The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-07-21
News NoveIettes, No. II.
IRISH MARY

. . :.
young woman, with q sunburned, free
kled face, hung round with tangled
reddish elf locks and lit by pair OF
laughing bluo eyes, bare arms hugging
something like q dingy bundle OF rags
to her bosom, herself clad In similar
rags Of divers hues, badly covered by an
old plaid cloak, thrust herself into Mira
Clare's dainty presence--the girl nick
named Irish Mary" wifo Of soldier
In the Sixth and kind Of self consti-
tuted sutlcr TO the corps.
She seemed beside herself now, Tor
after pause for breath she darted to
the couch whore the pretty patrician
lady lay and exclaimed in tones hoarse
with excitement: 'Mrs Glare, dear, IL
IL lyin here 20 are, a. II nothin were
doins Get up IN fly, for the love o.
heaven. Oohonei Ochonei It's small
chance yell have anyhowl"
ely wherei From whatr' cried Mrs
Glare, her indignation ut the intrusion
lost in astonishment a. the other, hav-
ing deposited her bundle on the bed,
almost lifted her ON TO her feet.
From murther an slaughterin an
worse million times to the like o. you
an mel'' Mary cried, her rough hands
busy in thrusting MIRA Clare's little
bare feet into pair Of shoes and fling
ing dark cloak. which happened to be
handy, over her muslin wrapper.
"Shure. an aren't ths sepoy divils
afther enterin tho depot an our SOL
diers drugged aforehand, an no shot
| fred to stay thiml Hark to Thin, dear !
| There's cryi Och, hurry. a. ye're q
livin womanl Thcre'll not be wan alive
an hour hince, nor we aithsr II we're
not gone from here"
"The sepoys here?" stammered MIRA
Glare. "Do yon mean our battalion has
risen?"
IAN have Let In couple Of hundred
more at laste Misthress dear, Tor God's
sake, don't stan there There was wan
of ours as WASH Z drugged, Sergeant Mo-
Cam he was. an the thing stumbled
over at the gate was the dead body Of
him hacked thrue an thrue Shure, an
turned straight roun an niver staid
till got here, for knew twas in yer
bed ye were an none to purtect We.
"Tlyank you, I" said Mrs Glare faint
", and very pale, but still holding
back, ''but 20 yourself. I could not run
or walk either far, and Captain Glare
will be back in few hours now, il he
be alive, and il not III would rather
die here"
"Die, is it?" cried Mary contemptu-
ously. "An dye think Iwould be afther
fearin death, II that was all. or dye
think it's betther for the captain to fin
ye q slave to the black haythens, an
yer child's brains dashed out on the
stones, as they did wild the childher at
MeerutG Missis, I'm hyin for Jim's sake
an me boys here, an I'm pot goin wild
out you, for the captains been good an
kind to jim. Come, ma am, hurry
Yell walk betther yersel' than IL ye
were tied to gun an driven. Here,
take hould o. that shawl while rowl
the childer together. I'll carry them,
an you kape close TO me, an don't spake
above yer breath. This way-sop'
The will Of the Irish girl was para.
mount today. and the lady followed,
with the meekness Of q child, in her
footsteps.
The eastern sky was red as blood from
the blazing roof Of her own house in the
officers quarters, and in that scarlet
light Mrs. Clare could see the hillside
and the walls Of the cantonment dotted
over with black figures, while the whole
air seemed alive and quivering with 9
turmoil of shrieks cries and yells Of
agony or triumph.
One look was sufficient, and then, al
the whole history Of their successful
treaohery burst on her mind, Gertrude
Glare covered closer to the side Of thu
Irish girl whose very existence she hat
hitherto so loftily ignored and clung t
her murmuring; "We shall never es
capel What hope is there for us?''
Lave hould an foller me, or it'll b
thrue for ye," Mary muttered in cur
response as she dived into dens'
thicket Of priokly pear and jungle grass
tramping path In front with her strons
feet and leaving many fragment o
her ragged garments, many streak o
blood ON the thorny boughs, yet neve
suffering touch to disturb the sturdy
brown skinned months baby or TIN
tiny infant Of scarce twice as man.
days, which she carried so tenderly OIL
her right arm hfS
On and on, tearing their feet an'
hands, STOPPING their heads low, pray
ing inwardly the whole time, the.
struggled for half an hour, treadini
their way at random through the scrub
only trying for the time to put so mucl
more space between them and their foes
+ on and on, the Irish girl walking wit
the firm, elastic tread Of one well use,
to the march; the English one stagger
ing after with q step momentaril
Stacker and moro uncertain, until the
reached the outskirts Of the wood an
found themselves ON the edge Of larg
field Of Indian corn, covering the sum
init of the low hill where they stood
Then, as Mary stopped lower with he
burden, that her head might not shoN
above the tall green stalks throug
which she was about to make her way