The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1890-05-02
qHE RED FLAG.
M. r.
Author OF .Lady Audley's Secret"

top OF tho house., q pare garret under the
thin hot roof, which was used only for soli-
tary confinement in very bad cases. 1t was
the blackhole of the convent.
Kathleen wa marched up to this place of
durapce vile, and kept there till evening
prayers, with the refreshment of a slice Of
black bread-such bread as the coachmen
give their horses In that cointyy-and acup
Of water. In the cool eventlue she was let
out of her prison, which had been like an
oven all day, and she and Rose lay down
together side by side In their narrow beds
at the end of the long dormitory, nearest
the door.
When all the others were asleep Rose
knelt by her sisters bed, and kissed and
comforted her; but the child was broken-
hearted. She said she would die in that
miserable house. Lessons were given to
her which she could not learn, and then she
was punished for not learning them. She
had been frightened in that dreadful room.
! She had heard ~thinEs-awful things-run-
ming about behind the walls, squeaking and
| screaming. She thought they were demons.
"They were rats, darling" said Rose, ca
rcssing and soothing her. You shall never,
+! never be put in that room again, if you will
be brave, and trust me-"
Rose shuddered at the thought of that
sitting garrett, under the burning roof, and
the rats running about behind the walnscot.
She had heard of children being eaten alive
by rats.
"Shall we steal out Of the house to-mor.
row morning as soon as 1t is light, and &C
away and live by ourselves somewhere
she asked, in a whisper.
It was an hour after bedtime; the other
children were all snoring on their hard little
holsters. There was no one to overEear the
sisters ss they whispered and plotted. i
was no new thought with Rose o'Hara. She
had been meditatlng upon 1t for a Ions
time, ever since the new rule had begun ans
had made Kathleen unhappy. She hat
never forgotten those words of Miss Fitz
patrick's: when you are grown up 20,
will have to get your own living, and thel
YOU may have to be parted" The yer.
thought of severance from Kathleen, thi!
only beloved Of her heart, was despair
Rose made up her mind that there shoul'
be no such parting. Why should they no
work and live together Rose felt hersel
strong and brave, aud able to work for both
She had wasted no opportunity that the cor
vent afforded her. She had learnt all tina
her teachers had given her to learn, an
now felt herself able to teach as she ha
been taught. Ii Miss Fitzpatrick were lei
free to plan their lives, she and her siste
would be parted; but If she took their tat
Into her own hands, they could spend the
lives tOgether-prosper or fail together ;ant
In her young hopefulness, it seemed TO ne
that failure was hardly possible.
She whispered the plan to Kathleen. The
were to get up at daybreak-at the fir
glimmer OF light-dress themselves, an
creep out of the dormitory and down III
stairs, with their shoes in their hands. IN
4 door opening into the garden was bolte
only. They had nothing to do but dra
back the heavy bolts noiselessly. The ga
den was guarded by high walls, except
. one weak point which the girls knew wei
7 An older wall, only eight feet high-a po
derous old wall, with heavy buttresses
crumbling b~rick-divided the western Sit
of the garden from an extensive orclia'
sloping down to the river.
a This wall had been scaled by many
young rebel, in quest of plums and peal
and 1t would be no obstacle to the sister
n escape. Rose would take a change of lin'
Q In a little bundle, and her fortune of tfte'
gold pieces, Biddy's legacy, in her poc!le
and with this stock of worldly wealth III
4 would make their way to Paris, that We
= derful, beautiful city, Of which they h
"a heard so much from some OF their school
lows, the daughters of Partisan tradesme
who had been sent to the Belgian conpe
for cheapness.
Are we going to walk all the way?" as
ed Kathleen.
mot all the way, darling. We can go
rail. But If we find the journey would c.
us too much we might walk part of t
way"
II will walk as far as you like; l am !
\ afraid,' said Kathleen.
Their scheme prospered. In the de
morning they climbed the crumbling
chard-wall, where there was plenty of TO
hold on the broken bricks, and ran acr,
the wet grass to the edge of the river, I
I'd lowing which they came TO the ~jiigilIo
They avoided Bruges, the city of chm
a towers, and steep roofs, and many brids
Nv and made for the road to Courtrai. TIL
y first days journey of fifteen miles was o
q dusty ~road-long, dreary, monotonous
liz long and weary walk; but they rested
az the way at a cottage, where they enjoye
es neal of bread and fruit which cost tn
b only a few pence. Not for years had Il
ne SO relislied any feast as they >njoyed I
dinner of black bread and black cherr
= which tbcr ate in = little a,bor .oye
with a hop.y,ne. = a corner of the c,1I
garden. They were three DAYS on the r
to Courtrai. sleeping in humble Gotta,
and living on the humhlest fare, AT
yailway-station at Cou,trai Rose found t
The price of railway tickets 10 Paris. p
the cheapest they could buy. would nal
great hole in their little fortune: so she
kathleen decided that they would walk
tna way, 1t was a long Journey, but no
long as that of the Scotch pirl whom i
had read about in Sir Walter SCOTS ST
II should like to walk said Kathl.
81 have been so happy %to-day-no less,
no one to scold us. The sky, and the fl
ers, and the fields all to ourselves.'
Rose found a decent lodging for the IL
in a weavei.s cottage, and they started
morning on the road to Paris, Kathlee.
merry as q lark, Rose happy, but wit
grave sense of responsibility.
They were weeks upon the road, in
balmy summer weather. walking and W
ing, on and on, under a cloudless blue
for the heavens favored them, and the 7
less July weather lasted all through /
journey, save on one day when they '
caught in a thunderstorm, and had to
| refuge in a deserted stable, were they
1 crouched together in a dark corner, "