Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1891-04-18

SWeTeu leI IL De.
sit was under his hand and soothed
him to let me move his hand away.
The wound was sword thrust, received
from twenty to twenty -four hours before,
but skill could have saved him if it
had been looked to without delay. He
was then dying fast. As | turned my
eye to the elder brother, l saw him look
ing down at this handsome boy, whose
life was ebbing out, as if he were a
wounded bird, or hare, or rabbit; not at
all as if he were a fellow-creature."
Glow has this been done, monsieur"
said 1.
GA crazed young common dog! A
serf! Forced my brother to draw upon
him, and has fallen by my brothers.
sword-like a gentleman
''There was no touch of pity, sorrow,
or kindred humanity in this answer.
The speaker seemed to acknowledge that
it was inconvenient to have that differ
ent order of creature dying there, and
that it would have been better if he had
died IN the usual obscure routine of his
vermin kind. He was quite incapable
of any compassionate feeling about the
boy, or about his fate.
''The boys eyes had slowly moved to
him as he had spoken, and they now
slowly moved to me.
Doctor, they are very proud, these
mobiles; but we common dogs are proud,
too, sometimes. They plumber us, out
rage US, beat us, kill us; but we have
little pride left. She-have you seen
her, doctor?'
''The shrieks and cries were audible
there, though subdued by the distance.
He referred to them as if she were living
in our presence.
81 said 1 have seen her.
"'She is my sister, doctor. They have
had their shameful rights, these mobiles,
in the modesty and virtue of our sisters
many years, but we have had good girls
among us. know it, and have heard
my father say so. She was good girl.
She was betrothed to good young man,
too. tenant Of his. We were all ten
ants of his-that mans who stands
there. The other is his brother, the
worst of bad race
at was with the greatest difficulty
that the boy gathered bodily force to
speak; but his spirit spoke with dread
full emphasis.
"'We were so robbed by that man
who stands there, as all we common dogs
are by those superior beings-taxed by
him without mercy, obliged to work for
him without pay, obliged to grind our
corn at his mill, obliged to feed scores
of his tame birds on our wretched crops,
and forbidden for our lives to keep a
| single tame bird of our own, pillaged
and plundered to that degree that when
/ we CHANGED to have bit of meat we ate
| it in fear with the door barred and the
! shutters closed, that his people should
not see it and take it from us-I say we
were so robbed and hunted, and we're
made so poor, that our father told us it
was dreadful thing to bring a child in
to the world, and that what we should
most pray for was that our women might
/ be barren and our miserable race die
/ out
81 had never before seen the sense of
being oppressed bursting forth like a
fire. | had supposed that it must be
latent in the people somewhere, but l
had never seen it break out until [ saw
it in the dying boy.
Nevertheless, doctor, my sister mar
ried. He was ailing at that time, poor
fellow, and she married her lover that
she might tend and comfort him in our
cottage-our dOg-hut, as that man would
call it. She had not been married MANY
weeks when that mans brother saw and
admired her, and asked that man to
lend her to him-for what are husbands
among us? He was willing enough, but
my sister was good and virtuous, and
hated his brother with hatred as strong
as mine. What did the two then to per-
suade her husband to use his influence
with her to make her willing?
"The boys eyes, which had been fixed
on mine. slowly turned to the looker-on,
and | saw in the two faces that all he
said was true. The two opposing kinds
of pride confronting one another, can
see, even in this Bastile; the gentle
mans all negligent indifference; the
peasants all downtrodden sentiment and
passionate revenge.
You know, doctor, that it is among
the rights Of these mobiles to harness us
common dogs to carts and drive us.
| They so harnessed him and drove him.
You know that it is among their rights
to keep us in their grounds all night.
quieting the frogs, in order that their
noble sleep may not be disturbed. They
kept him out in the unwhOlesome mists
at night, and ordered him back into his
harness in the day. But he was not per.
suaded. No Taken out of the harness
one day at noon to feed-if he could find
food-he sobbed twelve times, once for
every stroke of the bell, and died on her
bosOm'
Nothing human could have held life
in the boy but his determination to tell
all his wrong. He forced back the gath
ering shadows Of death, as he forced his
clinched right hand to remain clinched.
and to cover his wound.