The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-12-26

p
still-too proud to marry a commoner,
too poor to marry rank. am sure she
was tired OF it all; and if life for he,
was dull at Chatham or the Curragh,
at Fort Fury her life was nothing but a
yawn-
Indeed, the days at the fort were
dull enough for all OF Us. Almost the
only subject OF excitement was the fish.
and whenever 1t was mentioned the
talk in canteen and barrack-room
tagged little less The topic of sec
ond Importance there was Lady Emily
herself. Again and again l heard the
story of her naughty conquests, how
Ensign Allen, of the Blue marines, had
nearly blown out his few brains be-
cause OF her: how Maj Evan Jones, OF
the fusiliers, had volunteered for the
fatal Gold coast-au for love. Why.
even now (said the stern moralisis of
the canteen) everybody knew that
Capt Vyse OF Ours was eating his
heart out for her, and the proud mad
man would not look at him because he
was only a brewers son.
The captain was going mad about
her, they said. and. by George, it was
a shame, for better officer and
freer-handed gent never lived; but bv
the time this point of the oft-toid tale
was reached the interes, in il was ex-
hausted and the talk would veer to the
century fish again.
"A soldier is every whit as supersti-
tious as a jack tar, ald the full private
will easily swallow a yarn that should
by rights be told to the horse marines;
so that there was much more than fnn
in what was said of the fish in the bar
-aek-rooms at the fort.
My father and his fellow non-coms.
thought it dignified to treat the topic
with disdain, but six out of ten of their
subordinates believed it to be Gospel;
some of the officers were not quite easy
about it; and, so think. was Massey
ON assey himself.
Massey O'Massev, of Castle Massey.
was the only Irishman of rank then
resident near the fort. He had rank.
but little else. Handsome enough and
genial he was. but, even for young
bachelor. pitiably poor Shooting on
place that was called Castle Massey,
Capt. Vyse had made the young Irish
mans acquaintance, and had brought
him to mess. From the mess 10 the
colonefs quarters was but a step, and
before long between Lady Emily and
the fine young Irishman sprang up
friendship that was ripening into love.
Jealous Capt. Vyse saw the ripening
and cursed himself for the introduc-
ton, the peasants saw the friendship.
and muttered that O'Massey's forebears
would never have foregathered at the
fort
Meantime the months went on. /
New Years day was past; March was
at hand, and still no fish. A sense of
relief was evident among the rank and
file, and they could even joke old
Mother Flanaghan, the local witch. |
Yet Mother Flanaghan shook her
grizzled shock above her dudhcen. |
'Th' basic 'uli come she said
And sure enough. on the night OF /
the 1st of March chalk-faced sentry I
burst into the canteen, his hair on end, |
his mouth agape but dumb till the 1
third nip of whisky neat upglued his
tongue. And then the air was thick /
with questions.
"Fwhat had ia Gallant seen, hech?'
"'What has tha' heeard, tha' fooil?'
"'Warnt it the red dorg. now? BE /
jabers. ut's tn bansheel
'''Not it. yelled the poor fellow at /
lasf, It's the fish--the devilr
THE thing was coming up the sands, /
he said, straight up towards the fort. t
1t was dragging an endless tail, and /
rafting alligator jaws! Fire was
shooting from its saucer goggles!
'My father headed a rush TO the
shoreward ramparts / following in his
wake. There lay the silver sickle Of
the sands, the white waves Tipping
them shyly. There were the boats. the
staith OF nets, the reach Of gloomy cliff.
The moon was full and cloudless; we
could see it all; but nothing unusual
was in view. So we returned 10 the
canteen, relieved and laughing.
"'TyYsss choke of the lad S. said
Color Sergeant Ap Thomas.
:" Maybe he saw the smoke and fire
Of passing coaster. my father
thought But there by the stove-sidc
qualsed the seer. in perfect ague Of
terror
Nothing should force him On that
beat again, he swore-Dot even If the
colonel begged him on his Bonded
knees; and corporal, who was skcp
.ical about iucorporcalitlcs, had - vol
lnteer 10 take his guard
''Next night a second sentrv fed his
beat and foancd in fits upon the bar
-ack room floor; the next, ny father
himself stood guard, but nothing eerie
'isited the glimpses Of thr moon All
he fourth day an eqEinoctial tempest
blew. and the night was thick with
ain st the hour Tor relieving guard.
he dreaded spot was found unsenti-
lsled, It's sentry missing red.
aid most; deserted, thought few
u well remember that 5th q March.
afternoon found nc engaged wish
title Eva Owen on the scales Lady {
.mily was IA her rarior. the next
CON: but tc- wonder. the lssson I
3osed without O'Hsasey passing IL. (
ne day had been dry bit Taurisy. and !
usk beginui1g early PIT a.. .cz1 = CTR Z
trummiug.
just Is prettr Eva rosc .rcz1 fh- !
iano heard from oatssdc, family, ]
rha: sounded Ike sATie.<s aad Irish ~ ;
eTiectioris.
"A minute later. The Ssh TIE HshF !
rss shouted Il tie cuscrarg.e, nearer
I'd cl-arer
Too Early.
''reen 6Shiny7