The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1872-03-10
IIs gained ths hill and stood on lsvel With

he gained the hill and stoo4 ON . Aevei wltn
Great God Of snercy! What is that!
Tho cottage WA In flames. t.5.
The red tongues Of FIRE seemed to leap mp
from tho centre Of the building, right through
His fsshsri Why did 6e not come forth,
Cold drops stood upon his face and hand, his
knees bent beneath him with the weakness OF
dread-as he passed on, on towards the burn
He knew his fathers hands were tied but
surely he might ,calk ont beyond the reach Of
1t seemed as if he could never reach the
honse. The door was fastened, the windows
all secured. He shattered one of the glass
panes and leaped into the room.
Bound hand and foot to one of the bed
posts, round which the FIRE was raging furious
~, hung the lifeless form of what had been
bis father: They had made him stay until the
Kate, terrified by all that she had feared,
and almost glad that her mother was for =
time unconscious of all further suffering, left
her In Jim's care and hurried out of the cabin.
ing in her heart to see her fathers face, to
hear his voice once more; but even as she
breathed a prayer Of thankfulness at his
the evenings darkness, full upon her sight.
In that one instauts space she knew the
worst By SHINE intuitive sense of feeling, by
some mysterious gift Of foresight, she saw the
her brothers sight. s
X scream of pain, that echoed and re-echoed
through those fragrant woods, . cry for help
that rang across the fields and struck the ear
of that tardy rider, who was galloping so
wildly straight towards her-and Kate, moved
by despair and strong in her agony, sped along
the path leading to the house,
the whereabouts of the Dudley family, and had
heard Of the outrAges of his own men, all
within fow hours back, and who was urging
on his horse in the vain hope that one house
hold, one homestead, at least, might be spared
from plumber, desolation, death.
He heard that agonizipg cry, he saw those
fiery torches lighting up the sky, he remem.
burning homes, of ruined lives, of breaking
hearts and for the first time came the keen
regret that ever he had lent his hand, his
sword to q cause that brought such deeds as
these.
He forced his foaming horse up the hill, and
interrupted the poor, waillng girl, whose
hands were flung ont before her, as though they
might reach and aid her father even in ad-
vance of her poor, breaking heart.
He knew that Kate was making her way
right into that burning, blazing shell-he saw
Willie bearing out of and beyond the fling
weak arm would let him, something black and
limp and heavy!
He threw himself from his horse, caught
Kate in his strong arms, and struggled to hold
her back.
Her screams had drawn Jim from his sacred
post, and the faithful negro reached the spot
to see and hear the struggle.
His brain went wild The burning house,
the lifeless burthen on Master Williams arm,
the blue-uniformed, strong-limbed soldier who
held her in his grasp, the happiness of the past
gone forever, the horror of the present so real
and terrible, the underlined grief and gloom of
the future-all these rushed upon his senses
and made him blind and deaf and needless Of
anything beside
He saw the glimmer of a sword upon tho
grass-he realized its use-he felt giants
strength in his true arm; and. while those
screams bewildered and those kissing flames
weapon in bis hands and plunged it through
the back of him who, in his untutored mind,
was the sole cause of all the dreadful anguish
of that day!
ITO be Continued.