The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-04-08
THE LAST ELM OF THE AVENUE


Apitch dark night, rain falling in tor
rents, wind blowing gustily from every
point OF the compass at once. Two or
three oil lamps fiickered feeble in the
gloom on struggling crowd of damp
passengers, in chaotic mass of luggage
and-no pOrters.
Such were my earliest impressions on
being turned out of the London down
train at Westwood, the station for Cinq-
haven, whittier l and some half dozen
other officers were bound, to complete
our education by a course of musketry
instruction.
Where's Cinqhaven," was my first
very natural inquiry. " And how am l
to get there?"
Cinqhaven was ''across there" a civil
official replied, pointing over an expanse
of plowed field in the direction of the
South Pole. The one omnibus had, it
appeared, departed with a small selec-
ton from the impatient crowd of belated
travellers, but would be back again di-
rectly.
&" How soon?' 1 asked.
Well, in about an hour or So.
thanked him, committed my belong
ings to his care, and with benediction
on my luck and the Colonel who had
sent me there, plunged into the night.
Outside the station found an officer
with his party, a sergeant and some pri-
Yates, about to march to Cinqhaven, and
gladly joined them.
| took for granted some one knew the
~ ~ a.,
pelting us viciously, wind blowing our
fragmentary attempts at conversation
away into space. Finally, at a point
where five roads met, and the wind and
rain did their wickedness, we halted.
Fire and candle-light streamed invit-
ingly out OF the unshuttered window of
a low white house; sign creaked over
our heads in the darkness, and after a
brief debate, in we all turned to the coy
kitchen of the Green Lion.
We were not unwilling to accept the
landlady's assurances that the storm
would blow itself out'' in half an hour
or less. She invited us into her own
snug parlor, and here, for the first time,
/ got look at my companion.
The landlady's prediction was verified
in less than the time mentioned. The
storm blew over, the clouds parted, and
a clear white moon shone out.
Half an hours quick walking brought
US to the top of the hill, under which
lay the little town of Cinqhaven. Its
red roofs looked pretty and picturesque
in the moonlight beyond, and to west
ward the sea and the marshes stretching
away gray and mysterious; below us a
row OF lighted windows showed where
the barracks stood.
THAT'S welcome sight," said Mac
Leish.
"Were you ever here beforep" l
asked.
Never. 1 only heard of the place
last week-ahn' he stopped short.
looked round in amazement. He
was standing upright and rigid, his eyes
fixed on some point in the road before US,
his forefinger extended.
"Why, what's the matter?" / asked,
looking down the road-white and lonely
and seeing only milestone standing
out distinctly from the dark hedge.
"There!' His eyes dilated with a
fixed stare of horror, his breath came
short and quick, and at last, with sharp
cry, he swayed forward and fell insensi-
BILE on the path. thought he tried to
say something, but failed to understand
him. The soldiers had halted, and two
came rushing up vociferating wildly in
some unknown tongue. They knelt be-
side him and raised him all stark and
white, in the moonshine. l gave few
directions; to which they vouchsafed not
the smallest attention; but somehow they
contrived to support him between them,
and we proceeded to the barracks; no
great distance, fortunately.
| questioned the sergeant, who had
looked on meanwhile with undisturbed
composure. He declined to commit him.
self to any opinion whatever. The pri-
Yates were "Caolchairn' own people,
puir ignorant Hieland bodies, who could
hardly speak English. Could he under
stand Gaelic? Weel, word, or may be
twa. What had MacLeish said as he
fellP 1t sounded like ''into my grave, y
but he culdna be positeeve. And here
Sergeant Tulloch' communications came
to an abrupt stop, and could only ex
tract, in addition, that the Highlander
knew best what to do with their chief
and that "he's be a right the morn"
So he was. He appeared ON parade
right enough. found that he and
were in the same section; also that OF all
the sixty officers composing the
course" he was the only one will
whom l had the slightest acquaintance.
He was in the same position, fancy
so we fraterniZed to certain extent
walked over to Boatstown together-thc
popular amusement of the period, ant
worked at the red book in company. HI
was an odd young fellow as starchily re
pellant as Spanish Don one moment
and the next boyishly expansive anC
communicative. l think he was really
desperately shy-the result of home
breeding. He gave me a description o
his Highland home on dav. with hi