Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1880-02-04
(Coa,inued from Fira Rge)


Ever since tho outbreak OF th'
plague | had oi,seryed the old man ~
lie thoughtful and aprluuai and NJ
times he wonld glanee apprehensise'
ly al his daughter rs III be feared Ia
sec the llrst slgGs al the dead y
blight dim her glrllsh beauty Mis-
Rlhei's own spirits began 10 decline
not from fear hut with sympalh.
with the distress hat relgned aln"nl
", There were bpreayed fathers aud
orphaned children IN Tho caravans aud
sadder still, PerlRp, were The lfs'
hours VI those WIN were '1rntylng
alone, and 10 whom care and burial
had 10 be rendered by The banda OF
strangers.
"Poor people | wish ! could bs'P
them said the Engli'h girl mare tina
once. to mo a. | reIned up my hor'f
beside the camel Oh whose high sad
die trapped with embroidered doth,
she was mounted,
"lndced, Miss wynOe, IL would be
useless | replied, These poor o'es'
lures have an almost SnpefHlllIoa'
filth Ia European medical skill, but
We have neither doctor ~ medicine 5
chest and from The morisnt of tho
seizure there is little hope OF recovery
All wc eau do isto struggle on.
The Wynn,S were rich, aud 'm'led'
an people Of means and station usually
do, comfortably. Their icnt--wilh
It's gldcd bail towering aloti. aud ia
compartments walled IN with So"wy
canvas carefully peggcd down-waS
large aud handsome; whereas the
black little c)verias under whic'i
slept, with my good horse whlca had
for years been the courdc Of my
,ambles. telhcrcd outside, WA just
such shelter NJ q Knid or m Arab
required, They hid servants too
such as they were--a set ct r'Sca'ly
Lcyan,ines-halt VI whom, more
scared by the hardship OF the d"snI
than by the plague, aL GUIDED, a"d
wen, IF with any hing salcab'c aud
por,ablc toward the h'sh.pols Of Big
dad.
Ga the cyeaing Of the seventh day,
as | was piqucling my horse, rece'v'
ed an urgent message from Miss
Wynn, begging me to come Al once
los. not moment in obeying the
summons.
NV worse fears we're confirmed.
Mr.. Wynnc. who on the day repeat.
edIy complained OF the headache and
las,itudp, was very i'll, and there could
bp no d,ui 81 to his symptoms being
those OF tie tell disorder to which so
many Of our company had already
succumbed. Allthat care and loving
Kindness could do was to a'eviltr the
pains OF impending dea'h-tor from
the first, it was evident that the case
was hopeless Before Mr.. Wynne
died be took my hand.
"Your are our friend.' he said in
his weak voice, "aud our country man.
am obliged to leave my girl he'r
uuoc. Promise me, Harold Malson,
on the word Of a christian gentleman,
that you will see her safe home
he ceased speaking, and said no
other ar,icula,e word bu; 1 gave the
pledge he asked OF me.
Those were sad and toilsone days.
that succeeded. Ethel grief was deep
and bitter, and it had need all the argu-
mcnts and en,rea'ies which 1 could
conjure up TO induce herto accompany
the inexorable onward movement Of
the caravan, leaving her father in the
hurripdly-ma,ie grave beneath cairn
Of loose stones, IN which my hands
had helped to lay him In the long
slow march was not always by her
size, doing my best to rouse her flag
ging spirits by speaking Of England
of her old home, her absent brother,
and the friends who loved her.
She seemed grateful for my kind
ness, and repospd full confidence in
me and indeed had a enough 10
do to keep her fathers remaining
servants to their duty, and providing
for her comfort at the hatins .)'a"'s,
as with diminished numbers we stag
gered on The j'csa!s' doleful bow
our lullaby, the ,u!Iur's evei hover
ing over our doomed heads.
1t was on the twelfth days march
that we reachei j, in struggling order
the river Khabour,--a swift but sha..
low feeder OF the mi ghty Euphrates
and as we torded it, a party Of mount
ed Bedouins dashed out from among
the sand-hill>, and made a scoop upor