Page:A Sailor Boy with Dewey.djvu/141

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THE OPENING OF THE WAR..
125

And you, Oliver, too! I am thankful to Heaven that you both are safe!" and he shook hands.

"We had a good many adventures," said the son, as we seated ourselves.

"No doubt. Tell me your story."

What we had to say occupied the best part of an hour, and then it was lunch time and the three of us went to eat. Mr. Holbrook was very much perplexed.

"This war will upset everything," he said. "We are already cut off from Manila."

"By cablegram?" I queried.

"Yes, and by mail, too. A message I offered yesterday was refused, and I was given to understand that no letter to an American firm would be delivered."

"Is the war to be carried on away out here?" I cried, struck with a sudden idea.

"It will be carried on wherever the armies and navies of Spain and America may meet," was the serious reply. "This war is to be no child's play."

"Well, we can't do much out here," said Dan. "We have no soldiers closer than those at San Francisco."

"We have a number of warships in these waters, my son—I looked into that matter last night."