The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-07-21

IL was the carly days OF the sepoy
mutiny. and the revolt had already be--
gun
At Little Futterhabad. small gov
ernment depot occupied by companies Of
the Sixth, one Of the 1nverary rines, and
q battalion of native foot under Cap
tains Donaldson and Glare, though bus
30 miles from Delhi. were all uncon-
scious of any danger till, two days be-
fore, q messenger ON horseback arrived
at the cantonnont with . note from the
officer In command Of the neighboring
town of Sun, informing Captain DON
aldson that some Of the sepoys there had
raised cries Of dissffeotion. that . large
body of mutinecs were reported as
marching on the place, and therefore the
officers of the Sixth were implored to
start with al speed, and with whatever
force they could muster, to interccps
these latter, a, were they once to CO.
alesoe with the disaffected within the
walls, the lives Of the English would in
all probability be the sacrifice No time
was lost in complying with the appeal
contained In this dispatch, and the SEN
ior captain Donaldson) thought himself
showing extraordinary prudence in de-
Gliding not to take the native battalion,
in which, however. he had full oonfi-
dence
The regiment marched out to Futter-
habad an hour before sundown, leaving
behind Il, besides the soldiers wives
and children and the civilians, an Eng
lish sergeant and 10 men to ovsrswe (D
the native troops; also the young wife Of
Captain Glare, with her little baby, .
weeks old
The overpowerins heat dust and
noise Of the dirty little town had 30 af-
fected Mrs Glare In her delicate state
of health that her husband had moved
her to deserted mosque, about quar-
ter of a mile distant from the depot, and
which, standing in D garden thickly
overgrown with palm and tulip treeA
made plessant sort Of improvised bum
galow for the invalid
The fierce day had faded into evening
at last, the evening Of the day after the
departure Of the troopa and Mrs Glare
lay ON her couch. her syah squatted on
the hoor beside her. with her infant In
her arms, and the punkah waving with
monotonous regularity over her head az
it was pulled to and fro by servant
seated in the veranda outside. Tho
croakipg of the frogs could be heard dis
tinctly from the pool In the deserted
garden below, mingling with the sharp
''chsep cheep" Of the lizards and an
occasional murmur from tho canton
ment or the shrill tiara" Of the bugle
for supper, but it was not to these GUS
tomary sounds that Mrs Glare was lis
tening as she leaned rather forward ON
her elbow.
What can IL bef'' she said at last
Don't you hear it. Zeenai Can IL be
the Sixth returningf" ~
"The mem sahib IL feverish. Zeena
hear nossing at all. and the sahib Clare
and de Sixth not 60 to come back till
tomorrow.
'But we were TO have heard from
them today, and there has been no mes
sage. Could anything have happened tc
himp Oh, no. not thatl And yet 1t is
strange, no one coming near me this
evening, not even MrG smyth. a. she
promised, or--thers. ZeenA you must
hear thati"
THAT" was the audible enough in.
deed, . cry FROM the oantonment, some.
thing between . shrisk and . shout, and
followed by confused hum Of many
voices.
Soldier got drunk - mad" said
Zeena lazily. Sergeant put him IN
black hole"
"It is news of some sort from the reg
iment Eczema, give me the baby and
run up to the cantonment and SEQ
what it is and ask Mrs Smyth tc
come back and stay the night with me-
Make haste--run." And an the lady
clapped her hands inpatently Zeen'
rose with the silent dooility Of her class
and only waiting to lay the infant by
its mother and place tumbler OF cool
ing drink beside her sped swiftly through
the low. arched doorway and disappeared
into the night.
Left alone, Mra Clare's anxiety In
creased. The strange rolling sound wa
now plainly distinguishable for th'
measured tramp Of soldiers, and tina
some great excitement was going ON a
the cantonment was more and more evi
dent Once shrill cry rose family int
the air; then came the sharp clang Of {
bell as suddenly suppressed. and yet NJ
thought of danger there or to hersel
crossed her.
A step aroused her. a quick, nois,
STOP coming nearer every moment Wa
Il her husbandY No; that was no mill
HI