outside of Alaska in the three million square miles of his own native
land, he could have laid siege to her temporary retreat? Ransack the
city as he might,--market, shops, and gardens,--hardly a flower could he
find worthy her acceptance--a garish, red-headed hybrid twixt poppy and
tulip and some inodorous waxen shoots that looked like decrepit
hyacinths and smelled like nothing, representing the stock in trade at
that season of the few flower-stands about Manila. As for fruit, some
stunted sugar bananas about the size of a shoehorn and a few diminutive
China oranges proved the extent of the weekly exhibit along the Escolta.
Once, La Extremena displayed a keg of Malaga grapes duly powdered with
cork, and several pounds of these did Stuyvesant levy upon forthwith,
and, after being duly immersed in water and cooled in the ice-chest,
send them in dainty basket by a white-robed lackey, with an
unimpeachable card bearing the legend "Mr. Gerard Stuyvesant,
One-Hundred-and-Sixth New York Infantry Volunteers," and much were they
admired on arrival, but that was in the earlier days of Maidie's
convalescence, and Dr. Frank shook his head. Grape-seeds were "perilous
stuff," and Mrs. Brent knew they would not last until Maidie was well
enough to enjoy them, and so--they did not.

Military duty for the staff was not exacting about Manila in the autumn
days. It was the intermission. The Spanish war was over; the Filipino
yet to come. There was abundant time for "love and sighing," and
Stuyvesant did both, for there was no question the poor fellow had found
his fate, and yet thought it trembling in the balance. Not one look or
word of hers for him could Stuyvesant recall that was more winsome and
kind than those bestowed on other men. Indeed, had he not seen with
jealous eyes with what beaming cordiality and delight she had met and
welcomed one or two young gallants, who, having been comrades of Sandy
in "the Corps" at the Point, had found means to get out to the
Sacramento, obviously to see her, just before that untimely illness
claimed her for its own? Had he not heard his general, his fellow staff
officers, speaking enthusiastically of her beauty and fascinations and
their destructive effects in various quarters? Had he not been compelled
in silence to listen again and in detail to the story of old Sam
Martindale's nephew?--Sam Martingale, the cavalry called him--"Martinet
Martindale" he was dubbed by the "doughboys"--that conscien