Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-08-29
DAILY SHORT STORY
A Strange Marriage.
(Originahl


congregation of Puritans was assem-
bled for divine worship. The minister,
Obediah Armstrong, Il young man OF
twenty eight, had been q captain in
Cromwelrs army and had led his men
to battle to the music of II psalm
rather than the drum. the fife or the
bugle.
Suddenly the door opened. and a
young girl rushed in among the wor-
shippers with every appearance of dread
excitement.
"How now, Mistress Aseneth" said
the pastor. why do you thus disturb
our worship with your unholy inter
ruption?'
1.-THE Indians gasped the girl
"They are comingl'
The men of the congregation were
about to rush for their weapons, which
stood against the log walls of the
church. when the pastor stopped them.
LET there be no unseemly haste in
the temple of the Lord he said. 'If
what Aseneth Gwynne says is true,
we may soon appear before the heav-
emily throne. 1t is not meet that we
should go there after showing a
Rather should we be diligent in saving
our souls. Let us sing the One Hun
dredth Psalm
The psalm was sung, the men set
ting their jaws and believing what
was really Il defiance to the savages,
the women singing I'm trembling voices.
The eye of the parsen lighted as it had
lighted on the eve of Marston Moor,
and while he sang he looked upon the
comedy face and figure of the damsel
who had brought the warming. When
the last stanza had been sung, there
was movement In the congregation,
but the pastor raised his hand.
THE doXology," he said.
At the moment there was Il blood
curdling whoop without, but the holy
man did not heed it. nor did his con-
gregatton finch. The doxology :.ive
vent to Il final defiance to the red men
whose arrows were now pattering
against the walls of the church like
the first drops of n thunder shower
When the last word had been sung,
the pastor said:
'It is now meet. brethren, that l
should command you in battle as I
have commanded some of you who are
now here. We will smite the heather
savages with their oily skins and
scalplocks as we once smote the cav
alters with their essences and unholy.
sensual curls. To your guns
Selling the great sword which he had
welded so well in England and had
brought with him to the wilds of
America, he went about among his
men, each at his loophOle, firing every
one with his own zeal. embodied in
some text from Holy Writ.
The mntchlocks of the Puritans with
stood the inferior weapons of the saw
ages, but the latter, seeing that they
could not carry the little church by
assault. made preparations for burning
the building. The rear stood against
low bank, between which and the edi-
flee was n well. The savages made
rush. getting sufficiently near to-
throw burning brush against the lat
ter. 1t was then that the pastor ceased
to exhOrt and, Selling n bucket, was
about to open a rear door and go out
for water when Aseneth Gwynne
stopped him.
"That is certain DEATH" she said.
'If you die. this congregation will be
the bucket"
81. captain in that war which sent
n king to the block. give place to a wo-
man! Stand asidey'
There was n savage yell without,
and the parson turned away. The In
dams were coming to rush the build
ing, doubtless to so engage the English
that they would not be able to put out
the fire. The parson threw open the
door and. seizing gun, led his men,
firing as he went. Meanwhile Aseneth
opened the rear door, drew bucket OF
water and, going through n shower of
arrows to the front, dashed it upon the
burning brush that was ignting the
woodwork of the church. She had no
sooner done so than she fell, pierced
by an arrow, but she had saved the
building from the flames. The parson,
having exhausted his ammunition.
tOok his piece by the muzzle and
swung it about him, Draining an In
dian with every blow. He was n pow
erful man, standing @ feet inches,
and loved to strike down an enemy as
he loved to preach damnation TO sin
ners. His body bristled with arrows,
none of which pierced vital part, and
at last the Indians, seized with a fear
that he was a god, turned and fed.
Then Obadiah Armstrong staggered
back to the church and, seeing Aseneth'
Gwynne lying with an arrow in her
breast, gently withdrew it and. raising
her head. rested 1t upon his knees.
The men, except the wounded, had
gone in pursuit of the Indians, but the
women poured out of the church.
''This damsel," said Obediah to those
who stood about, ''has saved you all
from an earthly burning. Her spirit
has departed and has left me DESC
late" His voice, which was as seft as
it had been harsh. trembled. "Mayhap
there may be spark of life left. and
before it leaves the body 1, man of