Show atty B IAU JL A STORY OF tl THE u FREEING OF CUBA k 1113 ca D or ox 6 1 v aca C T A swo SYNOPSIS Is detailed led from hi his corn cornman mad te in the navy at tile outlet outset of the ui bronak american war and a to rt crot service duty d uty while din I 1 ne at a h hotel t 1 I ho be detect detects a ratter walter IB in the th act of a beautiful lady she thank thanks him for hi tile sery rv k and 00 irla hr her name aa miss la tisa a cuban acx arbut later late he meeta tier her at bal ecret service man anis alloi to en thai that the he irl is I 1 senor la TO tofa chide his hi daugh daughter tor anfor for her cal failure I 1 ure t to secure cure important information Inform atton from Il olton ton she leave leaves for tier her home in cuba it is ordered tj to follow her tier thil ahr meet on the ta pa train mil MI S L ir I r CA C A t trite pilo it on ha he Is a cuban or vr anil and expresses doubt the T of the united states stilt I 1 ordered to remain in tampa to auard tah troop CHAPTER V continued the page fled and holton olton Il with a short laugh strolled troll ed over to the clerk a e deek desk who Is thia this man who sends fends peremptory messages to guests guest of the hotel T he be inquired A curious duffer was the reply nich as an get out and very exclusive he very eldom seldom cornea comes out ohis room did he be send for boz yoot yea yes he did me the honor by the way I 1 wish you d have my junk taken from my room and put abroad the gnat will your certainly ell ali M having given the order holton paid bla his bill and was about to go down to his boat when a negro tapped him LIM on the arm holton turned suddenly aud denly hie his noeo nose ol 01 most colliding with a note which the maa man held out almost at arm a length thia this for met he lie asked ya ae as euh suh liolion took it broke open the envelop and glanced hastily over the contents then with a frown be he turned to a bwy say bay youngster he commanded take me right up to mr air room will you I 1 on reaching the third floor the boy led the way down the nall hall topping before a door at the fend of the corri dor jo here it ie Is tir air all right holton gave the iad a coin and rattled hie his knuckle knuckles i gains alne the panel the door was opened by an intelli genc appearing cuban who conducted the caller callor into a luxuriously furnished reception room and asked him to alt sit down soon a door opened and a tall mallow man handsome in a languid latin way confronted him ah senor holton you honor me be he murmured then you are mr asked holton abruptly yet eb ye yes 11 ce sanded the roan man who atvas clad in a well made suit of crash writh ath a crimson crI niRon mash about hie his waist 1 I repeat I 1 ana am flattered at your visit 1 I am 91 id of that holton rejoined stiffly but I 1 come in response u to a note stating that matters of ID in terest H reet to a miss bliss LA were pressing WM you do me the kindness to eulls bUll me as to the mann manner in 01 0 4 43 A negro tapped him on an the aarm which cay my acquaintance with 1 la interest interests you the spaniard bowed you are dl dt reel like all americans he said well be it so he took from a table L bottle ol 01 very rare abuelo Clo Clor rotO quo and poured a little in a blead he its pushed it toward holton 1 I rink ho he eale said brt bril fl antly to miss la tossa and may she the have a moat most comfortable trip op on the gnat nat holton left hie his glass poised what on earth are you talking aboudi pe he cried miss atlas LR 1 toisa tossa SL you know the spaniard Span farl said 1 in tampa I 1 yes I 1 1 know that aid said holton halton she came down on my train it Is not bood good for her to be beri the climate cli matet t queried 11 olton als nn not mal climate wax was the rt re i i ply 0 go o sharp and so spirited so much in contrast contra et to rod liguez a previous manner ot of speech that the naval officer started not the climate bhe she la in engaged la ta activities here that your government regard regards as moat most pernicious yea yes and your own government came back holton my government rodriguez smiled genially happen happens to be your govern ment so laying saying be he banded handed holton a pa per which as the omber read it con vinced him beyond question or cavil that senor rodriguez was bione other than an ot of the united states state department whose name was al anathema lathema to every spaniard or loyal cuban he ile atas in booth cone none other than ramon del hey rey a spy with headquarters in washington Nas hington who although a naturalized american had done more effective it unobtrusive work for cuba libre than most other cuban patriots rolled into lato one holton rot ard with a smile of gb ge line itne pa pl baure acure gure a ure thrust out bis his hand 1 I have heard of you be eald said and im I 1 m glad to to know you thank you 1 I too have beard heard of you but to business miss alias la tossa must not stay here and yet her removal must be brought about quietly for various reasons it la Is best beat that miss atlas la to tobra ara be transported at once to cuba on the gnat very quietly and unostentatiously where agents of mine will meet her and conduct ber her to her estate in the ei of santiago once there I 1 pro irlee you shell oot not leave in a hurry your orders will come to you from washington within a very few boura hours in the meantime I 1 suggest you have everything ready 1 11 I see and mies allen la miss alias la toisa tossa will bo be escorted aboard the gnat at seven 0 clock precisely and now I 1 bid you good day and thank you thank you and hulton hutton left won derin if the man realized all be he was thanking him tor for lie ile lost DO no time la in making bis his way to the gnat where he astonished conroy and howard by summoning rum moning them to the cabin Is in there any way be he said in n which this room can be made more nor e comfortable tor for a young lady neither of the two men spoke regarding holton with open mouthed as ita this war way smiled holton the gnats gnat a been ordered to take a young cuban womac woman over to cuba and and aud I 1 want her to be comfortable the faces of the two men radiated curiosity but bolton said nothing farther to enlighten them promptly at even seven clock that evening a closed carriage drove rap rup idl down don the long wharf and stopped abreast the ga grigway agway leading to the gnat the doer door was w a 8 flung open and del key hey and an american their arms linked through those of was miss la tosea tossa descended and without A word walked down the plank and aboard the torpedo boat I 1 holton met them by the conning lower tower find and lifted bis his cap how flow do you no up mis blips la be he said smiling in greeting she flashed a va vaie ue look at him and lowered her eyes without speaking caking ep del key rey bowed in a courtly man n ner er to the girl 1 I trust you will have a pleasant voyage and I 1 beg to apol spot onize for my seeming rudeness 11 the captive deigned no reply and in tamed med her back AS the two men retraced their tops ps up the gangway few minutes later the diminutive W warship was churning li har ir way out through t 9 bay bly hulton hutton turned to the girl who stood viewing the receding shore I 1 an arl sorry miss la tessa but yoo you III 1 recognize of course that I 1 am doing nothing but obeying orders which ara to see that you are very comfortable and agreeably enter tamed until you reach cuba she evidently had determined not to talk to her captor but changed ber her mind with womanlike suddenness rol 1 I shall thank you if it I 1 am comfortable for table but I 1 shall thank you still more if you give over any idea of entertaining in mo you may be sure aura that the I 1 xa I 1 see of you the he better I 1 shall be pleased tf it you will follow me rue bliss la L basna tasna he eald said with sudden stiffen ing of mannor mann nir 1 11 I it how show you your cabin ine dark came rolling across the soa it waa was a wonderful night a night spangled with constellations and undu andu lat ng rig black velvet waters which picked up the little torpedo craft hold ing ber her high and then sending her gliding gilding silently down long inclines at the bottom of which she seemed to nestle a moment before her screw kicked her up quivering hill 1111 some time later the lights of a craft which had been following of the gnat began to creep closer and closet aboard and dark clouds of smoke till from three squat funnels blot ted out the northeastern northeast erp horizon holton saw the vessel too and easily eastly recognized her as an a torpedo boat destroyer ills ilia only doubt woe was as to her nationality this was speedily settled for bud ud denly ardois lights began to blink from the bridge interpreting which holton learned that the destroyer bainbridge wished to speak to the gnat in a row few minutes the bainbridge swished up and the sharp volca of lieutenant Commander Jameson sound ed from front the bridge on board the gnatt aye AYO ayel yelled horton there followed a hence silence which last ed until the destroyer slid her high sharp bow and conical forward deck alongside the little torpedo boat jamason jumped aboard and after returning holton holtons salute be he said for mally j 1 I hare have orders 0 o take a bliss la tossa from the gnat and land her at well never mind where very velry good sir air any orders for i met me yes here they are jameson took 1 I am quite happy at my change of at prisons an in envelope from hie his overcoat pocket an and 1 I handed it to holton now then III ta tak kethe elthe girl but the girl in tact fact did not we wait it to be taken she stepped forward moat most gracefully and addressing jame son on bad ma 1 I am ready I 1 am quite happy at my change of prisons and my shift of jailers ha hal bat laughed the prosaic jameson nudging holton in the ribs and offering his arm to the girl who walked up a email small ladder to the deck of the destroyer without so much as a glance at holton with a blast of her siren the gain bain bridge phot chot on her way to cuba while tho the gnat made a long sweep and turned upon her course while this maneuver was in holton still flushing with y vexation exa ripped open the envelope and read the latest phase of what bo be h bad ad coma ome to regard hs us a game of battledore and shuttlecock shorn ot of technical verbiage the orders which were signed by the new assistant secretary alien allen instructed holton to lose himself and the gnat among the small isolated key keys 0 of t the coast until such lime time as the transports were gathered at port tampa when be he was wax then to guard them from night at attacks taciLe which might come sneaking in under cover of the darkness from seaward CHAPTER VI action indeed holtons Hol tone orders were to keep himself and the gnat ridden and this be he did so effectually that to all intents and purpose purposes he might just aa as well have gone down with his little craft and crew in nicholas channel at length when he be had begun it to 0 think be he was immured tor for life I 1 in a this thin blazing little byway came the welcome order orders to proceed to port tampa tamp a there to carry out instruction instructions already in his possession namely the protection of transports trane porte from attack by wa ter with light hearts the three men got their craft under way ran up the bay and in good time drew in under the counter of a steamship lying near the end of the long slip it wan was as though a magicians wand wind bad had been waved over the port along the clip slip lay transport after transport nearly a score of them the black smoke of others draping the horizon in long grimy clouds freight train trains were rumbling 1 up and down the tracks and officers of various departments depart menta of the army their shirts open at the throat dusty sweaty hot hurried everywhere I 1 it surely looks like business chuckled holton as bo he slipped on bis his form coat over a marine a drab shirt shift and prepared to visit tha hotel life at the hotel was made more brilliant by the arrival of shatter and bla his staff but holton II olton who ho had had all the brilliancy and inactivity he want ed I 1 found himself praying fervently for cinders that would send him out aa as officer offic r on one of the vessels of ad miral sampson a north atlantic squadron dron but no such orders came and holton bad had just about attuned bis his mind to a weary grind to last it IF least ast several months longer when something occurred to change very materi ally the attitude of the government in regard to the movement of the troops as tampa in short admiral bampton cabled that after a mysterious louf voyage across the atlantic ocean and caribbean sea admiral cervens vers and bia his equa squadron dron of battleship battleships and cruisers ere hot tied up in santiago lie ile could not attack them because of the forte forts and mines and he requested that troops be ent sent at once to operate cooperate co with the navy from the land side it was then that the secretary of war wired general shatter to proceed forthwith to cuba flatcar flatcars flat car cars laden with general ran dolph a artillery rumbled down tho the slip lip and the guns were hoisted into yawning ports in the sides of the transports provisions supplies of all sorts bore tham them company and no one doubt ed any longer that at last the army bad received tta its bid to the beld field of bat tie A new etrain strain was put upon holton tor for now if at any time attempts at the destruction of the transports trang ports would be made there being no secrecy what ever as its to the intentions of the united states government then arrived th the a day when the boys in blue came ca m 0 in from lakeland and with cheers cheer s and shouts mar marched clied aboard the long line of transports fro from whose hose funnels clouds of smoke we were ro belching holtons s crew had been augmented eti by y tour four extra seamen sent to him from key west and each night they stood guard with him on various parts of the deck rifles in their bands hands and navy colts olta strapped about their waists toward midnight most of the be noise th be shouting of orders the rattling of tac ackle kle ta t a tramp of feet died away holton gave conroy the wheel and walked along the deck speaking to each of the men as he passed I 1 keep a sharp lookout challenge anything that looks suspicious and shoot without hesitation if there a no reply TO OE DE CONTINUED ab |