Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1903-12-11

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parapet, breathing prayer as she did
SO. and looked again.
All, At last she had it. and there
swept into the field Of vision three
CLEANS of white on the sky line. pro-
claiming, even TO her Impractical eye.
the sails of ships. What had that in
domitable man said to her last night
in the hall?
Delay the execution for at least six
hours, ami / will save him." He was
not one to promise lightly. She would
try again. The telescope fell with a
crash at her feet.
She would make one more appeal to
the admiral. 1t was late, but there
might yet be time. On the instant she
turned. leaving the startled maid, and
ran like fleet footed fawn along the
terrace, down the stone steps through
, the water battery, through the bailey,
into the inner court, down the long
passage and into the great hall Of the
night before, where the admiral was
usually to be found at this hour. She
dashed impetuously into the room, cry
Ing:
1.-The admiral, quick! Where is he"
"Ships has been reported down at
Bridlin'tOn bay-furrin ships, yer led
dyship," replied the old sergeant. who
happened to be there alone, IAN his
ludship took horse about half past II
o'clock to 60 down there"
Failure! Her last hope gone! She
sank down into the chair. Reaction
had come. She was fainting, helpless.
dying. 1t was over! The sergeant
started toward her, his face full of
pity. She was sitting in the admirars
chair by the great table. Her glance
fell listlessly upon 1t. At the moment
another idea flashed into her mind.
Desperate, foolish, nevertheless she
would try it-try anything. This Mt
least was action. She started to her
feet again on the instant, instiLct with
life.
leave me at once and see that no
one interrupts me. I wish to be
alone" she said imperiously to the as
tonished sergeant, who bowed respect
fully and withdrew. Half an hour
later she came hurriedly out of the
room. white faced, drawn, nerved up
to desperate endeavor.
How he got through the night O'Neill
never knew. The court martial In the
morning had taken little time. Its
sentence. a foregone conclusion,
promptly approved by the admiral.
had been death by hanging at half
after 6 o'clock that night. He had re-
fused to give any further parole in the
faint hope that something might ena-
bic him to escape. and consequently
had been heavily ironed and placed in
confinement in the space between two
| of the great guns on the lower gun
deck-the Scraps was a double banked
frigate-on the starboard side. The
forethought Of Coventry, who had at
tended him with the solicitude and
kindness Of brother and had pleaded
for him unavailingly before the court,
had caused canvas screen to be pro-
vided, which inclosed two of the guns
/ and allowed him to pass his hours un-
disturbed by the curious gaze Of the
English seamen. An armed marine
stood always as sentry before the
| screen.
Captain Pearson, a gallant officer,
had been kindness itself in all his ar
rangements. but his orders. which were
peremptOry. left him no discretion
whatever. O'Neill passed his time sit
ting by the open port, leaning on a
gun. gazing out over the water at the
gray old castle where he had found his
love and met his fate. Many tragedies
had been enacted within its walls dur
ing long centuries Of history-none sad.
der than his own.
| It would have been foolish to say
that he had no regrets. No one could
think of the possibilities of happiness
presented by such love as that which
he was now assured Elizabeth felt for
him without a sense Of despair coming
over the mind in the knowledge they
were not to be enjoyed. but he was q
sailor. and generations Of heroic ances.
tors had accustomed him to look death
in the face and smile undaunted at ita
harsh, forbidding appearance.
Fortune. infortune, fortune" had
been the motto Of this branch Of the
redhanded O'Neills: at least that was
the punning Latin translation Of Gel
tic original which meant Fortune and
misfortune are alike to the strong"
When his friends and acquaintance
at the French court. those knights and
ladies with whom he had ruffled It *
bravely, the young king, his master
his old comrades. the hard fighters or
the Richard, her dauntless captain
that brave old man. his father, heard
how he died. they would learn that ht
had met the last grim enemy with thu
wonted intrepidity of his race. No
blesse oblige; and then having made hi
peace with God as best he could alons
he was Of a different faith from thai
Of the chaplain Of the ship-he gave
himself over to mournful dreams o.
Elizabeth Howard.
Late in the afternoon his meditation