The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1901-07-20

valued most.
1.-The air of the large sitting-roon
breathed comfort Soft carpetings
furnishings in carved oak, piano
music stand, engravdngs, and paint
ings. book shelves and silver, glass
and plaster ornaments everywhere.
1.-The troopers ransacked every room
IN their quest of portable plumber. Nh,
women worked ON silently. Were Il
not that his soul is one of those little
things that Tommy leaves behind hin
ere entering the enemy's territory, the
souls of those Tommies would have
sbrfveled to nothingness that day az
the women passed them to and fv
with eyes of freezing disdain, car
riage that may only be termed SUI
perb.
"And so it went on, the men laugh.
ing, smashing, cursing, overturning
the women silently working their way
back and forth. Then the fire-brand
"On the way to my mount there had
to be noticed a girl of fifteen or sixteen,
delicately nodded, leaning against the
door post Of barn, and weeping as
though her heart would break. AS l
looked, a tail, we'll set-up trooper went
by. The girl evidently mistaking him
for an officer, approached him, and
between her sobs struggled with her
English to make a complaint
"The reply she got was an insult
foul and brutal. The actual words
were so many meaningless sounds to
her-but she knew she had received a
rebuff. She sank to the dust at the
mans feet, with that peculiar half sob,
half moan that tells the depth of femi.
nine anguish has been sounded.
Protest-then or later? Cui boni ?
Besides, being called 'Pro-Boer" in a
military camp is unpleasant"
T. The Warwick and Warwickshire
Advertiser has been interviewing some
Of the yeomen who have just returned
from the war.
| Many startling facts were admitted
by some of the Yeomanry regarding the
farm burning in South Africa. The
Warwichshire company for some
months past had been attached to
FACETS column and since Christmas,
save for periodical encounters with
isolated bodies of marauding Beers,
had been occupied with the burning
of farms.
What farms did you burn?" this
yeoman was asked. Not understand
ing the question, it had to be explained
to him that the English at home had
been told that only those farms on
which concealed Beers or arms were
found had been subjected to this I'M
pleasant treatment. He was surprised
ut these statements and, as his reply
shows, failed to acknowledge their &C.
curacy.
II don't KNOW" he says, 'tabout find
ing Beers or arms. All l know is tIlis.
that some days we would start off
early lin the morning and try, during
the whole day. to burn us many farms
as we could. l never saw one, in
some districts, that was spared"
ibid you ever find Beers or ammu-
milton hidden a,way?"
''Nevg, during the whole time en-
cept a few loose bullets lying about
in different rooms"
"Then why did you burn the farms?"
"By the Generals orders. We used
to have plenty of fun. All the rooms
were r,ns;lcked. You can't imagine
what beautiful things there were there
copper kettles. handsome chairs and
touches. lovely chests of drawers and
all SORTS of books.
"I've smashed dozens of pianos.
Pictures would be turned into targets
and the piano panels would be taken
outside and used as fuel to boil our
tea or coffee. And then we could Gil
joy ourselves if it was cold, but" he
added ruefully, SIT was generally hot
boiling hot"
Another of the returned Yeomen, al
luding to the same sMbiect-farm-
hurning-said many curious finds We're
made in the Boer houses. Papers had
often been picked up, all carefully
preserved, and plentifully dogeared
Dutch books of instruction We're COM
mon. "But," Me added, at would be
useless detailing the contents of the
houses. All you have to do is to i'm
agine yourself with number of cllums
walking casually into respectable
, gentleman's house in Warwick and
pocketing what you thought you want
ed
The decentralization of the British ar
my is shown by this writer, resident
of the Transvaal:
"1t is no war any more, it is lust
public murder. 1t is over year since
the English got into possession of 10
lmnnesburg and Pretoria. And what
have they won by it? They can just
declare themselves master of the
principal towns and nothing else. A
few days ago met some old friends
who had just arrived from the Trans.