Middletown transcript., 1891-06-04

do so, TOO ana, as ene spoke, Sn6
looked as a Spartan maiden may have
looked, when she sent her lover forth
to death or glory.
At the first sound of her voice,
Vane started. Their eyes met, and
one might have thought that some
reflection of the light in hers had
flashed into his own. Without a
word he took her hand and pressed it
to his lips. Then with the same
action Of farewell 10 Lenora he turn
ed away, reached the door Of the
apartment, and was gone.
The whole scene was over almost in
a moment. Yet scenes as brief have
often been the turning point Of lives
and so it was to be with these.
Lenora, with a half hysterical
laugh, turned to the window and went
out. Mary Sulland was left alone.
Suddenly she sank upon chair and
burst into such passion of tears as
shook her very frame.
1t il not in the nature of any
woman, however nobly made, how
ever jealous Of the honor of the man
whom she regards. not to feel, at such
a moment, a cruel agony Of mind.
She was alone. The excitement
which had sustained her was already
over and now the hard, plain fact,
without disguise, pressed itself re-
morselessly upon her soul. Her hero
had gone forth to almost certain
death.
Her hero? Yes-he was her hero.
She made no secret of it now, in her
own heart. She loved him we'll.
Gladly would she have given her own
life for his. But alas! what could
she do?
All at once wild thought struck
her. Her cheek famed /: the old
light kindled in her eyes. She started
to her feet, pale, eager eyed and trem-
bling now with new excitement. She
seemed like one possessed by a spirit
stronger than her own-by an impulse
overmastering and resistless. For a
moment or two she stood motionless,
her eyes cleaning. Then turning,
not to the window, but to the door,
she hurried from the room.
She went straight to her own cham.
Der. In few minutes she came out
again. She was now draped in a
long, close. gray dressing gown, which
completely covered her e#n dress.
Her tall, slight figure, thus garmented,
looked like nothing so much as a gray
ghost and like a ghost in the failing
light of evening she glided out Of her
chamber, and passed along the pas
sages and down a fight of stairs.
All at once she stopped. Some
noise alarmed her. And now she was
afraid-afraid, not Of what she was
about to do, but of being seen and
thwarted in tie execution of her plan.
Presently all being still, she again
stole forward. The men were, for the
most part, busy at their posts about
the fortifcations, and the part of the
station through which she had to pass
was almost deserted. Fortune favor
ed her, beside. no eyes observed her,
and she stole upon her way.
At last, to her infinite relief, she
reached her destination. She stood
in the archway which led out into the
square.
1t was still empty. Vane's yolun-
teers had gone in search of the articles
required for the adventure, and had
not yet arrived. The open court was
before her and there in the middle Of
it was the we'll.
She knew the archway well!-its
image had been clear to her minds
eye all along. 1t was a kind Of tun-
mel, or covered passage, of brickwork,
some half dozen yards in length.
Near the outer end of the archway
there was buttress, and beyond it
recess or deep niche in the masonry.
The niche was close beside the but
tress, on the side toward the square.
The gray figure reached the buttress
into the recess-and disap-
peared.
Five minutes passed-ten minutes.
Then the sound of steps was heard,
and men entered the archway in
body. Vane was not among them
but Immediately afterward he appear
ed /; together with another oficer-the
Surgeon.
By this time the sun had sunk, and
but for the rising moon it would have
been quite dark. AS it was, the in
terror of the archway was in gloom
but the open square outside was bath
ed in light, light uncertain, shadowy,
spectral, yet permitting any object
moving in il to be distinctly seen.
The woodwork which had supported
the windlass of the we'll had been
shattered by the shot, and now stood
in ruins; but the chain remained in
tact, its end twisted around a broken
stump, and the bucket hung in safety
inside the opening of the we'll.
No time was lost. Vane spoke
word or two, by way of last directions
to the men; then taking bucket in
his hand, SO that if by any chance he
escaped the shot, he might do his
share in bringing in the water. he
turned toward the square. That his
chance was very slight he knew. And
as he turned to go forth into the range
of the cannon, his face, though reso-
lutte, was grave.
He had already taken step or two
in advance, when he suddenly stop.
ped short. What was that /? A soft,
gray, ghostly figure started out Of the
wall in front OF him. and fitted forth
into the open air. Before he had re-
covered from his amazement, it had
already reached the we'll. For the
space Of an instant it stood there,
motionless , then, as if desiring rather
to attract attention than to shun it, it
raised both arms above its head and
waved them in the moonlight. In a
moment-just as Vane, recovering a
little, started out of the archway-the
oonr,.y, fbun1orod 20 cfornn of shot