The Woman with a Stone Heart / A Romance of the Philippine War

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ilipino lad piping out: "Papers! Papers! All about the war with the United States. Dewey's comin'!" He had a bundle of newspapers under his right arm and was waving one in his left hand. Ev

, and dropped into one of them a small coin. She stepped into the corridor of the

THE UNITED ST

great naval battle friday

City will be Razed to the

he Bay except by that route. That's where the fight will begin. Mother doesn't know this.

round Ma

nd cigarettes-all intended for the Spanish garrison on Corregidor Island. Manila is situated on the eastern shore of Manila Bay. From there to

ome by the Spanish soldiers. Marie gave them the morning paper containing the ne

won for her the friendship and admiration of all. The gunners had playfully taught her all about loading, firing and s

d saw them wager the Dewey would not come to Manila at all but that he would sail down around the Malay Peninsula and hasten home by way of Good Hope

il, and asked for relief. It was hard to give it. Marie's opportunity had come. Her ability as an expert rifle shot was known alike to officers and enlisted men. She offered to serve. The Spanish commandant could no

y; a dead calm prevailed, so that the sea was unusually smooth. As the sun sank to rest behind the shimmering horizon

n was visible in the sky, and she remarked to the Sergeant of the Guard, "I

to a watery grave so far from home. If he were young and ambitious, it would be different. Old men do not care much about real fighting, especially on the sea. It is different with old generals commanding land forces. They can sit away back in the rear of the battle-field, receive messages that come to them; plan certain movements based upon these reports; and while they do have considerable responsibility,

rst Relief!" The Sergeant threw his arm over Marie's shoulder in an affectionate manner, smacked a hurried caress against her olive chee

against a huge rock, grabbed up a cartridge belt well filled with Mauser ammunition that was lying on th

s, number one in the front rank and number one in the rear rank both count "one" at the same time; second file counts "tw

ls were relieved, Marie soon saw that there was not going to be a place for her. She tip-toed

ral, "we have a place for yo

t of the hill, in a south-westerly direction, down over precipices, around clumps of bamboo, to a beautiful fresh water spring which bubble

west sides of this rock is a vertical stone precipice some eight feet high, which from its upper edge incline

ep the whole Boca Grande channel, as the large entrance south of the island is called. Marie had often operated this gun. She had done splendid work with it on a fl

e to be dismissed, poor Marie, heavy hearted, marched along. Just as they approached the

ary career. "Marie," said he, "the officer of the Guard informs me that we cannot use

ed Marie, "Wher

arge rock near the sprin

through the 'Olympia' just below the water line-the battle will be half over. Oh!

headquarters of the artillery departmen

f Dewey would but come. The hopes of a life-time were poised on that painful "if." Before her was the dream of glory; behind her, the dreary forgetfulness of the past. Hour after hour whiled away. The tiny lights in the natives' shacks along the opposite shore began t

he channel, perhaps three miles away. She whispered to a member of the artillery corps, who sat near her watching the shadow of his pipe on the rock near the base of the cannon. They both looked. Surely! it's Dewey! The artille

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o see what had happened. The stone precipice behind her was torn into fragments. A man's hand protruded from the debris. "My God!" she murmured. Yes, there was the evidence. The man who had sat by her side and who sent up the rocket, lay cold in death. His head was torn off and his body was