The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1888-02-12
A GOLDEN SILENCE.
BY JOHN STRANGE WINTER.

n pON-fOOin, III tIlc rcSlucnCY Vi hccHhpOIN,
4 q little girl OF twelve years old or so was
,sitting in rocxing-chair, with fan in one
&iand and a very dry and unpalatable-look
n ing biscuit in the other.
n She was striking looking child, very
N pale and pinched in the face, with black
hair the color OF a ravens wing, cut close
to her shapely head and parted on one side
\ hike u boys. Her eyes were dark, and
4 made her perhaps look more wan than ii
n they had been blue or gray. Her muslin
81 gown had once been white, and was full
4 and had many hounces or little frills on the
skirt thereof, each edged with fine lace
but it was very dingy in color now, and
had Enthusiastically been washed by an anna
+ tcur in the laundry art Her white stock
q ings had shared the same fate as the frock,
but her shoes were tidy and good.
The child's whole air was languid and
lstlcss; twice or three times she would
wave the fan 10 and fro, then take nibblc
nj the dry biscuit-a nibble which had no
sign OF appetite about it-then she would
put up one foot or the other and look at
The toe Of the tidy shoe or ut the poor little
stick Of an ankle in the dingy stocking,
then she would wave the fan again and
turn her wist.ul eyes upon the figure Of
lady standing ut the table, the figure OF her
mother, that is TO say.
There was not much similarity between
mother and chid-in fact, the six-months-
old infant in the basket-cradlo by the
table was the living image of her mother,
~ the elder child was Of her gallant
father.
Mrs. Marchmont was tall and slight and
very fragile in appearance, had pretty soft
gray ewes and bright brown hair that was
q scarcely darker than golden and was yet
a distinctly brown. Nor was she so pale Us
the child in the rocking chair; but her
gown, which was of q pinkish tint, was
~ very dingy and shabby.
Again and again did the childs big dark
4. eyes turn upon her, watching her rs she
Al washed out some grcwsome bandagcs 50
stained with blood that the water in the
basin was dyed crimson from them-stop
ping every minute or 80 TO drive away o
fly from the sleeping but restless baby ID
AZ fhc cradle, or 10 coax few brcaths OF air
&c siiIl il AZ IL tossed to and fro.
VA ooh, mamma dear" the girl broke outat
last. II do wish you'd let me 10 something
III 10 help you"
'l'm 80 afraid OF your fainting again,
Tottic," Mrs. Marchmont answered.
III shouldn't feel half so i'll II had some
fhing -anything-to do, Tottie persisted.
.|''Iou know, mamma, you've always said
no human being could do two things Al
<.pncc properly; and there your are yourself
IRVING to wash those nasty bandagcs and
ecp the flies oil baby at the same time.
douldnt / keep the flies off baby, al
least"
lyon might do that" returned heI
: smother. still hesitatingly, ''only you know
~ what Or. Fox said. that you were not I,
exert yourself In any way until the attack
~ hal passed quite Off"
"Inecdn't exert myself, pleaded To
tic. "iou could move the cradle close ul
. here, and just tanning her a bit couldn .
n hurt me; IL would not, indeed, mamma
Thus persuaded, Mns. Marchmont movc'
the chair on which the cradle stood clos
20 The rocking-chair in which Tottie lay
and then she bent down and kissed tn
child tondcrly.
4 don't OVERTIME yourself, my dearic,
Abe siid iondly. eve must be careful q
YOU. YOU know, for little while"
IAN right-Ill be careful, mamma n
turned To,tie, waving the fan 10 aud fr
aud attacking the dry biscuit with nc'
4 yigor.
Iui Il was hard work for her little fever
wasted frame, In that close room withou
\ the luxury, or more truly necessity,
punkahs TO which she had been accustome
during the whole Of her life-for II WIS !
the hot month Of June, in the year 1891.
Outside the rcsidency a fierce India
sun shonc down upon the city and fortrci
OF Mcenapore. Fortress, did sayl Wei
yes, II was a fortress. although II ha
never been planned for any such purpos'
In truth, fortress consisting OF the re
idcncy, the English church aud the no
piial three fairly substantial stone buil'
ing-, each standing in an Enclosure
compound Of its own.
And now they had become n fortress
such one as would scarce have stood q
hour against the attack Of any foes mo
valiant than those who, by tho force
Overwhelming numbers, during the sur
nicr VI 80 Laid waste the greater part
the Indian continent by fire and swor
anil put TO o miserable and shameful dea
Il. hundreds and hundreds Of dclicatcl
Y urand European women and childrc
whom they hated because they were Chr
tianS. and humbled 10 the dust becau
they had white faces instead OF black.
Ii was toward the end OF the month, al
already the little garrison nj Mecnapo
hal been under close siege for near
three wecks-a siege 10 close indeed th
the rclcls outside the wrc,ched mud wa
and stakes and barricadcs OF the imp
yised fortress could, and often did, ~
iecring remarks and jibes and sneers
ilo-e scpoys and natives who had bc
faithful 10 their trust and still stood by I
Icringhces In their hour Of need.
AZ all times Mccnapore was an exec
ively hot place, and anything but healt
al thi- season Of the year indeed, IA N
Ter OF fact, from Mayto October there VI
usually no European women or Children
attk ..t.i.la lafi la fha eluiinu.
But now, In spite Of the excessive Q
oycu,owering heat, one and all had
make lilo ~ endumblo Ms was possi
without those luxuries 10 which they ]
iccn used. For all stood on the ~
level now; the wives OF colonel and I
valcs shared alike the work of nursing Z
cooking and washing one with anotll
lust AZ officers aud men had forgotten
distinctions, and did each the work I
his strength allowed, standing shoulder
shoulder, men and brothers, against
common Zoe. 49,,
And Oh, what life Il was Over
men, bcsidcs the women and children,
whom there were about seventy, cool
M in three buildings. which any on'
- them would have dcclared less Than 10
months before could not possibly Ia
held a third Of that number. FOOD
scarce aud Of tho poorest quality, ana
served ont in the Scanticst oil rallons
that tho evil day, when they would
a.. 81. A. flQ Quemv mi