Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-08-30

Mavericks. on q hill half mile away, began
presently to explain 10 all who cared to listen.
Wen sound the Jubilee from the center to the sc.
And Ireland shail be free. the al n-,sn yugh"
Sing, boys" said Father Dennis. softly. II,
looks as If We cared for their Afghan peas"
Dan Grady raised himself to his knees and
opened his mouth in . song impaired TO him as
to most Of his comrades in the strictest conf
dence BY Mulcahy-that Mulcahy then lying
limp and faintins on the grass, the chill fear
OF death upon him.
Company after company caugh. up the words
which, the A. A. say. are to herald the gen.
eral rising OF Erin, and to breathe which, ex-
cept to those duly appointed to hear. is death.
Wherefore they are printed in this place.
DOOM ike fnS death ~ s:s been cast.
And the hand of the shall never be stayed
TIL his race. faith and speech are . dream Of the
They were heart-flling lines and they ran
with swirl; the "A. are better served by
their pens than their petards Dan clapped
Mulcahy merrlly on the back, asking him to
sing up. The officers lay down again. There
was no need to walk any more. Their men
were soothing themselves thunderously, thus:
'St Mary in heaven has written the VOW
That the land shall not rest till the hereto blood.
Has rolled to the ocean like shannon in nood!"
"I'll speak to you after alrs over" said
Father Dennis authoritatively in Dams ear
whats the use of confessing to me when you
do this foolishness? Dan. you've been PLAYING
with hre; I'll lay you more penance in a week
"Come along to pursatory with us, father
dear. The Boneens are on the move; they'll
let us go nowI'
The regiment rose to the blast of the bug,e
as one man, but one man there was who rose
more swiftly than all the Others for half an
incn OF oayonet was in the feshy part Of his
leg.
you've got to do it," said Dan, grimly. DO
1t decent, anyhow" and the roar of the rush
drowned his words as the rear companies thrust
forward the first, still singing as they swung
down the slope:
Shall roll to the ocean like Shannon in aood!"
They should.have sung it in the face of Eng
land, not OF the Afghans, whom il impressed
as much as did the wild Irish yell.
They came down singing" said the unoffi-
cial report of the enemy, borne from village to
village the next day. They continued to sing
and 1T was written that our men could not abide
when they came. 1t is believed that there wae
magic in the aforesaid song"
Dan and Horse Egan kept themselves in the
nelghborhood OF Mulcahy. Twice the man
would have bolted back in the confusion.
Twice he was heaved like a half-drowned kit
ten into the unpaintable inferno of a hotly con-
tested charge.
At the end the panic excess OF his fear
drove him into madness beyond all human
mouth open and frothing and breathing as
one in cold bath, he went forward de-
mented, while Dan toiled after him.
The charge checked at high mud
wall. 1t was Mulcahy that scramble d
up tooth and nail and heaved down among the
bayonets the amazed Afghan who barred his
way. 1t was Mulcahy, keeping to the straight
line OF the rabid dog. that led collection of
ardent souls at a newly unmarked battery and
hung himself on the muzzle of gun as his COM
panions danced among the gunners It was
Mulcahy who ran wildly on from that battery into
the open plain where the enemy were retiring
IN sullen groups His hands were empty, he
had lost helmet and belt, and he was bleeding
from q wound in the neck. Dan and Horse
Egan painting and distressed. had thrown them
selves down on the ground by the captured
guns, when they noticed Mulcahy's flight
Mad" said Horse Egan. critically. Mad
with fear! He's going straight to his death,
an shouting's no use"
LET him go. Watch now! II we fire well
hit him maybe"
| turned at the noise Of shod feet behind him and
shifted his knife ready to hand. This, he saw,
was no time to take prisoners Mulcahy ran
on, sobbing, and the straight-held blade went
home through the defenseless breast. and the
BODY pitched forward almost before a shot
from Dams rifle brought down the slayer and
still further hurried the Afghan retreat. The
| two 1rishmen went out to bring in their dead.
HE was given the point and that was an easy
death. said Horse Egan, viewing the corpse
But would You ha' shot him, Denny if he
had lived?"
He didn't live, so there's no sayin'. But
doubt wud have bekase Of the fun he gave
us-let alone the beer. Hike up his legs,
Horse, and ven bring him in. Perhaps tits
They bore the poor limp body to the mass Of
the regiment. lolling open mouthed on their
rines, and there was general Singer when
a good man.
"Phew," said Horse Egan. when a burial
party had taken over the burden. I'm power
ful dry, and this reminds me there'I be no
more beer at all"
"Fwhy not?" said Dan. with twinkle in his
eye as he stretched himself for rest Are we
not conspirin' all we can, an while we con-
spire are we not entitled to free drinks? Sure
his ould mother in New York would not let her
sons comrades perish Of drouth-if she can
be reached at the end Of letter."
you're JANUS" said Horse Egan. 90
coorse she will not. / with this crool war was
over, an we'd get back to canteen. Faith, the
commander-in-chief ought to be hanged in his
own little sword belt for maxim US work on
wather."
The Mavericks were generally Of Horse
Egans opinion. So they made haste to get
their work done as soon as possible, and their
industry was rewarded by unexpected peace.
W. Sou uBuS tuo SOILS OF AQam, SAID the
trlbesmen, but we cannot fight the sons of
Eblis, and this regiment never STAYS still in one
place. Let us therefore come in" They came
in and "this regiment" withdrew to conspire
under the leadership OF Dan Grady.
Excellent as a subordinate Dan failed alto
gether as q chief-in-command-poss because
he was too much swayed by the advice of the
only man in the regiment who could perpetrate
more than one kind Of handwriting. The same
mail that bore to Mulcahy's mother in New
York letter from the colonel telling her how
valiantly her son had fought for the queen and
how assuredly he would have been recon-
mended for the Victoria cross had he survived.
carried q communication signed, grieve to saw.
by that same colonel and all the officers of the
regiment, explaining their willingness to do
anything which is contrary to the regulations
and all kinds Of revolutions" il only a little
money could be forwarded to cover incidental
expenses. Daniel Grady, esq.,, would receive
funds vice Mulcahy, who twas unwell at this
present time Of writing"
Both letters were forwarded from New York
to Tehama street, San Francisco, with mar
ginal comments as brief as they were bitter.
The Third Three read and looked at each other.
Then the second conspirator-he who believed
in Joining hands with the practical branches
began to laugh, and on recovering his gravity
said: Gentlemen, consider this will be a
lesson to US. We're left again. Those cursed
Irish have let rs down. knew they would,
but"-here he laughed afresh-"Pd give con-
siderable to know what was at the back Of it
all"
His curiosity would have been satisfied had
ha nou dv ;xal AL