Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-05-29

to fix their wedding day, but with a restless
sigh Miriam turned away her head, and
looked nensiyely on the wild waters of the
northern sea-
aI shall be forced to 60, Miriam, in a
quarter of an hour" continued Sir James,
looking at his watch; there's big at
home at the Coloneps this afternoon, and
shall be obliged to go, as he made me
promise, so don't send me away without q
word to cheer me.
"How MANY do you want?" answered
Miriam. now raising her dark eyes to his
face with a smile.
"You know the one want" he answered,
ardentlv; ''the one little word-to name the
happy day?"
Miriam Clyde shook her head coyly.
"Not TODAY" she said; 'tand if you are
really going to Colonel Herbert's this after
noon, 1 do not think you have any time to
spare.
The expression of Sir James face changed.
"You are always putting me off," he said.
'But how can we fix such serious thing
in hurry?"
'Tf it wasn't that L had promised the
Chief, would not go at all, answered Sir
james, little impatiently.
"And disappoint the Miss Herberts?"
smiled Miriam.
"You know very well don't care about
disappointing the Miss Herberts. That
there's only one girl that never would dis
appoint, though she's always disappointing
me"
Miriam Clyde gave a little laugh, and
looked half shyly, half kindly at Sir James
treckled face. He was not good-looking,
yet he was decidedly not plain. He was
tall and stalwart, had fine figure in fact;
and his features, though somewhat irregular,
were net unpleasing, and his expression
kindly and sensible.
"Well, suppose must be off," he said,
unwillingly, taking Miriam's hand in his,
and looking very tenderly in her face, "and
before 1 go, Miriam, may have one kiss?"
''No, certainly not, answered Miriam,
quickly. "Don't you see the firing party
there?" and she pointed toward the long
stretch of yellow sand beyond where they
were standing, on which company of red
coated soldiers were practicing firing at
target.
81 forgot the firing party" said Sir
James
'But they, dare say, have not for gotten
you," answered Miriam, smiling; dts Cap
tain Escourt's company. They passed me
as 1 was coming down to the sands"
''What kind of fellow is Escourt?"
by no means brilliant, but rather good
looking"
to stay on the sands?" inquired Sir James
81 shall stay out little longer"
''Goodby, then, Mirian-goodby. dear
Miriam" He pressed her hand as he spoke,
and then unwillingly left her, and Miriam
Clyde gave little restless sigh when she
found herself alone.
"Poor fellow" she was thinking, and
again she turned her dark eyes in dreamy
fashion to the sea- She felt sorry for him;
sorry for his wasted love, and her inability
TO return it. Yet she liked him, and under
stood his character well enough to know
that he deserved a better fate from her
hands. "We can't help these thingc," she
thought with another sigh, and then she
began walking slowly, with bent head,
along the sands in the direction of the firing
party, who were, however, quite half mile
distant from her
She kept watching the firing vaguely,
and suddenly she saw the soldier who was
standing near the target marking, fall Then
several soldiers from the firing party ran
toward the PROSTATE man. An accident had
evidently occurred Miriam Clyde saw at
once, and she now also ran forward, and
presently met a soldier running in the
direction of the village, where the barracks
were situated.
What has happened?" asked Miriam, as
the man passed her.
One of the men has been shot at the |
target, miss, answered the soldier, salut-
ing the commandments daughter; "and I'm
going for the Doctor
Make haste, then," said Miriam, and
she'<also made haste, and presently ran up
breathless TO the group of soldiers who
were standing round the man lying in the |
sand.
Captain Escourt, slender, good-looking |
young man, with a weak face, stepped for |
ward from the group when he saw Miss |
CLYDE approaching.
There's been an accident am sorry to |
say, Miss Clyde" he said, addressing
Miriam, perhaps you had better not come |
any nearer for the poor fellow is bleeding |
terribly"
but are you not trying to stop the
bleeding?" asked Miriam, e1citedly. 'Is
no one trying to stop it?'
''I have sent for the DOCTOR" answered |
Captain Escourt.
'But he may bleed TO death before the |
doctor comes, " said Miriam; 81 know some |
thing about these things" and she pushed |
her way through the group of soldiers, and |
knelt down by the one who was lying |
wounded on the sand
"Break my sInshade stick in two pieces"
she said hastily to one of the soldiers and |
then from her steel chatelaine she untastened |
pair of scissors, and proceeded at once to |
cut tie wounded soldiers trouser up to the |
part from which the blood was pouring. He |
had been shot above the knee, and as soon |
as she had barred the wound, Miriam drew |
out her handkerchief and bound it tightly |
round the mans leg, above the wound and |
then asked for one-halt of the stick of her |
sunshade, which the soldier she had re-
quested to do so, had already broken.
The soldier handed her the stick, which |
she put between the handkerchief and the
limb, and then twisted it round and round,
thus tightening the bandage until the blood
ceased TO flow.
"Now hold it firmly as il is" she said to
the soldier who had broken the sunshade
stick; ''aud someone give me another hand.
kerchief."
Captain Escourt upon this produced
handkerchief, which Miriam soon bound |
round the mans leg below the wound, Just
as she had bound her own handkerchief
above it, and then with the other half of the |
stick she so effectively frightened the band
age that the bleeding entirely stopped.
'Has any one a lask?" she now asked, |
glancing round. "He will be all the better |
for little brandy if he can get it?''
Again Captain Escourt came to her assist |
nnce and held toward her silver flask, and |
with this in her hand Miriam rose from her |
knees, after directing another soldier to hold |
the second stick that she had twisted in the |
bandage in the same manner that the first !
soldier was doing, and then as she opened |
the flask she looked into the wounded mans |
face, whose eyes were fixed on her own with |
a strange, wild look of recognition and fear. |
And no sooner had Miriam glanced at |
that pallid countenance than she, too, grew |
deadly pale and staggered back while a |