Evening star., 1918-02-10
Copyright. 1918 b Harper 3 Bros,

the head Of q cane"
Take the whole string. but get us
something to wrap up this grub In
Hurry"
spurred by o'Redl1y's tone and by q
lively rattle Of rife shots outside. Leslie
disappeared into the living quarters at
the back of the store. A moment later
clothes, evidently snatchsd at radon.
Trailing behind him. like bridal veil.
was mosquito net. which in his haste
he had torn from Its fastenings.
this Is PSor o.on,1e ne nstI r
sleep comfortable after this"
From somewhere came the faint
smothered wailing OF a baby-eloquent
testimony Of the precipitate haste with
wife had fed Dumping his burden of
sheets, blankets and brilliantly colored
cotton quilts upon the floor. Branch
selected two OF the stoutest and began
to knot the corners together.
He had scarcely finished when Judson
retned in at the door and called to
OReilly: We've cleaned out the drug
store. Better get a move on you. for
lust soSs to Cuban
in the calaboose: Gimme hand and
wen let 'em out"
'surer oRsilly quickly rsmounted.
meanwhile directing Jacket to load the
canned goods upon his horse and ride
for the open country. He looked back
q few moments later. to see his asistente
emerge from the bodega perched be-
tween two Queer-looktng tmprovised
saddle bags bulging with plundsr: The
to the frantic urgings Of its barelegged
rider 1t managed to break into
shambling trot. Branch reappeared.
too, looping the eight-foot string of
balancing before him the remainder OF
the bedding, done up in gaudy quilt.
Sharing In the general CONSERVATION
at the attack, the jail guards had dis
appeared, leaving Lopez.s men Tree to
joined them the work was we'll under
way. The municipal building OF San
Antonio was a thick-walled structure
with iron-barred windows and stout
doors: but the latter soon gave way.
whatever implements they could nnd,
Judson and O'Reilly went from coll to
cell. battering. prying. smashing: leav-
ing their comrades to rescue the In.
mates. This jail was q poor AFFAIR. It
could scarcely be dignifsd by the name
Of a prison; nevertheless, true prison
conditions prevailed in 1t and it was
evidently conducted in typically Spanish
odorous. the cells unspeakably foul:
O'Reilly and Judson saw, heard. smelled
enough to convince them that no mat
ter how guilty the prisoners might be
they had been amply punished for their
crimes
This, too, was swift work. The build
ing echoed to rushing. yelling men.
while outside htful accompaniment Of
gunshots urged the rescuers to greater
haste. While the Americans smashed
lock after lock. their comrades dragged
the astonished inmates from their ken
nels, hustled them into the street, and
took them up behind their saddles.
The raid was over. retreat was
out Of the prison. remounted. and Joined
their comrades, who were streaming
back toward the plaza
'ewhewl'' Judson wiped the sweat out
9eoMs ss as wsat they Mers in
mo need to ask them," said johnnie.
"A month in there would be too much
for a murderer"
The druggist said most Of 'em are
just patriots. and every holiday the
Spaniards shoot one or two. There's
no cock lighting. SO it's the only Sun
day. amusement they have. Did you
notice that sick guy!'
Yes"
starved. Our fellows had to carry him"
Col. Lopez galloped up to inquire,
anxiously, did you find those eatables,
eh?"
Good! But failed. Pickles7 Caramba!
Nobody here ever heard Of one!
Did we lose any men?" Judson asked
Not one. But Ramos was badly cut"
So? Then he got to close quarters
with some SpaniardsT
"Oh mol" The colonel grinned. He
was In too great hurry and broke
open a showcase with his fist"
The retreating Cubans still maintain
cd their uproar. discharging their rifles
invisible foes and voicing insulting in
vitations to combat This ferocity, how
ever. served only to terrify further the
civil population and to close the shut
while. the loyal troops remained safely
in their blockhouses. pouring steady
fire into the town. And despite this
admirable display of courage the vfsf
tors showed q deep respect for their
enemies markmanship. taking advantage
Of whatever shelter there was.
Leslie Branch, Of course. proved the
solitary exception; as usual he exposed
himself recklessly and rode the middle
Of the streets. regardless Of those sudden
explosions Of dust beneath his horses
feet or those unexpected showers Of
plaster from above.
He had spent his time assiduously
ransacking the deserted shops, and in
addition to his huge bundle Of bedding
and his long string Of straw hats he
now possessed a miscellaneous assort-
ment Of p1under in which were q bolt
OF calico. q pair OF Shoes. collection
OF cooking utensils, AZ umbrella and
strangest of ala large gilt-framed
mirror. The safety of these articles
seemed to concern him far more than
his own. Spying O,Reilly, he shouted:
Say! What's the Spanish word for
clothing store? need a new suit"
Don't be an idiot" Johnnie yelled
at him. Keep under cover"
But Branch only shook his head.
"They couldn't hit anything" he cried.
The next instant, as IL to punctuate
his remark, a spent bullet smashed the
mirror and sprfnkled the speaker with
particles Of glass. It was only by a
miracle that he escaped injury. Branch
refined in his horse, examined the
wreck. then with a petulant exclama-
tion cast the useless frame away.
Come on, Johnnie" Judson grow1ed.
1.-The damn fool wants to get shot"
The sick mans bravado reused in
O'Reilly a feeling Of mingled resent
ment and apprehension. but further
warning would obviously be a waste Of
breath. Nevertheless. being a little too
tender-hearted to follow Judson's nom
chalant example and ride on, O'Reilly
held in his horse. meanwhile keeping
an anxious eye upon his friend.
The latter was In no hurry; he jog
ged along Ieisurely. evidently on the
lookout for an opportunity to replenish
his wardrobe. Truth to say. this
needed replenfshing-Leslie resembled
q scarecrow clad in q suit OF soiled
pajamas. But by this time most of
the shops had their shutters up.
When the last one had been left be-
hind O'Reilly spurred his horse into