The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1868-07-26
NUMBER IS.


expect him to accomplish. Nellie was for .
moment in despair, and then : bold thought
s!rnck her: Why not ride straight for Nettef-
WILEY They hsd boon for some hours in the
country of the Pale, and they could not be very
far from her old home now.
Every feature of the landscape was becoming
more and more familiar to her eyes, and she
was certain that in less than the two hours,
which Roger had assigned the utmost limit
of his steed's endurance, they would have
would not only be in the direct road to Dublin.
| but they would also have o better chance of
finding horses than they could have in place
Vile, it was true, was wholly and entirely, with
its fields and stock, in the hands of the Par
liamentarians; but she was certain of tho
as she was of her own existence, not only that
| they would not betray her, but that they would
also do oil they could to help and speed her on
events, no other presented itself at tho mo-
ment to Rogers mind, and accordingly, after
having done all he could to relieve his horse,
and prepare him for q fresh squirt, they struck
right across the country eastward toward the
sea. Nellie proved right III her conjectures.
In even less than two hours from the moment
of Netterville-reached it, in fact, just in time;
for Roger had barely leaped from his horses
back ere the poor animal was rolling on the
turf in the agonies of death. Nellie then pro-
posed that they should walk to the cottage of
old Gramie, and disnounted in her turn. Her
horse was not so exhausted as that of Roger,
and would i'll all probability be still more
the morrow. Roger therefore thought it better
to leave it to its fate than to run the risk Of
attracting notice by bringing it with them to
Grannies habitation. He hoped, as Nellie did,
that they would have u good chance of finding
fresh steeds ut Netterville next morning, and
after carefully hiding the two saddles in q
clump of gorse, they set out on their way on
foot. The old woman received Nellie with
cry of joy; No sooner however, did the latter
mention the business which had brought her
there, than the faithful creature stified ell her
gladness Mt this unexpected meeting with her
| foster-child, and turned to weep in good and
sorrOwful earnest over the woe and shame i'm
pending upon the house of Netterville, in the
person of it's unhappy mistress. While Nellie
her by her hostess, Roger told tho latter of the
fate which had befallen their horses, and in
CURED into the possibility of replacing them by
ly Royalists and Parliamen tarians alternately.
she said had seized upon every available horse
they could find in the country, until, as far as
two hours journey within ten miles of Netter-
vile. AS to Netterville ITSELF if there ,oere any
horses left in its stables, (Which she doubted,)
they must of necessity belong to the English
soldier, to whose lot in the drawing of the de-
bentures the castle and the grounds had fallen;
much, the old woman added with chuckle, to
them at the time of the recent murder, and
who, having coveted the place exceedingly for
himself, was supposed to have pressed tho
facilitating of his own selfish wish.
Roger listened to all this in silence privately
resolving to risk his own detention, if discov-
cred, as an outlaw, and to visit the stable of
Netterville next morning, in hopes of procuring
a fresh mount. AS nothing, however, could BIO
done till then, he entreatcrl Nellie to he down
and rest, after which he left the hut there not
being second chamber in it, and throwing
himself on bank of heather the outside,
was soon fast asleep. 1t was long before Nellie
could follow his example; but at last she fell
into that state of drcamess stupor which often,
in cases Of extreme exhaustion, takes the place
of heathy slumbcr. Such as it was at all events
it rcst-rest of body and rest of mind-:l
truce to the aching of weary limbs, and to tho
yet intolerable wcariness of mind
wincing and shivering beneath a coming
The first CLEAN of daylight reused her from it.
There WAS never any pleasant twilight now,
between Sleeping ana waxing, IN Nellie mind!
With the first CLEAN of consciousness came
the pale image of her mother, there was
neither rest nor sleep for her after that. In tho
present instance, anxiety as to the chance of
being able to prosecute her journey at ALL was
added to her other troubles; and, unable to
endure suspense upon such n vital point even
for u moment, she opened the door quietly SO
as not to disturb old Grannie, and looked out
for Roger. He was nowhere to be seen, and
she guessed Mt once that he had gone up to tho
castle. Then longing seized her to look once
more upon the old place where she had been 70
happy formerly; and, without giving herself
time to waver, she walked hurriedly up the
valley. She did not, however, venture to the .
front of the house, but resolved instead to take
a path which, skirting round it, would lead her
to the offices behind. 1t by one of those
strange accidents which we call chance but
for which the angels perhaps have quite an
other name, the very path which her mother
had always taken when visiting the sick SOL
der The door of the room which he had oc-
cupied was slightly ajar as Nellie passed it, and
moved by an impulse for which she could never
afterward thoroughly account, she pushed it
open without noise and entered. The room
was not uninhabited, she had at first sup
posed A woman, evidently in the last stage
of some mortal malady, lay stretched upon the
bed, and q soldier of the Cromwellian type was
seated with an open Bible in his hand beside
her. He had probably been employed either
in reading or exhorting; but at the moment
when Nellie entered, it was the woman who
WAS speaking.
ITO be Continuedl