Show A STORY OF THE v i FREEING OF CUK k perry 49 ertice cr Y AC CLI 41 1911 aw alf M SYNOPSIS lieutenant holton la in detached from hta his ron eon imand in the navy at the tha outset of the spanish americ an war and aI aigner gnel to important secret service duty while dining at a washington hotel he detects a walter waiter in the act of robbing a beautiful toung yaws lady she thanks him for his serva and gives her name as miss la tossa a cuban patriot later he meets her at a ball A secret service man warns warna holton that hat tha firl girl Is a spy py senor la tossa chides h his s daughter for or her failure to 10 secure important la information formation from hollon io ton S she h in e leaves en octant es fo for r her horne home in cuba holton Is ordered to follow her they meet on the tampa train miss I 1 la tossa tella holton she la Is a cuban sia apy y and expresses doubt regard regarding inFo the sincerity of the united stats states stat s ile holton t n la Is ordered to remain at tampa to guard the troop transports ile he receives orders to land lii JAL tossa who la Is considered a dangerous apy on cuban soil at sea lie lg is overtaken by another warship which takes taken miss la tossa I 1 aboard laboard and 1 holtan 10 1 ton la Is ordered tn ta return to tampa lie ile saves the from rom destruction at the hands of dynamiters dyna miters and reports orts to admiral sampson tor for further regu autv tv kholton 1101 ton Is sent to general garcias Gar clas com ni aland ng in I 1 the ne rise guise of a newspaper correspondent n ent to investigate cuban plots against the american troops and ta learn tile the plans plana of the spanish navy ile he detects a trusted cuban leader in the work of fomenting trouble among the cubans in the interests of the spaniards holton I 1 Is S I 1 by friends of the spy and later Is is ordered executed as a spy ile hn escapes and saves the he american troops from fall ing into a spanish ambush he learns from gen garcia that the spy Is joss Ce C snola one of the most trusted leaders le adeis holton folton takes part in the battle at san juan disguised as a spanish soldier he enters santiago goes at night to th the e home n e of ariss ln la tossa tessa where lie ho overhears be a ys a discussion of tho the spanish plans b bv v lending leading army and navy commanders commander 3 he learns that the spanish fleet will leave leav a t the he harbor at santiago on july 3 while attempting to leave the house lie he Is confronted b by Y 1 miss la tossa holton cements h his fr friendship le d hip with M miss a lit la tossa by assuring her that tho the americana America intend to leave the island as soon an aa the spaniards are driven out CHAPTER XI continued 1 I know I 1 know he laughed but lust just the same I 1 think you had bad better leave tho the weapon in its holster for I 1 have what do you americans americana say all ah the drop on youl the girl stamped her toot foot senor chesnola Ce snola I 1 command you to leave us you are a guest here t ahall not leave you on the contrary 1 I must ask you to slip that revolver from your friends belt he stopped as though struck with a 4 thought but you need not mind I 1 suggest merely that you quit the room there Is about to be an execution holton stood facing the man immovable as a statue the girl stepped forward you are lying she cried there will be no execution t oil oh but yes there will bel be was the smiling rejoinder and right before your eyes unless you retire you fl fiend end with a sudden lithe movement she sprang in front of ilal hoi ton now fire it if you darel dare holton placed his hands bands upon her supple waist and lifted her to one side the revolver darted forward to alm aim the girl uttered a little cry and sprang back seizing the americans coat with her hands stretched behind her miss la tossa toamas tried cried holton you you Ces nolas face was waa working with tile the rage of a fanatic out of the way girl he cried glancing behind him at tho the door of the opposite room which he be had closed as aa he be left it that man Is a opyl spy ho has got to diel die he Is an enemy a make in tho the grass not worthy of a minutes quarter terl miss la tossa never moved and 5 V ifill she sprang in fronton front of holton holton felton hs his mind working like light lulng did not attempt tb put her aside out of 0 the way repeated the spaniard with a sort of hissing of oc the breath out of the way or br by godt ill shoat through you there was the crash of at an opening door whala this this noise and shouting camo came a deep voice holton watching his bis enemy like a hawk saw the revolver barrel deflected from him the mans mams head turned in the direction whence the voice had come springing bac backward kware and side wire like a deer holton shot across the room twerp was ft a loud load report a b hullt singed his hair the next instant he had leaped through the window glass and all and was on tho the porch from here as two bullets sped aped after him he be leaped down upon the back of 0 a horse that was being held by a soldier striking the animal with the butt ot at his revolver he went careering off through tho the darkness like a rocket prom from the men on the drive from men on the porch came a rain of bullets and holton who had learned a trici trick or two in the way of 0 horsemanship slipped down along the animals body shielding himself almost com plemely ely but the horse was exposed and a whining bullet pierced the steed to the heart he suddenly plunged forward throwing holton to the ground then rolled over and was still holton landed on hta his knees and although jarred was not stunned lie he scrambled along desperately regaining his feet and struck out for the woods about a hundred feet away ile he tolled tailed on for two hours di distancing static all sounds of pursuit and then flung himself on the wet ground like a tired animal and fell at once into a deep sleep when he ha a awoke olce the sun was shining through the trees but it was not this that had roused him it was the roaring of field ordnance and the racketing ot of small arras anna E evidently vi dently they were at it again ills his one thought was that this was the 2nd and ot of july and that on the morrow the spanish warships meant to dash out of 0 tile tha harbor and attempt an escape ills his fleet must be warned that was what w hat he be was there for and this from now on must be the single aim of his life the one thought in his mind the supreme struggle of his fits body by constant concentration upon the object of his mission he brought his mental condition into a sort of hysteria the heat too had got into ka brain As AB he stumbled over a log ho he would sob or curse and once when he tripped and was thrown flat h he lay for a second weeping like a child so he went on until once upon climbing a tree to ascertain his position he looked down upon the upper vat waters ers of the harbor lie he was on the hills ali a to the right and another hours journey would bring him within signal bignal or of his fleet ile he struggled feebly and then lay back with the realization that great as was the exigency he was not able to meet it A sort of 0 stupor partly hunger partly fatigue stole over him and ho he closed hla his eyes it was night when he opened them again starlit night at A first lie bo could not recall where he be was then he remembered and with a start remembered why he ha was there he sat up and with difficulty got on ills his feet then ho he walked ile he did not know he was walking he had no consciousness ness of moving and no of dire direction cdon but his subconscious powers were leading him right A breath of pure pare salt air blew on his face ile he turned toward a line pt brush and parted it and there below him lay the spanish fleet their lights reflected in the velvet waters twinkling and winking ile he heird heard the tha chug chug of a steam launch and several times the murmur of a voice rose to his ears farther down in the moonlight ho be could see the masts mast wand and funnel ot of hobsons merrimac Merrl mac ships bells struck as he ha looked and the sound floated sweetly to the hilltops hlll tops lie ha turned turne his a face ace seaward an and walked along partially revivified by his rest at length a sense of openness came upon him the sensation of avast a vast void in front aront of him lie he paused and then stole noiselessly onward until at lasts last passi passing fig through a growth of ma mahlgut the wide expanse of the caribbean lay before him here he ha flung himself on the ground and waited for morning his limbs were aching with almost unbearable pain his eyes burned with fever his head throbbed and yet all these things he regarded lightly tor for the caribbean was in front of him and the american fleet would receive hla his warning as soon as god brought the dawn CHAPTER XII Dest destroying royln g a fleet it was waa well past dawn when holton awoke ile ha was in a panic of tear fear that he had bad permitted valuable time to elapse ho he dose rose to hla feet stiffly and broke through the bushes until the me blue sea lay beneath him ills his eyes were strained to the left where the stern ot of tho the flagship was dwi nging toward him ile he noticed black smoke belching from rom the funnels evi evidently dently the new mew york was leaving her a tation elation when thu the ships of the enemy were preparing to come out ot of tho the harbor where they had bad been bottled up for or GO eo long cold sweat stood out upon holtons forehead and hastily throwing aside ills his coat and tearing oft his shirt he took from beneath it a white signal flag which he had bad carried around his body tor for days against just this otner gency breaking oft off a branch albranch and knotting tha earners corners of the flag to it he bo sprang tensely into position the tha flagship was leaving beyond peradventure her stern was still toward him and it was growing smaller tho the admiral going away of all times in desperation he raced along the tha hill trying to catch an angle where his signaling would be seen finally seeing the futility of further running holton stopped and began swinging the flag right left right left with frantic energy for F or five tea minutes he repeated the T E call but without eliciting the slightest response and so ceasing his exertions he ha watched the new york move away with tears springing from hla his eyes the tha brooklyn had swung broadside to him and the picturesque ram bow and the tall funnels were as cleanly cut against the sea as a cameo admiral schley he knew was on board her and must of necessity be the commander ln in chief pending sampsons Samp sons return so it was to this rakish cratt craft that ho he now turned his attention walking to a point as nearly abreast of her as he could get he began snaps ping the flag right and left in the effort to attract her attention it if he be could only get her now and could tie de liver iver his message there was no doubt that hat ha t the tha new york could bo be recalled by a signal gun so simple did this seem that he be wondered why lie he had not thought of it before he swung his flag with fresh ardor but it was as though ho he were signaling to mars so tar far as any answer was waa concerned holton could see a launch leaving the indiana tor for the massachusetts everything was peaceful from the city drifted the sweet notes of at the matin bells and through the trees he could catch glimpses of the red roots roofs and the blues and greens and bromps ot of the houses ot at santiago holton redoubled his bis efforts with the flag fing it seemed as it he ha had moved ill hla arma ma to and fro for an hour without alponse As sp onse ho he had to rest ile he lowered the flag and was lea ningon leaning on the staff when suddenly from the bridge of the brooklyn he ha saw a flutter of at hunting bunting As he looked he be read read that vessels call letter no doubt now they had bad seen his signal and alid were making in qullies qu iries quickly raising his flag over his head he repeated his E E call and then as he caught the answering flashes of white from the brooklyn he began his messages and this to la how bow it read message to admiral from lieutenant holton all right ready cerveris veras fleet will leave the harbor barbor this morning there was a pause holton waved hta his flag frantically did you get it there was still no answer finally it came repeat holton scowled cerveris veras fleet will leave the harbor this morning there was another pause who are you lieutenant holton united A states navy I 1 after a short hart s wait the flag on tile tho brooklyn flashed again the tha admiral sends his compliments and his thanks i there followed several up and down movements of the flag Indic inducting indicting ting that admiral schley had received all he wanted to know and that his mind was waa already turning to more important matters of the hour As holton threw his flag aside and turned bho shoreward reward he saw two tall tali columns of blaak smoke arising from the direction of the harbor they were tie he dashed for his bis flag but even as he be did so GO he saw tho the flash of a tier of at guns from morro alorro and socapa and then suddenly as b he glanced down HE M toward tho the mouth ot at the bay he bo saw a leaden colored cruiser with yellow and red flag of spain snapping defiant ly from her jack staff appear from bei hind the hills and then as a panther dashes from a cave in the mouth of at which hunters huntera have kindled a fire she turned to the right and dashed into the open sea it seemed an age but it was not more than a few seconds when a ter rifle roar shook the waters and a burst of clanin and gases rolled from p a turret of one of at the american ships holton marked the tha course of tho the great thirteen inch shell saw tho the great dark shape dart with lightning 8 speed peed toward the vizcaya taw a w it hurtle tle avei over the deck ricochet on the water and explode in the woods woodi beyond then tho the earth shook with fearful earful noise from all the american ships and from those ot of the spaniards great guns vomited forth their messengers of death and deBt dest mallon the sky grew dark and a yellowish pall settled upon the sea As mellon stood tense following the tha combat as in a trance ho he heard beard a tremendous inen dous explosion and saw tho the marle marie Is theresa list sharply and then saw her turn in toward the land where she soon boon 9 rounded grounded ile he could see men clinging to her decks it was clear that tho the american vessels were overhauling the ships altho although arg h holton had bad understood that as regards speed our vessels were interior inferior the discharge of guns was incessant almost directly beneath him he be saw two spanish destroyers st yera disengage themselves from the larger vessels and swing about evidently with the intention of returning to the tha harbor but like a hawk a f fr 7 X I 1 the earth shook with fearful nole noise long rakish american craft a converted yacht pounced down upon them letting fly with her machine guns and six as she came the torpedo boats ought fought back with all the venom of maddened serpents but gallant wainwright and the gloucester were not to bi bd denied and un der the fury of his onset the two destroyers st succumbed like craft of cardboard disabled and sinking within the co course roe of what seemed to holton a very few minutes lie he could see aee two or three of the larger spanish vessels aground tiow now flames seething from hatchways hatch batch ways tho ahn men of the crew leaping into the sea a train from the american vessels were among them atten attending dink to the work of rescue as as but a few moments before they had bad set net themselves to the task of dealing death to their foes feet TO BE CONTINUED |