The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-11-25
PART III.

IAhl III.
She went no more after that TO the
xindow. but until il was quite dark SAT
n chair with her hands on her lap
forcing herself, as women VIII, 10
ouietude, where men would tramp the
floor increasingly. When IL was quite
dark she trimmed and lit the lamp, ana
still she did not repent. But she lis
tened more and more closely and WIN
ess concealmcnt. And the face OF the
Girl preening herself at her poor mir
ror returned again and again, and
troubled her. She could contemplate
the fate of the town as a whole and say:
"Let il be-" But the one face at the win
dow. the one case brought home TO her,
clung to her mind, and priclSed and
panied her strangely.
BY and by she heard the clock strik-
ing ten, and her daughter, turning
feverishly on her bed, asked her IL she
were going TO lie down. Presently
she answered. presently" And still
yat and listened. and still the girls face
saunted her. She began to picture
more in detail the thing for which she
vas waiting; she fancied that she heard
she first alert. followed by the roar or
alarm. and the wild rush of feet; then
the crashing voley, the rattle of hoofs
on the pavement. the whirl of the flight
through the streets, the shouts Of "GerS
many! Germany" as the troops swept
in triumphant. And then-ah, then
she heard the things that would follow.
the crashing in of doors. the sudden
fiaring. Of flames. she screams of men
3riven to the wall. the yclls of drunken
Saxons, the shriells of tortured women,
the
No more! No more. She could not
bear it. With a shudder she stood erect
and looked wildly about her. The lamp
burned low, her daughter was asleep.
With swift movement the mother
caught up a shawl that lay beside her,
md twisted il round her head, and
burned to the door.
Alas, too late. She had repented, but
too late. Her hand already on the latch,
she steed, arrested by low, distant cry
that caught her ear. and swelled, even
Us she listened to it, into roar CT many
voices rousipg the town. What was itp
Alas, she knew; she knew, and covered
against the door, white-faced and shak-
ing. A moment. and the alarm, after
sinking, rose again and now there was
no doubt of its meaning. Shod feet
Clattered through the street. windows
were flung up, u wild medley of voices
broke out, and again, in few seconds,
T.. Al. -. <.ft q h..
very volley she had foreseen!
From that moment it seemed that
hell had broken loose in the town and
she Ind lcosed it! She could no longer.
in the din that came up from the street.
distinguish one sound from another,
but the crash Of distant cannon, the
heavy tramp of feet near Mt hand. the
screams and cries and shouting. the
hlare OF trumpets. all rose in n confused
babel of sounds that blanched the
cheeks and drove the blood to the heart
The woman, covering against the door
covered hSr ears and groaned aloud
her horror Mt what she had done SO
great that she did not heed what was
passing near her. or even give thought
to the child in the same room with her
until the latter's voice struck her ear
harshly, and she turned and found hel
standing in the middle Of the floor, hel
hand to her hort, and her eyes wide
Then the mother awoke in her again;
with pallid, shaking lips she cried Il
her to lie down--to lie down-for there
was no danger.
But the girl raised her hand for 81
ience, and bent her head as one listen
ing. "Hush!" she said. al hear /;
voice. And il is his! 1t is his! He Il
coming TO mel"
The mother Imagined that terror has
turned her brain; it was inconceivabl,
that in that roar of sound single voic,
could make itself heard or be recog
nized. And she tried, in voice quav
ering with horror, 20 repeat her mean