Watson's Magazine, Vol. IV, No. 1, March, 1906Various
General
Watson's Magazine, Vol. IV, No. 1, March, 1906
Various
United States -- Politics and government -- Periodicals
Karin San seized the spy by the arm, and they vanished up the spiral
stairway. Immediately bayonets crashed upon the door, and it burst open.
The doll-eyed soldier and his companion of the morning, preceded by
the green-capped cavalry officer, hurled themselves into the room. The
officer seized the captain by both arms. “Brewster, American, we arrest!”
he cried, and turning to the doll-eye, delivered a rapid order to search
the house,—so judged the Yankee—for he smiled and bowed at his prisoner,
saying, “We find also you friend, Russki spy.”
But the doll-eye and his mate were checked in ascending the stair by
Karin San descending with upraised arms and her sweetest smile. The
privates paused and bowed. The three at first spoke calmly back and
forth. Then the doll-eye began shouting at the schoolmistress, once with
what the captain was certain would be an oath in English. But always she
replied to them earnestly smiling, never pleadingly, gravely shaking her
head, her hand upon her heart; always quiet, determined, arguing with
utter self-possession, calmly appealing—to what? wondered the captain, in
such fanatics of patriotism.
At length both soldiers turned and saluted the Major, uttered a short
sentence, and descended the stair.
The officer turned to Brewster, elevating his long mustachios in a
sardonic smile. “You see,” he said, “the love of country of the Japanese.
Perhaps you think it is the respect for woman, wherefore my soldier do
not search the teacher room. It is not. Boy, man, woman, all labor for
the same end, our country. No one would betray; we trust one another
absolute. It is so we exist; we fight; we win.
“We think the spy Russki enter here with you. But Karin San, as much
myself officer of the Emperor, declare he is not here,” he went on with
a self-satisfied smile. “We believe her. He has escape,” and turning to
the soldiers he gave them another sharp order—to search the town and the
hills about.
Next morning, sitting cross-legged and politely silent with his captor,
at a breakfast of sweet chicken hash and cabbage, Captain Brewster sprang
to his feet. “_Bzoo-oo-oooo!_” groaned a whistle under the glittering
hills along the river. Away dashed his manikin host without word or
glance. Between the cedar slats of the captain’s prison—the major’s house
by courtesy—the Yankee sighted the long, thin funnel and squat deck of an
American gunboat.
Two hours passed. Then the doll-eyed soldier who stood guard on the
veranda, slid open the paper house-door. Three tall Yankee tars followed
by a young lieutenant with sandy hair and a long upper lip, scraped heavy
feet on the major’s mats.
“Brewster, are you responsible for this?” said the officer, handing the
captain a pink paper oblong.
“Guess I be,” drawled the prisoner, taking the cable message. He read:
State Department orders unconditional protection for Brewster,
American, Chinnampo.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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