Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-06-16

on winch there were RED lines.
''They know so little of American girls, %
said she, ''that they thought this would
righten me-"
"You have reason enough for fright" he
returned, without any such treatment"
81 have no expectation of being afraid, -
said she, "and if YOU command this band
you have, let me tell you, precious set of
rascaIs under you"
You need not be saucy," he replied. ''It
will pay you better to be honest and tell me
who sent you here"
"Surely you know all I can tell voul
Where is the woman of the house in which
we lodged? suppose she is your accom-
pIice? When she called me out of my room
and asked me if / had friend here, was
frank and told her. Ask her if you want to
know"
''Softer, softer, my DEAR" he said, ''you
look very pretty when you scold, but you'd
better be uglier and WISER"
"Where is the woman?" asked Margaret
'..She has gone home to lock your uncle
in his room. To keep him from taking cold
in the night air."
Margaret turned her head away, as though
she meant to say she was done with him.
1 adored her for her courage, but 1 ar
IDENTIFY desired she might not anger him.
But he treated her as though she was pet
ulant child, and asked her questions from
which l soon gathered that they suspected
us of being spies in the employ of the own
ers of the mines, and that she had come
with me to divert suspicion from our object.
Itappeared to me that they had founded all
this in some confused story to which the
man constantly alluded, but to which Mar
garet had, of course, no clew. And I also
understood that they had laid trap of
some kind to get Margaret away by
herself, hoping to wiring a confession from
her, and that the woman of the house
had assisted them. The girl answered
boldly enough, and finally said that we
were friends of Mr.. Lewis, and had come
to be of use to him. When this was trans
lated to the men, who never moved their
they brutally laughed, and she, for the first
time, lost her perfect command of herself.
There was one little man who wore a fur
cap, and he displayed his knowledge Of En-
glish by occasionally crying out, "Tyrant
Slave Push ahead p When he heard the
name of Lewis he shrugged his shoulders
and gave an idiotic jump into the air. 1t
was as much as could do not to go out and
shake the little monster, but had sense
enough to keep silent and quiet. Yeti was
hard work-the hardest I ever did. They bull
lied Margaret; they tried to terrify her into
confession as they grew more and more con-
vinced that she was battling them. They
mistook her innocence for assurance; her
courage for obstinacy, but they did not
touch her.
Then Margaret suddenly drew her shawl
closer around her shoulders. 81 am colo"
she said, "and 1 am tired. I wish you
would have more wood thrown on the fire,
o,,1 ~ Ill
when this was translated, made reply that
was in turn translated to her, and it was
that they would make up the fire and give
her a seat in the middle of it. The dread
tul brutality of this made her cheek pale,
yet she said not a word, but turned and
walked to the fire and sat down on the trunk
of Iallen tree, which was evidently drawn
there for a seat For moment her whole
body relaxed, and she looked as if she could
bear no more. She put out her hands to the
now low fire, but in a moment rested her
head on her hand like tired child. Then
she drew herself together, looked up, and
did the most astonishing thing:
She began to singl To sing in a clear,
sweet, thrilling voice which vibrated with
passionate intention.
If an angel from Heaven had alighted,
and in his dazzling attire had stood in their
midst, the men could not have been more
startled, more electrified. They stood stock
still, gazing at her. But she gave no heed
to them, but sang louder, and clearer until
her voice seemed to.fill the air, making it
pulsate with enchantment. For what was
she singing? All, for what was she not
singing. For lie, for help, for freedom,
and though she knew it not, for Lowell Her
song went soaring to the skies and prayed to
be saved from these cruel men; and it came
back to earth and begged them to be human,
and not be as the beasts hungry for prey.
She sang like one inspired, and her whole
heart went out in the cry, "Angels ever
bright and fair, take, oh take ne to your
careP' and the song seemed born of the
night and of perili And then, behold from
one of the huts there was a great cry, and
out there rushed man, torn, weak,
bandaged, and he looked wildly about him,
and seeing her, he ran to her and fell prone
him up, and held him in her arms, and II
came out from my hiding place and hurried
to them and took Jack from her and laid
him down, thinking he was dead, but he
opened his eyes and feebly smiled. So 1
sat down on the grass and held him, and
knelt by him, and they looked
CdCH lutO buC CNCo VI buC ObliCIs
But around us there was hubbub of con-
fusion and quarre!ing, and knives flashed,
and the leader pushed back one, and
threatened another. and the noise grew
greater and more fierce, but Margaret and
less of the raging storm outside. But the
leader turned, holding one man by the
throat, and he cried: "Sing! If you val
,,a 1,our livoc lat tho nirl Nin0"
For a moment Margaret faltered. She
feared for US as she never had for herself,
and she gasped as though her breath was
gone, putting her hand to her throat. Then
she sprang to her feet and she sang. It was
a wild, fierce song like battle cry, and she
now and then clapped her hands together
with a ringing sound, and she flung out her
rms, looking like prophecies calling her
people to follow her to war. And then all
these men struck in with solemn, slow
measure that was like the tramp of feet,
and their eyes flashed as they drew close to-
gether and nearer to her. When she ended
they crowded around her, and the little
man dropped on his knees and kissed the
hem OF her gown, and from that moment we
were safe. For the song was one of their
own, and an outcry against the oppressors
Of their country, and Margaret, who studied
the songs of the peoples of the earth as
others do the language, knew it, and knew
how to sing it.
And so she sang through the night, sitting
on the log, with her hand in Jacks as he
rested against me. She sang everything.
Gay songs and doleful, ballads, opera arias,
hymns and dances. The men sat around the
blazing fire, and their eyes were soft, and
sometimes they laughed, and every now and
then they would burst into chorus of
their own. And the leader lay close to the
fire and slept. Never in their lives had
these men, fancy, been more innocently
happy, and never had they heard singing
that SO delighted them. When the morn