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—THAPPY
DAYS:
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est number of these Coupons
Cut from copies of “ Happy Days”
between the numbers
248 AID 259,
We will send to each one
A “HAPPY DAYS” BICYCLE,
See Directions
— ON PAGE 16. —
NAME AND’ ADDRESS,
ny
See 16th Page.
Cut out this Coupon and send it to Art Editor, «‘ Wappy Days,”
24 Union Square, N. ¥.
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Watch Conpon.
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THE BOY ROUGH RIDERS
BY JAS. D. MONTAGUE.
CHAPTER I. -
THE BOY ROUGH RIDERS AT SAN MATEO.
The early morning mist was rising
from the fields and the river be-
yond, ‘and it was the hour when the na-
tives who tilled the svil at San Mateo
plantation, north of Manila, in the isl-
nd of Tuzon, were accustomed to re-
pair to the fi
the ee on house—a low but
spacious building with a thatched roof
and wide yeranda—Heury Powers, the
«American owner, and his household were
already astin
Tor s e Fears Ilenry Powers had a
sided in othe Lhilippines, and d
oppressions of the Spanis|
he bad_ prospered exceedingly, and “muade
Mateo plantation one of the most
o.M
Be
ge
of
San 3
valuable in all the island of Luzon.
Tv ankee shrewdness of the plan-
tation owner had won success at the
cost of inspiring the jealous hatred of
his Spanish neighbors, and the latter
had sought to prejudice the natives
. against m.
the date of which we are writing
the ‘glorious victory of Manila Bay had
already been won by Admiral Dewey,
and for some time the city of Manila
had been oceupied by the American
~ troo
While the morning sun rose higher,
sending away the mist from the low
lands, Ilenry Powers appeared upon the
yeranda of his dwelling, accompanied by
a beautiful young girl of seventeen, the
only child of the plantation superinten-
dent. David West who was of
English birth, though he had long re-
sided in the Philippiues,
Myra West was a rosy-cheeked, blue-
eyed Stnaiden, 2 ape of the fair daughter
of her motherland
e hokad away across the rice-
fields Her handsome eyes showed a slight
expression of anxiety, and presently she
remar
“yr wonder why father and your
nephews: have not returned from the
fields where they went to set the natives
at work for the day? They always g
back earlier than this—before the fot
sun is fully v
“I cannot ‘imagine the cause of their
delay, vind I am a Jittle troubled because
have not heard the bell at the rice
house ring this morning. It is always
rung before suprise to call the onatives
to, pei work,” replied Mr. Pow
has ot sounded yet, i am
sure, tee know that we saw great bon-
fires” blazing in the native village up the
and father
ich we
all dread—an uprising of the Filipinos.”
“Yes, my dear, om the first com-
ing of our victorious troops I have fore-
seen that there would be serious
trouble between them and “the Filipinos,
‘or, as you know, in May last, shortly
after landing in Cavite, Aguinaldo issued
a proclamation forecasting the organiza-
tion of an independent Philippine goy-
ernment, with himself as its chief execu-
tive. I know the man e is unscru-
determined. Hlis . agents
inciting the natives every-
e to-rise and drive’ the Americans
out of the islands.. The fires we saw in
San Mateo village last night may mean
that already actual war has commenced
between my Wnotrymen and the Iilip-
pinos.
Myra West grew pale as she replied:
“Oh, I hope ‘ond pray that it may not
be so. Such a war would cost the lives
of many brave men, and we would be
“Happy Days”
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frightfully endangered here.
pinos after the fall of Manila, is among
aAguinaldo’s troops and entrusted with
gros is a desperado at heart, and your
refusal to accept him as a suitor, and the
measures which your father and I have
taken to shield you from his persistent
advances, reve made him an enemy to
father and the boys no e shall
soon know why the bell ne “the rice-fields
has not sounded this
doubt we shall also hear the news from
t
thre
horsemen in the distance riding through
tl
led to the plantation house.
dwelling, and two of them were as fine
looking and dashing. young horsemen as
ong, could
nephews, and they were from our Wild
\
expert rough riders, for their years, to.
be found anywhere. They
re
boys and scouts had taught them to ride
tl
t
known to the
whose home is the sad
I
uncle,
The lads were both orphans now, an
poverty” had
before their death
his age, and possessed of a bright
pleasing face, shaded by dark curls and
lighted u
ey
Jack's junior, and h
looking chap, but fair haired and blue
e
ce
8]
t
high
ea
Pp
Tom's mount was a blooded bay with-
had been presented to “the boy rough
r
g]
ingly proud of their skill in horseman-
When I
capta ‘ili-
my fears are intensified.”
“You may well say that. Juan Mi-
“Yes, is so. But a comes.
morning, and no
he native villa
At
moment Myra saw
he rice-teld, and following a road which
The three riders soon rode up to the
well i
lads
magin
were Tene Powers’
Vest, where they had become the most
ad been
eared on a great ranch, and the cow-
he half-broken bronchos, and instructed
hem in every trick of horsemanship
hardy men of the -plains,
ago Jack Ballaster and Tom
lastings had come to reside with their
“who was a childless widower.
fallen upon their parents
hs.
Jack Ballaster was eighteen, tall for
and
p by a pair of handsome brown
was just one year
ie, too, Was a manly
Tom Hastings
yed. The two lads were clad in light
otton costumes, and they wore helmet
shaped straw hats to protect them from
he burning sun
The horses which they bestrode were
spirited, and of Spanish breed.
was black as night, and
These animals
out a spot or blemish.
iders” by their unéle, who was exceed-
But while we are describing the two
Yankee lads we must not overlook their
companion, David West, Myra’s father.
Ie, too, was well mounted, and like the
lads he was clad in cool, light weight
garments. Ife was a fine looking man
of middle age, and he had the apearance
of 2 well to-do English country gentle-
ma:
‘AS the Yankee boys and Mr. West
drew rein the veranda Henry
Powers advanced with Myra, and said,
addressing West “Is. there anything
2? We haven't. heard the
“Bverything is wrong, sir. The bell-
ringer and the bell, too, are gone—the
latter to be moulded into insurgent | bul-
lets, perhaps. The native village
serted by all save the women and “chil.
dren and a few old men. There is not
man left to work in your rice-fields.
1 have gone to join Aguinaldo before
Manila,” replied David) West excitedly.
“Th ubled expression deepened
upon the the countenance of Henry ‘Powers
as
“Then. the rupture has come at last,
and Aguinaldo has thrown off the mask
he has worn , Since the Americans cap-
tured Manila
“Yes. Tn o San Mateo we learned that
messengers arrived there last night from
the Filipinos’ army at Manila. Those
men were sent to stmmon all able- bodied
men to join the native forces. War h
really commenced between the
eans and the Tilipinos, ”? replied West.
Meanwhile he and eihe two lads had
dismounted, and a couple of Jbinese
servants had led away, ‘their hh horse:
hen we are in peril,” said “Tienty
Powers.
“Yes; the insurgents’ emissaries have
inspired the natives with deadly hatred
of all American
“We have only half a dozen Chinese
servants left us since the natives have
gone to join Aguinaldo. We cannot de-
fend the plantation. The first maraud-
ng band of the insurgents that comes
this way will attac!
“I think, unele, that our only chance
for escape is to try to. reach Manila
without delay, ” suggested Jack Ballas-
ter modest
e boy is_right, sir,” exclaimed
Dayid. West. “We must reach Manila
and enter. the American lines, or the
chances are that we will all be slain or
taken prisoners by the Filipinos.” -
Myra had gone to her father’s side,
and as he spoke she took his arm and
clung to it, trem
“Tet us flee at once! * she said.
“Yes, we will once directly.” said
Ilenry Powers as he heard: her fright-
ened word
nele, Tom and I lived in the Indian
county in the United States, and there
we learned something about. scouting
among treacherous enemies; so we oug ght
to be able to do the Same thing among
the Philippine natives,” (Continued Jack.
“That's true. What do you pro-
pose?”
“That wait until night, and do
nothing to indicate. that we meditate
immediate flight. en, when darkness
comes, we will start for Manila. Tom
and I will act as advance scouts, and
try to guide you by any force of, , the
emery | whieh may come in our_ way.”
“Good!” exclaimed lad's “uncle.
“ approve of that plan.”
“We suppose that the natives do not
Know that we are informed that Agul-
naldo has commenced to fight the Ameri-
or we gained that information by
pying about’ San Mateo, and so -we do
not think the natives, will anticipate the
move we mean to make so soon,” said
#
\| bortunity to murder him,
Tom Iastings, speaking for the first
time finge he rode up.ta the house.
e ve plenty of arms, and we
shall go prepared to make a fight if we
are attacked. B do not like to ex-
pose Myra to the peril of an encounter
With the Filipinos,” remarked David
“T have thought of that, and if there
were a chance of bringing any American
troops here to escort Miss Myra to Ma-
nila I would yolunteer to
through the hostile country, pass
lines of the rebels, and get into Nani
answered Jack,
by one of the Chinese servants rang out
from the direction of the stable, toward
which the Celestials had led the horses.
01
trembling with fright, as half a dozen
half-naked and | well armed Filipinos,
by a dark-
dently a Spaniard, approached: them.
“Juan Migros, the Spanish deserter,
and-a band of native maran de
claimed Jack in low ton
nized the leader of the "Filipinos.
recog.
CHAPTER IL. *
FLIGHT FROM . THE AMERICAN’S
PLANTATION,
The two Yankee lads knew the des-
porate ¢ character of the. Spanish deserter,
and
THE
cumstances which proved the a
the Spaniard. r nimosity of
he t truth was that Jack was in loye
with pretty Myra W est, and she recipro-
cated his affection. As e have stated,
Juan Migros had sought io" win the Beart
of the maid, but in, vain, an ving
learned how matters stood between her
and Jack he had sought revenge, and at-
tacked Jack some time previously in the
village of San Mat
e American
From that day Jack knew | that Juan
Migros would eagerly seize the first op-
but since the
date, of that. encounter they had not met
un I now, for Migros had gon.
Aguinaldo, gear anita. Rone to join
and Tom saw Juan
and his band the backs of the yan Migros
turned to the lads, and so the young rough
riders were not discovered.
“Quick! We must get arms!” whis-
pered Jack, when he announced his
recognition of the villainous Spaniard.
Instantly they gli
corner : of the peu se, “Mr
avi est and his daughter y in-
ed on the veranda. or Yet remain
‘Juan Migros and a small band of na-
tives are at the stable. I doubt not that
they mean to take away our horses. We
must »#tm_ ourselves, and defend our
stock,” said Jack in low, intense tones as
he reached the veranda.
‘hen he ;tisappeared into the house, fol-
lowed by Ti the et thers. In a mo:
ment the bo v8 an r two mal.
panions had armed “themselces w
iles and reyolyers,
belts about the
\2 comn-
h ri-
and soreured cartridge
My ra,” said Jack
ed,
as the young girl came ‘to his side as he
make my way :
ust then an alarmed shout uttered.
e fact that he”
Rut, although the Vindictive Spaniard’
‘
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