San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-04-03
LOSE che KINGS LETTER.

Almost before daylight we were afoot, and
The first ray OF cod sunshine found us step
ping from the woods into the plain, where
NOW the show WAS vanished and "a glisteuiug
coat Of rinlr spread over all things. Down
I.trc the pine, gave way to bare el.ns and
popiIi,, tucliy dotted, and among them the
twisted smoke o, farm~tead and cottage here
and there AMI the morning stir of kitchen
and stable very musical in the crisp air.
Della stepped along beside me, humming all
air or breaking off to chatter Meeting us.
yea would have said we had never IA care.
The road went stretching away to the north
west and the hills against the sky there;
whittier beyond we neither knew nor (being
both young and one, by this time, pretty
deep i'll love- did greatly care; but the con-
duct of those we met, their gruff refusals of
food, their smiles and winks, caused Della to
insist that at tn" first opportunity | should
GO; her a ,uit of boys clothes
On the far side of the valley we entered a
wood. tninNinc by this to shorten our way,
for the road here tool; Il long beud to east
ward Now, ut inst this wood seemed OF no
cou>id ranic size, bat rnIckemci ami spread
a, "" oiNanrI. Twa, only, however, after
passing ,,.,. r. H." anil when DAYLIGHT beg n
30
W,.nt 1,,.. .. .., d, ..I-A q. i:.....,' %. paths
C"!v~crOs~iR- ami tie IN iel--i.w1h. And
just then CAM. the low mItter Of cannon,
Stalking the earth. We began to run forward.
tripping in the gloom over hrambles and
stumbling into holes.
Fer mile or this lasted. and then, with
out warning, | heard a sound behind me and
looked back, t. find Della sunk upon the
ground.
"Jark. here's a to-do."
'WLat'a amissF
"Why, ! am going to swoon!'
Tn" 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
nrIcr titan ii we had been stones. Only the
... ..,~.. "!,.r Lord, Sllr u.s. and
1ru% her hands is she passed out Of light.
4 III, Is strange cumduct,' Thought but.
pcrrmS down, saw that Delia's face was
white and moionlesS. She had SwOOnel, III
deed, from WEAKNESS and hunger So | took
her IN my arms and stumbled forward, hop
ing to find the end of the woOdt soon. For
now the rattle of artillery came louder and
nCcsSant through the trees and, miEgling
with it, a multitude of dull shouts and out
cries At first | was minded TO run after the
man and woman, but, on second thought, re-
solved to spe the danger before hiding from it.
The trees i'll short while grew sparser,
and between the stems | marked a ruddy
light glowing, and then | came out on an
open space upon the hillside, with a dip of
earth i'll '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
OF IA conflagration
The glare danced and qulvered in the sky
as | crossed the hollow. 1t made even Delias
white check seem rosy. Up amid the pines |
clambered, and along the ridge to where it
broke off in II steep declivity. And, 10! in a
minute looked down, US 'twere into the in
IermaI pit
There was a whole town burning below
and i'll the streets men were fighting as could
he 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 i'll a thunder cloud. Great
sparks tioaIed Iast us and over the trees at
our back. 4 hot blast breathed on our
cheeks. Now and then you might hear a hui |
man shrek distinct amid the din, and this |
spoke terribly to the heart.
Now the town was Marlborough, and the |
force a body of royal troops sent |
from Oxford to Dust the garrison of the par |
lament, which they did this same night, with |
great slaughter, driving the rebels out of the |
lace and back on the road to Bristol Had |