The Hickman courier., 1878-06-21
A STRANGE STORY.


AN ENGLISH.
l was stationed at Agra during tn
Cabal disaster in 184l, one of a mer
= handful of British troops, left in charg
i OF the wives, sisters and daughters {
the sctcrs in that most unhappy expt
dltion. And q weary, heart breakin
= time It was. The lieutenant governor
4 who had prayed and besought the Ca
Z eutta authorities not to risk the adven
+, ture, had the worst forebodings of it
( fate; and although he did all an able
kindly, and wellmannered man could d.
to maintain the spirits Of the circle
those who knew him could read too wei
+ what his fears were. Words could no
: describe (indeed it is painful for nj
even now TO recslD the dreary wretched
ness OF that fatal month, during whicl
no tidings came Of the devoted army
4 Evening after evening saw the road
crowded by anxious women, sitting ther,
Tor hours that they might hear the frs
news of those who were dear to them
Iand evening after evening saw them re.
turn IN despair. And when at last the
news came that the sole survivor had
staggered, half alive, back to his coun,
trymen, with the tidings OF the great
disaster, the vail which assembled from
those heart broken creatures l shall
never, while live, forget.
There had been a captain in one of the
native regiments, an old acquaintance of
mine. of the name of Donnelly, Jerry
Donnelly, as he wss called by every one.
He was careful to explain to every one
that his name was Jerome, and not Jere-
miah, although why he SO unduly pre-
ferred the saint TO the prophet I never
understood. Jerry Donnelly, however,
he was, and as strange and eccentric a
creature as ever breathed.
I He was q very good locking fellow and
3 frst-rate oficer, but a careless, rollick-
ing, half insane madcap OF a man, with
a amazing flow of spirits, little educa-
ton or culture, a great, almost miracu-
l5vs talent.sfor languages. with a soft
heart and ~an easy temper. "a zvaa
Impossible to make him angry, but in all
circumstances, however unpleasant, he
maintained & placid serenity, which
seemed to imply that he was on intimate
terms with fortune, and knew the very
worst that she could do.
Among the other tricks which the
tickle goddess had played him was that
she had married him. Why he ever
married as he did no one could imagine.
The lady was neither handsome, clever,
nor rich. She was simply passable as to
looks, with the liveliness of good health
and youth. quality not unapt to de-
velop itself into a vivacity of temper
when those other attributes disappear.
But, on some impulse, Jerry Donnelly
had asked her the momentous question,
and had been favorably answered.
A most uncomfortable couple they
were. jerry, from the very first, neg
lected her--not Intentionally, I believe,
but simply because for the moment he
forgot her existence. It never seemed to
him necessary oalter his former bachelor
round in any respect; and as the lady
had no notion of being neglected, she
resented his indifference, and chalked
out line for herself. 1t may be easily
supposed that the one was not adverse TO
brandy and water, or the other to gossip
and Irritation. They never quarreled
outwardly, but were hardly ever to-
gether.
So stood the domestic circle, if such it
could be called, of Csptain Donnelly,
when he was ordered on General Elphin.
stones expedition. His wife would fain
have remained at Calcutta, but as all the
wives were going to Agra, she for very
shame was obliged to 60 there also. On
the first rumors of the disaster she
was very indifferent - said, she was sure
Jerry would turn up at the most
inconveEient time, and that if he was
happy, she was. When, however, the
tidings were confirmed, and it was
certain that Jerry had perished with his
comrades, great change came over her.
She shut herself up for months, saw no
one, aud went nowhere, And when at
the end of nearly year she began once
more to look at the world, she was
a grave, thoughtful, softened woman.
She went up to Calcutta after that, and
I never saw her sgain until I came home
living in pretty place in Somersetshire,
and was known as Mrs. Courtnay, of
Branley Hall.
1 met her accidentally, but she was
very glad to see me, and explained to me
what I had not heard, that when she had
arrived at Calcutta, she found that poor
Jerry had, four months before he left
Agra, succeeded to this place of Branley
Hall, by the death of distant relation.
He had previously made win, leaving
her all his worldly goods. then slender
enough, so that in the end this fine estate
had come to her, and new name with
It. She asked me to come down and see
her, which / did, and learned more of
her history.
Sorrow and prosperity greatly changed
her for the better. Even her looks had
improved, and she was a pleasant,
thoughtful and agreeable woman. She
had remained for years in Calcutta
before she returned, but at once assumed
the name of Courtnay, which was con-
dition on which the bequest was made.
You know, Colonel Hastings, could
not have lost the estate, for what would
poor Jerry have said when he got backG'
thought thewoman's head must have
been affected by her troubles, and said