ouldn't admit at first that he was Walter Foster at all, but
at last, when he saw I was sure it was him, he just broke right down and
as much as owned right up. He said he'd been slugged or sand-bagged
three weeks before and robbed of money and of papers of value that he
needed to help him in his trouble. He asked me what steps could be taken
to help a poor fellow accused of desertion. He didn't dare say anything
to any of the officers' cause the men he trusted at all--one or two
well-educated young fellows like himself--found out that he'd be shot if
found guilty. The only thing he could do was make a good record for
himself in the infantry, and having done that he could later on hope for
mercy. He asked a heap of questions, and I just told him to keep a stiff
upper lip and we'd see him through, and he plucked up courage and said
he believed he'd be able to have hope again;--at all events he'd go on
duty right off. When I asked him how he dared go to Colonel Brent's,
where at any time Lieutenant Ray might recognize him, he said he never
_did_ except when he knew Lieutenant Ray was out of the way. Then I
tried to get him to tell what he expected to gain by seeing Miss Ray,
and he was confused and said he was so upset all over he really didn't
know that he had been there so often. He thought if he could see her and
tell her the whole story she could have influence enough to get him out
of his scrape. He was going to tell me the whole story, but patrols and
sentries were getting too thick, and he had to get somewhere to change
his dress for roll-call, and I gave him my address and he was to come
and see me in two days, and now he's killed, and it ain't for me to say
why--or who did it."

Benton's murder was certainly the sensation of the week in Manila, for
there were features connected with the case that made it still more
perplexing, even mysterious.

Major Farquhar, who must have seen young Foster frequently at Fort
Averill, had been sent to survey the harbor of Iloilo and could not be
reached in time, but Dr. Frank, called in course of the day to identify
the remains, long and carefully studied the calm, waxen features of the
dead soldier, and said with earnest conviction:

"This is undoubtedly the young man who appeared at Colonel Brent's and
whom I sought to question, but who seemed to take alarm at once and,
with some confused apology, backed away. He was dressed very neatly in
the best white drilling sack-coat a