Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1918-07-16

for boy, and it won't get you any
thing to keep up this racket"
Jacket next tried the power of ar
gument. He attempted to prove that
in a hazardous undertaking of this
sort his assistance would be invalu-
able. He was, so he declared, the one
person in all Cuba in every respect
qualified to share O'Reilly's perils. To
begin with, he was not afraid Of Span
| iards, or anything else, for that mat
| ter-he dismissed the subject of per-
sonal courage with a contemptuous
| shrug. As for cunning, sagaclty, pru-
! dence, resource, all-around worth, he
was, without doubt, anequaled in any
country. He was q veritable Spartan,
| too, when 1t came to hardship-priva-
ton and suffering were almost to his
| liking. He was Observation-Disclosures
was something he had inherited; he
was Observation-Disclosures being one
Of his most unique accomplishments.
AS for this talk about hunger, O'Reilly
need not concern himself In the least
on that score, for Jacket was small
eater and could grow fat on diet Of
dried leaves. Disease? BAIL 1t made
him laugh. His experience with sick
ness was wider than most fisicos, and
he was better nurse than Miss Ev-
ans would ever be. Jacket did not wish
to appear in the least boastful. On
the contrary, he was actually too mod
est, as his friends could attest, but
truth compelled him to admit that he
was just the man for O'Reilly. He
found it impossible to recommend him.
self too highly; to save his soul he
could think of no qualification in which
he was lacking and could see no rea-
son why his benefactor would not
greatly profit by the free use of his
amazing talents. The enterprise was
difficult; it would certainly fail with
| out him.
Johnnie remained carefully atten-
| tive during this adjuration. He felt no
| desire even to smile, for the boys ear
nestness was touching and it caused
the elder mans throat to tighten I'M
comfortably. Johnnie had not realized
before how fond he had become of this
| quaint youngster. And so, when the
| little fellow paused hopefully, O'Reilly
put an arm around him.
'I'm sure you are everything you
say you are, Jacket, and more, too, but
you can't go"
With that Jacket flung off the en-
brace and stalking away, seated him
self. He took half-smoked cigar
from the pocket of his shirt and lit it,
scowling the while at his friend. More
than once during the evening O'Reilly
| detected his sullen, angry eyes upon
him.
General Betancourt and several men,
bers of his staff were up early the fol-
lowing morning to bid their visitor
gOod-by. In spite of their efforts to
make the parting cheerful it was plain
that they had but little hope of ever
again seeing this foolhardy American.
Johnnie's spirits were not in the
least affected by this ill-concealed pes
simism, for, as he told himself, he had
money in his pockets and Matanzas
was not many miles away. But when
he came to part from Jacket he expert
enced a genuine disappointment. The
boy, strangely enough, was almost in
different TO his leaving; he merely eX-
tended limp, dirty hand. and replied
to O'Reilly's parting words with a
careless "Adios!"
In hurt surprise the former inquired,
| gGTNo,sA fr;o 10
| "Sure!" Jacket shrugged, then
| turned away.
Jacket was ikable yOungster; his
devotion was thoroughly unselfish; it
! had not been easy to wound him. With
| keener regrets than he cared to ac-
knowledge O'Reilly set out upon his
journey, following the guide whom
General Betancourt had provided.
1t was lovely morning, sufficiently
warm to promise a hot midday; the
air was moist and fresh from recent
shower. This being the rainy season,
the trails were soft, and where the rich
red Cuban soil was exposed the tray
elers sank into 1t as into wet putty.
Crossing rocky ridge, O'Reilly and
his guide at last emerged upon an
] open slope, knee-high in grass and
grown up to bottle palms, those queer,
distorted trees whose trunks are swol-
len into the likeness of earthen water
! jars. Scattered here and there over
| the meadows were the dead or fallen
! trunks of another variety, the cabbage
| palm, the green heart of which had
| long formed a staple article of diet for
| the insurrectos. Spanish axes had
been at work here and not a single
tree remained alive. The green floor
of the valley farther down was dotted
with the other, the royal kind. that
monarch of tropic vegetation which
lends TO the Cuban landscape it's pc
culiar and distinctive beauty.
"Yonder is the camino," said the
countryman. pointing into the valley !:
at will lead you to the main road :
and there"-he turned to the north
ward-''is Matanzas. Go with God,
and dent drink the we'll water. which
is polluted from the rains" With 8
smile and wave of the hand the man
turned back and plunged into the
| jungle.
As OReilly descended the slope he
realized keenly that he was alone and
In hostile territory. The hills and the
woods from Pinar del Rio to 0riente
were Cuban. or. at most. they we're
disputed ground. But here in the
plains and valleys near the cities Spain
was supreme. From this moment on
0'Reilly knew he must rely entirely
| upon himself. The success of his en-
| terprise-his very life-hinged upon
his caution. his powers of dissimula-
ton, his ability to pass as harmless,
helpless pacifico. 1t gave him an I'M
accustomed thrill. by no means pleas
ant.
The road. when he came TO it, proved
to be deep gutter winding between
red clay banks cut by the high wheels
/ of clumsy cane carts. Inasmuch as no