Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-03-04

darling. / will come TO You in few
minutes. fancy you will find father
out there-be went ont to see how Cap
tain Evans is to day."
cover at the hospital ?"
"Yes, dear"
elf went over 7 might ask how
Nelly is, mightn't | ?" Totte asked.
"Yes, of course, aud | will bring
Mr.. Bells arrowroot over "a soon as it is
ready"
SO Tottie gave her mother a kiss and
went out TO run across the compound.
Run? No, poor Tottie did not run
much in those days. bat to creep across
the compound to the hospital and III
quire after her little friend Nelly Davis,
who bad been slightly wounded by a
splinter from she'd which had exploded
within the defences the previous morn
ing. and then 10 find her father OF whom
she saw but little at this time.
Left behind, Mrs Marchmont finished
ironing the big pile of bandages which
she had undertaken to wash for the hos
pital, aud then TO work to make the ar
Tosroot for Mr. Bell, and not only for
him bnt for as many other patients as
possible When it WIS ready she poured
it into n large jug in which TO carry it
across the compound.
" Here is tie arrowrOot, Doctor, she
panied, as she gained the versnda OF the
hospital. "Has Colonel Marchmont
been over here b"
"Ycs, here he is" answered the Doc
tor, D." seizng on TIE big jug eagerly.
"Oh, you are here. she said to the
Colonel. "Anl where is Tottie %
Iottie / haven't seen her." the
Colonel answered.
"She came across to see Nelly Davis
and to find you" Mrs. Marrhmont said.
"'he was so tired OF being indoors,
poor child. l dare say ohe Is with
Nelly
NO. / have Just come from little
Nelly-becn dressing her wound, you
know. Tottie was not there. said the
Doctor.
"1hen she is somewhere in the hospi-
tal," Mrs. Marchmont replied, without
showing or indeed feeling any uncaSi-
ness. cor perhaps she went back into
the house. How is Nelly to-day, Doc
tor -
Very fevcrish and excited" the Doe
tor answered. ats not much OF a
wound, but the child is rather hysterical.
BY the by, I'll send her up a cupiul Of
your srrowroot"
do. poor little soul" said the Colo
ncl's wife, kindly; then, after she had
paid a short visit TO one or two invalids.
she took her husbands arm and went
back across the compound to the Resi-
dency.
But TOttio was not there had not in
fact been seen by any one since she bad
left her mother at work on the pile Of
banddges to go across the compound
and ask after her little wounded frleni.
"Ned, said the mother whom she
realized that the child WAS nowhere in
the house, els it possible that any harm
can have come to her.
She was white 10 the very lips as she
put the idea into words, and his bronzod
check paled III spite Of himself.
40, my dear, no. All has been per-
fectly quiet for an hour or more-not
shot has been fired. What could have
happened to her? Don't distress your
self, my love she has gone INTO some
body's room or other. / will 30 round
and find ont Happily with sigh
for the situation IN which they we're
there Is not very far to look.
But, small as the slound was over
which they had to search they found no
sign or trace of the child. Apparently
she had disappeared as utterly rs If she
had never been at all
Colonel Marchmont and his wife were
well nigh beside themselves with dis
trcss, and the entire garrison was more
disturbed aud excited and concerned at
the mystery than they had been by all
the deaths from cholera or misadveuture
that had taken place.
it was SO mysterious All had been
quiet, unusually so, in fact the child
had gone ont in broad Daylight, for there
is no twilight in India. to 80 across two
strips OF compound. and flom that mo-
ment bad disappeared leaving 10 trace
OF any kind behind. Where could she
have gone? Who could have spirited
her away? What WAS her fate All
these questions passed freely to and fro
and LED 10 another, which was even more
still to each one who asked 1t
" What traitor have We amongst us, and
who Will be taken in like way next?"