e told us all about it as we santered on and said he wuz not weary or
discouraged. And I could see that though his linement looked pale and
worn a deathless light shone in his deep kind eyes and I knew he wuz
endurin' as seein' Him who wuz invisible.

As we walked on he said, sadly pintin' to a barren lookin' spot sown
thick with graves, "In this deadly climate the Drink Demon has little
to do to assist his brother, Death. Our poor northern boys fall like
rotten leaves before a hurricane."

Sez I, lookin' up to the blue sky, "Why don't the heavens fall when
such things affront the light of day!"

"The patience of God," sez Cousin John Richard, "is one of the things
we cannot measure."

"Nor his pity nuther," sez I in heart-broken axents, for as I looked
at them thickly sown graves and thought of the mothers and wives and
sweethearts fur, fur away mournin' for them that wuz not, my tears
fell and I wiped 'em off with my snowy linen handkerchief.

Well, Cousin John Richard had an appointment in another part of the
city and we parted away from each other, he promisin' to come and see
us at our tarven before we left the city.

Well, we didn't make a long stay in Manila. But Arvilly beset me to go
with her to see General Grant, who was here on a tour of inspection,
on this subject so near to her heart, and which she had made her
lifework. She said that it wuz my duty to go.

But I sez, "Arvilly, you talk so hash; I can't bear to have the son of
the man who saved his country talked to as I am afraid you will if you
git to goin'."

Sez she, "I won't open my head. You know the subject from A to izzard.
I'll jest stand by and listen, but somebody ort to talk to him.
Hundreds and hundreds of American saloons in this one city! Forced
onto these islands by our country. Sunthin' has got to be done about
it. If you don't go and talk to him about it I shall certainly go
alone, and if I do go," sez she, "he will hear talk that he never
hearn before."

"I'll go, Arvilly," sez I hurriedly, "I'll go and do the best I can,
but if you put in and talk so hash it will jest throw me off the
track."

"A promise is a promise," sez she; "I never did break my word yet."

Well, havin' made the necessary preliminary moves, we met General
Grant by appointment in his own quarters. Before we got inside the
lines we had to advance and give the countersign, which wuz Whiskey.
Arvilly planted herself right there like a balky mule and said sh