The Irish standard., 1896-05-23

requests, Dnt the crush was too gTea1,ea ana
they were forced away with e5crDWd IN.
to the green. Then, while people, and
soldiers, and members, and peers, women,
men and children, waited to see the last
Of the sthrong emerge and to discover
what had caused this unexpected tuinnit,
out marched i've or SIX friends OF Lord
Cast tlereaghs and the sergeant alarms,
dragging with them q herculean figure.
eve have secured him! we have se-
cured him!' they shouted, and looked to
the crowd for applause. .S :3.s; I. 5,.i u
But the crowd made no sign, not know
ing what had occurred. Suddenly "a ru-
NOR ran through the crowd that he was
Mr.. Sinclaire, an anti i-union baTrister,
and that he had done something against
the government. There was q rush, !'ll Il: g g
scnfae, a pressing of the crowd, and sberDe
man who had created all the excitement
was on the shoulders of the boys Of The
liberty, and on his way by, the college
gates and into Grafton street, waiving
his hat and gesticulating at the redcoats,,
who by a sign from their officers, sitting
on a high. horse just inside the gate OF
the piazza, had closed UP for a charge;
when, suddenly from the door Of. the
hall issued Castlereagh and whispered
to the 5horsemen not to budge one of his
men till the people cleared off. "a.
In, half an hour all was silent. The
troops marched away to their barracks,
the doorkeepers quietly locked upithe7 par
lament house for the last time, and noth-
ing was seen in College Green atone
o'clock but the silent house wreathed in
snow, the long vista OF white street UP to
the Exchange on the other, and In: the
foreground the footmarks of the last city
loiterers. 49,.
But the last night. in Grattan's s parlia-
ment" had not yet ended. IS I; s.s ~
For at this smallest hour Of the morn
ing, not a man, woman or child in Dub
lin aware of the fact but themselves, isit
eight Irish gentlemen discussing the
probabilities of their escape to the outer
world. They were Sir Jonah Barring
ton; Thomas Mahon, who represented
Monaghan; Moore o'Donnell, a Con-
naught member; the Rt. Hon. George
Ogle, Col. John Wolfe, the unpurchasa-
BILE member for Warwick; George Rowan,
member for Westmeath; Rockford, =
nephew of the speaker; and a young
giant. who took prominent part In the
nights adventure. They had all got
crushed along the northern corridor, into
the speakers drawing room. In an: un-
fortunate moment one of them, with the
intention of keeping out any more OF the
excited legislators or others from enter
ing the room till the crowd had passed,
closed the door, and they had not been
able to open it, for the lock- had shot.
They shouted, whistled, made all conceiv-
able noise to attract attention, but it was
in vain; for the hubbub at the other side
Of the building was overwhelming. And
at 20 minutes past 12 they heard the
great outer doors slaniming to for The
night. :. I'd. 5.... }isiFss,.ssS.
what, in the name of heaven, will WE
do?" said Sir Jonah harrington. Il.
But; just then nagnifcently built
young. fellow, who had for the last half
hour been working at the lock with po-
ker, gave short exclamation, and the
door swung open.
Hurrah! A cheer came simultaneous
ly from the little group But it was cut
short; for, curious as it may seem, these
eight were all patriots, and when old
Thomas Mahon, who was over 60 years Of
age, held up his finger, they knew that he
did so in solemn rebuke.
They pressed out into the passage. It
was dark. Some turned to the right
round by the Office of the clerk Of cons
nlittees, and along the western corridor.
Finally the imprisoned eight gathered in
the gilded chamber Of the lords in the
Pickering light Of dying oakwood. An;
other exploring party brought forth a
supply of candles and some bottles Of
wine. Mahon, who ny acclamation was
chosen chairman Of the evening, arose.
Here's said he, .sthat the ghost of
the Irish nation may haunt the dreams Of
Ireland s enemies till they give her back
her parliament
The glasses touched across the first
space, and with flashing eyes and burn
ing cheeks every man drained to the
light. sEs5. s%