The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1921-04-07

saw the door of Lebers warehous,
open. Men with lanterns streamet
forth, lighting the way for others wht
bore between them heavy burdens.
They're emplacing the machine
guns In the motor-truck," he whis
pered to Dolores. "We will not have
to wait long now. It's nearly
o'clock"
Again they backed out into the bay
until they could see far out over the
sleeping city to the hills beyond in
the west. Presently along the side OF
those hills the headlight Of a locomo'
tive crept, dropping swiftly down
grade until 1t disappeared In the low.
lands.
A half hour passed; then to the
south Of the city q rocket fared sky
ward; almost instantly another flared
from the west, followed presently by
a murmur, scarcely audible, as Of a
mutfled snare drum, punctuated pres
entity by a louder, sharper, insistent
puck-puck-puck that, had Webster but
known 1t, was the bark Of a Maxim
Vickers rapid-tire gun throwing a
stream of shells into the environments
Of the government troops on the fringe
Of the city.
Webster's pulse Qulckened. There
goes the 'tlllery to the south. sor,"
Don Juan called, and even as he
spoke, a shell burst g~loriously over
the government palace, the white
walls Of which were already looming
over the remainder Of the city, now
family visible In the approaching
dawn.
THAT was to awaken our friend,
Sarros," Webster cried. "Ill bet a
buffalo nickel that woke the old horse
thief up. There's another-and an
other"
The uproar swelled, the noise grad
ually drifting around the city from
west to south, forming, seemingly, q
semlcircle Of sound. 1.-The govern
ment troops are up and doing now"
Webster observed, and speeded up his
motor. II think 1t high time we played
the part Of frightened refugees. Maui
ser bullets kill at three miles. Some
strays may drop out here In the bay"
He speeded the launch toward La
EStrellita, and as the craft scraped
In alongside the great steamers COM
panion landing, her skipper ran down
the ladder to greet them and inquire
eagerly Of the trend Of events ashore.
1--WE left in a hurry the instant 1t
started" Webster explained. "As
Americans, we didn't figure We had
any interest In that scrap, either
way" He handed Dolores out on the
landing stage, tossed their baggage
after her and followed; Don Juan
took the wheel, and the launch slid
out and left them there.
At the head Of the companion ladder
Webster paused and turned for another
look at Buenaventura. To the west
three great fires now threw a lurid
light skyward, hooking an equally
lurid light to the east, that marked the
approach Of daylight. He smiled.
""Those are the cantonment barracks
burning" he whispered to Dolores.
RICARDO is keeping his word. He's
driving the rats back into their own
holes"
The weeks Of clean living, of alb
stention from his wonted daily alco-
holic ration, had inspired in Don Juan
Cafetero a revival Of his all but de-
funct interest in life; conversely, In
these stirring times, he was sensible
Of an equally acute interest In So
brantean politics, for he was Irish
and flabby indeed Is that son of the
Green Little Isle who, wherever he
may be, declines TO take q hand In
any public argument. For the love Of
politics, like the love Of home, is new
err dead in the Irish.
It is instinct with them-the
heritage, perhaps, Of centuries Of op-
preston and suppression, which nur-
lures rather than STILES the y%earning
for place and power. Now as Don
Il ilCu LcDcl . tdullCll SllOIcNdTu
and kicked the motor wide open, he,
too, deserted against the dawn the
glare of the burning environments west
Of the city, and at the sight his pulse
beat high with the lust Of battle, the
longing to be In at the death in this
struggle, where the hopes and aspi-
rations Of those he loved were at stake.
Two months previously a revolution
would have been a matter of extreme
Indifference to Don Juan: he would
have reflected that 1t was merely the
outs trying to get In, and that If they
succeeded, the sole benefit to the gen
eral public would be the privilege of
paying the bill. Today, however, In the
knowledge that he had an opportuni-
ty to fight beside white men and per-
chance even up some old scores with
the Guardia Civil, 1t occurred sudden.
ly to Don Juan that it would be q
brave and virtuous act to cast his
lot with the Ruey forces. He was a
being %reOrganized and rebuilt, and Il
behooved him to do something to dem