Read Anting-Anting Stories, and Other Strange Tales of the Filipinos Page 11

  Grace Allenthorne and her mother had lived in Manila for severalmonths. As the daughter of one of the oldest and most highly respectedofficers in the service, and as a beautiful and attractive young woman,she had naturally been popular in the life of the military elementof Manila's society. If she had herself been asked to describe thesituation in Manila, Grace would have said that she liked no oneofficer better than another. They had all been "so nice" to her. Withthe exception of two of their number, however, the officers with whomshe had ridden and talked and danced, would have said, if they hadexpressed their opinion of the matter, that they were all out of itexcept Lieutenant Chickering and Lieutenant Day; and some of them,among themselves, possibly may have made quiet bets as to which oneof these two men would win in the end.

  Then there came one of those official wavings of red tape in the air,which army officers' families learn to dread as signals of approachingtrouble, and Colonel Allenthorne was transferred from Luzon toMindanao; and among the troops sent with him were the companies ofthe rival lieutenants.

  When the General sent back word that Zamboanga was a quiet city, with afair climate and comfortable quarters, his wife and daughter followedhim. If either of the young officers flattered himself that Grace wascoming on his account, and that he was going to be made aware of herpreference for himself on her arrival in Mindanao, he was disappointed.

  Lieutenant Chickering was on duty when Miss Allenthorne arrived,and she devoted two hours that evening to hearing Lieutenant Daydescribe the city as he had found it. The next morning LieutenantDay was on duty, and she went to ride with Lieutenant Chickering,possibly to learn if the information she had been favoured with thenight before had been correct.