Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-09-13

usual in such places there was a large num-
her of guests intending TO spend the night.
This posada. or inn was one-storied. ram
bling AFFAIR consisting Of three rooms and n
Veranda sheltered by the overhanginp caves
of matched roof All the rooms we're
filled with people. most Of them lying
mats spread on the floor; the veranda was
similarly occupied In the dim light from
smoky lanterns it was difficu, to tell who
these people were. Herran. confident that
David was among them. appealed to the
proprietor. a stoid-looking peon, for infor-
nation
YOU have a Yankee here Senor?"
NO. Senior"
"A Yankee came today from Honda -
"No, Senor."
He was riding alone to Bogota?"
no. Senior"
"A young man on bay horse"
no. Scnor."
is there foreigner here"
"A foreigner passed here today on a bay
horse"
NO Senor."
"Caramba. hombre, Have you ever seen
n foreigner here"
"No--yes Senior"
"'roday?'
"No Sennr"
ENasperated by what he considered the
stupidity Of the landlord, Herran addressed
in loud voice the various guests VINO were
preparing to pass the night such i'm
provised beds they could get for them
selves.
"Seuors. | am looking for n young man. a
foreigner Yankee, who is riding to Bogota
on a hay horse. He must be here. Have you
seen him.
There confused murmur A num-
her Of the men sat up on their mats and
peatcd cnergetcally the landlords negative.
Morning failed to bring the expected sou-
tion of the general difficulties In the
bedIam created ny burros. horses. travellers
all trying to make their departure from the
inn at tn" same early hour and all finding
their plans doavcd hv some fault in harness,
mSplacing of baggage or other inconveni-
euCc prcl!.ia" 10 . four-footed conveyance
there was no sign OF the missing David A
number 0f native merchants on their way
from BOgOta to the coast who had lodged
at the inn during the night recognized Her
ran. and though their greetings were
dial, the old-time friendiness tempered
by the uncertainty with which tn" average
Colombian viewed this unfortunate officers
part in the so-callcd Panama revolution. As
news Of his presence spread among the de-
parting guests. General Herran felt the re-
straint well as the disagreeable curiosity
| with which he was regarded. This made his
search for David more difficult.
As n result of the little that he learned
he was convinced that David had neither
| reached nor passed the inn his way to
| Bogota.
In the meantime. nothing cou'd be gained
| from the landlord of the inn whose nte'li-
| geuce was at an even lower ebb in the morn
| ing than on the preceding evening. This
| good-natured but fatuous bonfacs found it
difficult to sustain a conversat ion on the most
ordinary topics and as result OF his intel
| lectual labors with him, the soc!able Herran
| was nearing the extremity OF misery when
| his own party arrived. several hours after
| the last traveller had left the inn
| "Ah. Yes. Senor General groaned Colonel
Rodriguez, the busting lIttle officer in
| charge of the men during H"rran's absence ;
| we met the volunteers. They wanted US 10
go with them to Panama. They waved
! their flag they shouted. they made speeches
| they cheered tho Fatherland, they cursed the
| Yankees, they said you would lead them to
| the ISthmuS Their little captain. who rode
on a burro and talked peon very much. said
we belonged to them and Colombia depended
on us. 1t was very terrible. We thought
| they would never leave us.
Did you meet the Yankee, Don David.
| with them" asked iierran.
Don David? Butts he not with yOu?"
| they asked In return.
| II left him when we met those insane
| Volunteers"
But, Senor General, they said that young
! man--it must he Don David--went with
you"
"Ah. caramba ! Then they know nothing"
THAT il all, SenOr."
Then he is lost that little fellow. He is
not with me, he is not with those canaille-
unless they hide him. or kill him. No one
has seen him he is lOst-or dead"
Having reached this decision there was
nothing further t" do except march to Bo
gosi and telegraph from there the news
of Davds disappearance to his friends in
Honda.
(CONTlNTt,D TOMORROW