The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-03-30
CHAPTER VIII.
LOSE TEE KINGS LETTER.


coat OF rhine spread over all Things. Down
here the pines gave way TO bare elms and
poplars. thIckly dotted. and among them the
twisted smoke OF farmsUead and cottage here
and there, and The morning stir Of kitchen
and stable, very musical in the crisp air.
Della stepped along beside me, humming an
air or breaking of to chatter. Meeting Us,
You would have said We had never a care.
The road went stretching away TO the north
west and the bills against the sky there;
whittier beyond we neither knew nor being
both young and one, by this time, pretty
deep in love- did greatly care; but the con-
duct OF those we met, their gruf refusals Of
food. their smiles and winks, caused Della TO
insist that at the first opportunity l should
get her q suit Of boys clothes.
On the far side of the valley we entered a
wool, thinking oy this to shorten our way,
for the road here took q long bend to east
ward. Now, at first this wood seemed OF no
considerable size, but thickened and spread
as we advanced. Twas only, however, after
passing the ridge and when daylight began
10 faiI Us that / became alarmed For the
wood grew dsuser, with a tangle Of paths
crsscrossing amid the underground. And
rust then came the low mutter CT cannon,
shaking the earth. We began to run forward,
tripping in the gloom over brambles and
stumbling inJo holes.
For mile or so this lasted. and then, with
out warning, heard a sound behind me and
looked back, to find Della sunk upon the
ground
Jack here's a to-dol"
whats smisst'
"Why, I am going to swoon"
The words were scarce out when there
sounded a cracking and swapping Of twigs
ahead, and two figures came rushing towards
us-a man and a woman The man carried
an infant in his arms and though / called on
them to stop, the par ran by Us with no more
nouCe than If we had been stones. Only the
woman cried, Dear Lord, save u.s." and
vrung her hands a. she passed out of sight.
"Tnis is strange conduct" thought l; but,
peeriug down, saw that Deia's face was
white and motionless. She had swooned, in
deed from weaTIness and hunger. So / took
her in my arms and stumbled forward, hop
ing 70 find the end Of the wood soon. For
now the rattle Of artillery came louder and
incessant through the trees, and, mingliug
with it. a multitude of dull shouts and out
cries At first 1 was minded to run after the
man and woman, but, on second thought, re-
solved TO see the danger before hiding from it.
The trees in a short whiiCNgrew sparser,
md between the stems ! marked a rudy
light glowing, and then | came out on an
open space upon the hillside, with a dip OF
earth in front, and beyond a long ridge of
pines standing up black, because of a red
glare behind them, and saw that this came
not from any setting sun, but was the light
III a condagration.
The glare danced and quivered in the sky
rs / crossed the hollow. 1t made even Delia'S
white cheek seem rosy. Up amid the pines
rambeTed, and along the ridge to where it
broke of in a steep decliyity. And, 10! in a
minute looked down, as twere, into the in
fernal pit.
There was whole town burning below,
and in the streets men were fighting, as could
be told by their shouts and the rattle and
blaze of musketry, for a garment of smoke
lay over all and hid them. Only the turmoil
beat up as from a furnace. and the flames Of
burning matches, and quick Jets of firearms
like lightning in thunder cloud. Great
sparks floated past us and over the trees at
our back. A hot blast breathed on our
cheeks. Now and then You might hear hui
man shrek distinct amid the din, and this
spoke terribly to the heart.
Now the town was Marlborough, and the
attacking force a body of royal troops sent
from Oxford to GUST the garrison of the par
lament, which they did this same night. with
great slaughter, driving the rebeis.out Of the
place and back on the road TO Bristol. Had
we guessed this. much III luck had been
spared us; but we knew naught of it nor
whether friends or foes were getting tie bet
ter So Della being toy this time recovered
httie we determined 10 pass the night in
the woods and on the morrow 20 give the
place a wide berth
Retreatiug, then, to the hollow that lavon
the lee side of the ridge, away from the north
wind, gathered a pile of great stones and
spread my cloak thereoyer for Della To
sleep was impossible, even with the viii for
it, For the tumult and fighting went on and
only died out about an hour before dawn:
and once or twice We were troubled to hear
the sound of people running on the ridge
above. So we sat and talked in low voices
TIN dawn. and grew more desperately hum
gcrcd than ever
With the chill of davbreak we started.
meaning TO get quits OF the neighb0rhood be-
fore any espied us, and fetched a compass to
the south without another look at Narlbor-
oUCh. At the end Of two hours, turning
northwest again, we came TO some water
meadows beside "a Tiny river the Kennel. as
! thlGk), and saw, some way beyond. a high
road that crossed TO our side loniv the bridge
was now broken DOWN, and, farther vet.
thick smoke curling up; but whence this
came / could not see. Now we had been
avoiding all roads this morning and hiding
at every sound of footsteps. But hunger was
making us bold. ] bade Della crouch down
10y the streams bank, where many alders
grew, aud set Off towards this column Of
smoke.
BY the spot where the road crossed I noted
that many men and horses had lately passed
hereby 10 westward, and. by their footmarks.
at great speed A little farther and l came
On broken muslet flung against the hedge.
with uauSeoUs mess of blood and sandy hairs
about the stock. of it; and just beyond was
dead horse, his legs sticking UP ike bent poles
across the road Twas here that my blood
went cold on "A sudden, TO hear q dismal Crosn-
iuC not far ahead. l stood stil, holding my
breath, and then ran forward again.
The road took a twist that led me face 10
face with a small wbitewasled cottage.
Smeared with black stains OF burning For
seemingly it had been fired in one or two
places, only the flames had died out. and
from the back, where some outhaildings vet
smClGered, rose the smoke that l Spied But
what brought me To "a stand was 10 see the
doorway all cracked aud Charred and across
Il soldier stretched green coated rebel
and quite dead. HIS face iay among the
burned ruins Of the door, that had wofuIlv
DnEeG his beard and hair. \ stain OF blood
ran across the GOorStone and into the roai.
i was gazing uDon him and saudde~inc
when again / heard the groans They issued
from The upper chamber Of the cottage.
stepped over the ,eai soldier and mounted