Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1890-12-24

pushed back her hair, and looked at
her landlady in such wild half-in-
sane way.
"Don't, DON'T" the latter cried
again, and sprang to support Ethel,
who now tottered and fell back.
"You must not faint. Oh, help
help! she is dying" cried the woman.
There was rush of steps up the
narrow rickety stairs. and, the next
instant, the half-unconscious Ethel
was lying in her lovers arms.
"Is it's it really you, deari" she
murmured, after awhile. reviving un-
der his passionate appeal quite as
much as with the water with which
the landlady was bathing her face.
"Oh, it can't be true 1t is too much
happiness"
"That / should find you in such a
place as this" was his answer, as the
landlady, realizing something of the
truth, discreetly retired, "and literally
starving. Great God, is there justice
-"
"Hush," whispered Ethel. Don't
don't speak that way: it hurts me.
1 thought so once. But haye been
rebuked. All, it is all over now.
God is so good What a happy,
happy Christmas this will bep
Later on, after Ethel had made
some tea, at her lovers entreaty,
which beverage he insisted on sharing
with her, he told her how he had been
captured, and detained a prisoner,
and how finally he had escaped and
how he had not heard of her fathers
death until arriving in London.
"My companions" he said, "saw
me fall, by thrust from spear but
being overpowered and forced to re-
treat, they were compelled to leave
my dead body, as they thought, behind.
You see, we had formed into square,
as we always did when attacked; but
the rush of the Arabs was so terrible,
and their number so Overwhelming,
that they soon broke through it. You
can have no conception, dear, how the
savages fought. Life seemed to be of
no value to them. They poured down
on our fixed bayonets, with their wild
cries, firing their guns and hurting
their spears; and, though our repeat
ing-rifes moved them down like grain
before the scythe, others as fanatical
rushed in to fill their places, until the
dead were piled in heaps before U.s.
At last. by sheer force of number and
the reckless disregard of life, they
broke into our square; and, after that,
the fight became a hand-to-hand en-.
counter, every man for himself-no
order, no discipline, possible. l found
myself at bay, with four Arabs assail'
ing me. The foremost seemed to be q
chief: for he was shouting TO the Others
all the while. I had picked up some
Arabic in the campaign, and could
understand most of what he said. Cut
down the infidel = he cried. Hours
wait for you in Paradise, if you fall.
My comrades saw my strait, but could
not help me. Each man had more
than enough to defend himself; and
when finally fell before spear-thrust
they naturally supposed l was dead
and so reported, when their little rem
nant eventually fought its way to a
sand-hill, where the pursuit was stop
ped"
All this while, Ethel sat with clasp.
ed hands, regarding him earnestly, the
color coming and going in her face, al
his description.
"But / was not dead" he said {.
Though sorely wounded, was able
to speak when the enemy, as was their
custom, came to village the slain
MY little stock of Arabic stood me in
good,stead now. The chief, who had
urged his followers in the heat of the
fight to STAY me, was now more merci-
fully inclined, and ordered that my
life should be spared. He is the
prisoner of my SPEAR he said. i may
make good Moslem of him yet In
consequence of this, / was carried into
the desert, and there nursed until ]
was quite recovered. Then my real
trouble began. I was told that
must..renounce Christianity, or be i'm
paled. My answer was that l did
not fear to die, but would never be a
renegade"
"Oh, you brave SOUL" cried Ethel
her eyes flashing with pride in her
hero; and. STOPPING, she kissed his
hand.
"At last, they carried me before the
Mahdi," continued the speaker; "but
I made the same answer. The very
next day was fixed for my execution.
But, fortunately, before this, l had
been able to open negotiation with
one of my captors servants-an
Egyptian from the Nile-to assist me
in escaping: and, that very night, he
came to me and said that the prepare
ton was complete. To make long
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