Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1890-05-03
THE RED FLAG.
M. Z. BRADDON.
Author OF "Lady Audley's Secret
, 40 a.

lOH " tilt hVhoEs boit kolltb uuNFi "
thin hot roof, which was used only for soli-
tary confinement In very bad cases. 1t wal
the blackhole Of the convent.
Kathleen was marched up to this place OF
durance 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 county;-and acup
OF water. In the cool eventi,.e 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 doymltory, 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 t~hlngs-awful things-run-
ming about behind the walls, squeaking and
screaming. She thought they were demons.
They were rats, darling" said Rose, ca
ressing and soothing her. lyon shall never,
never be put In that room again, II you will
be brave, and trust me-"
Rose s~huddered nj the thought Of that
stlalng garrett, under the btirning roof, and
The fats riiniing about behind the walhscOt.
She had heard OF children being eaten alive
by rats.
''Shall we steal out Of the house to-mor-
row morning as soon as IL Is light, and 90
away and live by ourselves somewhere"
abe asked, in n whisper.
II was an hour after bedtime; the other
children were all snoring on their hard little
holsters. There was no one TO overhead the
sisters as they whispered and plotted. 1t
was no new thought with Rose O'Hara. She
had been meditating upon IL for a long
time, ever since the new rule had begun and
had made Kathleen unhappy. She had
never forgotten those words Of Miss Fi.d-
pairick's: when you are grown up you
will have to get your " living, and then
you may have to be parted" The very
thought Of severance from Kathleen, this
only beloved OF her heart, was despair.
Rose made mp her mind that there should
BE- no such parting, Why should they not
work and live together9 Rose felt herself
strong and brave, and able to work for both.
She had wasted no opportunity that the con.
vent afforded hef, she had learnt all that
her teachers had given her TO learn, and
now felt herself able e. teach as she had
been taught. Ii Miss Fitzpatrick were left
Tree TO plan their lives, she n her sister
would be parted; but IL she took their fate
Into her own hands, they could spend their
lives together-prosper or fail together ;and,
In her young hopefulness, it seemed to her
that failure was hardly possible,
she whispered the plan 10 Kathleen. They
were TO get up at daybreak-at the hrst
glimmer of light-dress themselves, and
creep out Of the dormltory and down the
stairs, with their shoes in their hands. The
door opening into the garden was boited
only. They had nothing to do but draw
back the heavy bolts nolselcssly. The gar
den was guarded by high walls, except In
one weak point which the girls knew well.
An older wall, only eight feet high-a pom
derous old wall, with heavy buttresses OF
crumbling brick-divided the western side
OF the garden from an extensive orchard
sloping down 10 the riven
This wall had been scaled by many a
young rebel, in quest of plums and pears,
and II would be no obstacle 10 the sisters
escape. Rose would take a change OF linen
In a little bundle, and her fortune of fifteen
gold pieces, Biddy's legacy, in her pocket;
and with this stock of worldly wealth they
would make their way to Paris, that won
derful, beautiful city, of which they had
heard so much from some OF their schoolfel-
lows, the daughters OF Partisan tradesmen,
who had been sent 10 the Belgian convent
for c~heapness.
"Are We going to walk all the wayT' ask
ed Kathleen.
Not all the way, darling. We can go by
rail. But If we find the journey would cost
us too much we might walk part Of the
way. ~>N
II will walk as far as you like, / am not
afraid" said Kathleen.
Their scheme pfospered. In the dewy
morning they climbed the crumbling or
chard-wall, where there was plenty OF foot
hold on the broken bricks, and ran across
the wet grass to the edge of the river, fol-
lowing which they came TO the high-road.
They avoided Bruges, the city Of church
towers, and steep roofs, and many bridges,
and made for the road TO CourtraL Their
first days journey of fifteen miles was over
= dusty r~oad-long, dreary, monotonous-a
long and weary walk; but they rested on
the way at a cottage, where they enjoyed a
meal of bread and fruit which cost them
only u few pence. Not for rears had they
so relished any feast as they enjoyed this
dinner of black bread and black cherries,
which they ate in z little arbor covered
with a hop-vine, Is q corner Of the cJffsse
garden. They were three days on the road
10 Courtrai, sleeping in humble cottages,
and living on the humblest fare. At the
railway-station at Courtrai Rose found that
4 ShA Neina 81 raf~pa, tfaEat. 80 Dali. xxo.
the cheapest they could buy, would make a
great hole In their little fortune; so she and
Kathleen decided that they would walk all
the way. 1t was a long journey, but not so
long as that Of the Scotch girl whom Rose
had read about in Sir Walter SCOTS story.
II should like 10 walk" said Kathleen.
81 have been so happy to-day-no lessons,
no one TO scold us. The sky, and the flow
ers. and the fields all to ourselves"
Rose found a decent lodging for the night
In q weavei's cottage, and they started next
morning on the road to Paris, Kathleen as
merry as q lark, Rose happy, but with a
grave sense Of responsibility.
They were weeks upon the road, In the
balmy summe weather, walking and walk
ing, on and on under a cloudless blue sky;
for the heavens favored them, and the peer
less July weather lasted all through theb
Journey, save on one day when they were
caught In a thunderstorm. and had to take
refuge in q deserted stable, were they sat
crouched together in a dark corner, while
the thunder rolled over the broken thatcb,
and the lightning sent lances of fire zigzag-
cling across the dusky gloom.
They were often very tired; they were
often half checked and half blinded by the
chalky dust of the long level roads; but
they were happy; for they were together,
and they were free. 1t was the first real
holiday they had known since they had en-
tered at the convent gate. No lessons, nc
burdens Of any kind. Every day they knelt
In the cool shade Of some strange church to
pray. They heard the mass sung by strange
priests before village affairs. They found
friends at The cottages where they lodged.
The women all admired Kathleen's golden
hair and blue eyes, and s~ympathised with
the sisters when told that they were orphans
beginning the world together. No one over
charged or robbed them. They were treated
generously everywhere. Their very defence
lessness was their shield and breastplate.
And thus through toll, that had none OF
the bitterness Of toll, they slowly approach
ed the great city, which to their young
i~maginations was like q fairy city. They
did not quito believe that the streets were
paved with gold, but they fancied life would
be very EASY fhera and that THAR hearts