Martinsburg W Va evening journal. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1913-1920, 1918-08-05

garments, O'Reilly spoke what was in
his mind.
TIN getting about fed up on Leslie"
he declared. "He's the worlds cham
pion crepe-hanger, and he's painted the
whole world such deep, Respondent
blue that Pm completely dismal. You've
got to take him off my hands"
O'Reillys youthful assistant, who at
the moment was painstakingly manu-
featuring huge, black cigar for him
self out of come purloined tobacco,
pricked up his ears at the mention OF
Branch's name and now edged closer,
exclei1ning.:
"Caramba! There's hero for you.
Meester Branch is the bravest man j
ever seen. Our people call him Eel
Demonio' p
OReilly jerked his head toward the
Cuban. "You see? He's made the hit
of his life, and yet he resents it. My
nerves are frayed out. I've argued my
self hoarse, but he misconstrues every
thing say. / wish you'd convince him
that he has chance to get well; 1t
might alter his disposition. If some
thing doesn't alter 1t I'll be court-mar-
tailed for shooting q man in his sleep
and I'll hit him right in the middle, no
matter how slim he is" O'Reilly COM
pressed his lips firmly.
The assistant, who had finished roll
ing his cigar, now lighted it and re-
peated: Eyes, sir, Meester Branch is
the bravest mani ever seen. You re-
member that first battle, Ell? Those
Spaniards seen him comm and threw
down their guns and beat it. l laugh
to skill myself that day.
Jacket" was at once the youngest
and the most profane member of Colo
nel Lopez's entire command. The most
shocking oaths fell from his beard
less lips whenever Ire opened them to
speak English, and O'Reilly's efforts to
break the boy of the habit proved quite
unavailing,s E
This Camagueyan boy was char
acter. He was perhaps sixteen, and
small for his age-a mere child, in
fact. Nevertheless, he was a seasoned
veteran, and his American camp-mates
had grown exceedingly fond of him. He
was a pretty, graceful youngster; his
eyes were barge and soft and dark; his
face was as sensitive and mobile as
that of a girl; and yet. despite his
youth, he had won reputation for
daring and ferocity quite as notable in
its way as was the renown of Leslie
Branch. ~ H.
In order to expand his knowledge of
EngIish--of which, by the way, he was
Unfortunately proud-Jacket had volun-
teered to serve as O'Reilly's striker,
and the result had been fast friend
ship. It was O'Reilly who had given
the boy his nickname-a name
prompted by marked eccentricity, for
although Jacket possessed the two gar
ments which constituted the ordinary
insurrecto uniform, he made prac-
tice Of wearing only one. On chilly
nights, or on formal occasions, he
wore both waistcoat and trousers, but
at other times he dispensed entirely
with the latter, and. his legs went
naked. They were naked now, as, with
the modesty of complete unconscious
ness, he squatted in the shade, pulling
thoughtfully at his giant cheroot.
Once Jackets mind was fastened
upon any subject, it remained there,
and after time he continued:
'.Dii / told you about that battle of
Pine Bravo? Eh?" He turned his big
brown eyes upward to O'Reilly. "Cris'
to! / skill more'n a dozen men that
day ~
at was hot scrimmage," Judson at
tested. "Some of Luque's niggers. those
tall, lean, hungry fellows from Santi-
ago. managed to hack their way
through wire fence and get behind a
detachment of the enemy who had
made stand under hill. They
charged, and for q wonder they got
close enough to use their machetes. II
was bloody work-the kind you read
about-no quarter. Somehow Jacket
managed to be right in the middle OF
the butchery. He's bravo kid, all
right Muy malor'
At that moment Branch approached
his long face set in lines of discomfort
even deeper than usual. He had been
wandering about the camp in one OF
his restless fits, and now he began:
"Say, what do you think I've been
doing? I've been looking up some grub
for Miss Evans. and 1 can't find any,"
"Can't find any?"
Nothing fit for her to eat. You
don't expect her to live on this infer
nal. eternal beef stew"
'Didn't Major Ramos bring anything
along?" O'Reiily asked.
."He says there's famine at Cubi
tas."
"We'd better look into this" Judsor
exclaimed. and, finding that his clothes
were dry, he hurriedly began to dress
himself
Together, the three men made an in
vestigation Of the camps resources
only to discover that Branch was right
There was, indeed, but little food OF
any kind, and that little was of the
coarsest. Ordinarily, such a condition
of affairs would have occasioned then
no surprise, for the men were becoming
| a crucfotnod ~ Z, mora m. lasc chronic