a New York muse
UNI.
She was fortunate in adding to her
collection the cover Of the Emperor
of China's umbrella, which she bar
gained for in n of the millions of
Chinese junk shops at the American
price of $3.50. In the same shop she
discovered one Of the ancient lead
bottomed Sheffield trays, which are
SO scarce now, and found that it was
valued by the junker at $3.50 Ameri-
al money. Here it would sell for
1915 at the least.
But the most precious addition OBJ
tainable she refused. While stationed
at San Francisco, she met a number
of distinguished foreigners, among
them the prospective Count Won Mat
temburg of Holland. He is a noted
artist and at the outbreak of the war
was attending the School of Design
at Brussels. He fought during the
seige of Liege, and a little later was
given a short furlough. He saw his
mother and sisters safely lodged in
London; and Immediately reassumed
his duties, being selected with a COM
pany Of picked Belgians as a member
of a motor artillery division to help
the Russians on the Galician front,
where he served for three years.
During the winter months when
the heavy SHOWS made fighting i'm
possible and he was confined to the
barracks, he spent his time painting
pictures of the actual occurrences
about him; and as a result has COM
pleted a collection of twenty-five OF
the best modern war paintings.
He does not speak English, and the
second day in America found him
desperately homesick. Then he met
! Mrs. Johnson, who speaks French flu
emily, and his troubles quickly dis
persed; and his face, as unlined and
soft as a girls, in spite of his many
: trying adventures, beamed with a new
light. AS an appreciation for the
kindnesses which the Johnsons had
shown him during his stay there, he
offered them the collection of pic
lures the night before he sailed fol
; home. But Mrs. johnson urged that
, his mother should by all means have
! them, and refused to accept.
t Compelled to Stay in America.
{ Because of the ruling that ne wife
S mother, or sister of an American sol.
!, der can go to France Mrs. johnson i!
n robbed of the realization of her para.
mount ambition; but she has not Civ
S en- up hope, and has already finished
r a six months course in First Aid ant
= Hygiene at a Red Cross school in Cal
e %ifornia. If a contemplated curse i
: offered by the Government to be tax
n en- at Washington next fall, she in
s tends to take that also.
Mrs. johnson left Mexico Saturda.
e afternoon for the East, where she will
spend the summer on a little farm
near Boston raising chickens, pigs an,
e wheat. Miss Marian Johnson will joil
her there and declares that her shar
Of the farms products will be donat
n cd tn the Rod Cross War Relief Fund