The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1916-10-21

pAduS us uc udu feuu Ill the secret Or
ders to the regents agents in the
house of the spies-those orders which
Marion Marlatt had been helping to
prepare. But the horror, the barbarity
of those orders had not been able to
reach him in full till now. This-these
rows Of dead. those lines of dying and
mangled men, destroyed not in fair bat
tie, but by stealth or treachery while
they were asleep-this was what one Of
those orders meant.
Could Marion Marlatt have realized
1t, Jim challenged himself almost con-
tinually as he worked. Could she
that lovely little woman whom he had
left on that white bed-could she have
had any part at all in this? She had
lain like child in his arms. And now
she Jared at him and brought the blood
hot to his cheeks when she denied that
she was spy! Oh, was It possible
that she knew nothing Of this? Might
1t be that his accusation of her had
driven her to leap from the train that
moment when he turned away, and
that she had no knowledge that the
bridge there was about to be destroyed?
Jim was steadier and stronger while
he was convincing himself of that.
Now everything had been done which
might be done for the injured. Jim
turned away from the wreck and wan.
dered back toward the house where he
had left Marion Marlatt. He went in
through the open door. The house had
become tiny hospital. and in the spare
room where Marion Marlatt had been
q recruit now lay with country doc
tor working over him.
"Where is she-the girl l brought
here?" Jim demanded of the woman.
"Oh. we brought her about right
quick" the woman boosted. "she
wasn't hurt much-the lovely little
Lady. She was only a bit faint and
dizzy"
"Where did she go?"
The woman didn't know. She sup.
posed the girl went down toward the
wreck. Anyway, she went out by her.
self and quite all right. the woman
thought, though in queer clothes.
The notes Of bugle call echoed over
the field. Jim did not recognize the
call. but its meaning was obvious. The
scattered infantrymen and cavalrymen
were being recalled. Jim returned to.
the track. Two more trains from the
west had come up apd stopped behind
the troop train which had brought the
cavalry. The headlight Of a west.
bound train glared at the wreck from
the other side Of the river. Other trains
stood in a long line behind It. Some Of
the passengers from those trains from
the east crossed the river and mingled
with the soldiers. These passengers
were refugees, too, of the sort which
Jim had seen in the station at Chicago.
Jim heard hrst from one Of these refu-
gees-a woman-that soldiers under the
direction Of officers were stripping Ger
tain Of the dead SO that live soldiers
An hour after sunrise the train at
last got away. BY noon. running
through Ohio, 1t began to pass trains
full Of refugees who had fled from the
coast after 1t was known that the
American feet was destroyed. Com.
pany F ate once during the day. 1t was
at Cleveland, about o'clock in the
afternoon. The train stopped there to
change engines. There were no ar.
engagements made to supply the SOL
dfers.. The company officers learned
that the train would stay there for Mt
least half an hour, and every one was
told to go out and forage for himself.
Jim gazed out the open window at
bis elbow. A wide river with high
banks lay before him-the Hudson a
few miles below Poughkeepsie. A large
passenger steamer of the sort which
ply between New York and Albany
was midstream, steaming north. Its
decks were crowded with people far
beyond any legal limit. Indeed, 1t was
evident, even from the train, that no
more people possibly could be packed
aboard. A brown freight steamer-an
ocean tramp, whose pilot plainly was
following the deepest channel as shown
by the course of the Albany boat-was
close behind. 1t carried no cargo. 1t
was high out of the water, but its
decks were damned with passengers,
and heads protruded from the open
port.
Other light seagoing craft and har-
Dor boats now appeared. There was
tug, belching smoke. towing string
Of lighters and scows. People packed
the tugs narrow deck, and the tow.
boats were black and speckled with
their human freight. Motor launches
speeded swiftly up the river in the
! shallower waters near the graceful pri-
vate yachts which rushed past the
scows. The yachts were private no
longer. The only space which was un-
occupied was upon the crafts which
were scurrying downstream. Their
decks were absolutely deserted. The
fugitives no longer could be numbered
by the thousands. They were count
less.
"How long have we been passing
that sort Of thing?" Jim appealed in
amazement to Kilbane.
"Since we've been beside the river"
the Irishman returned. II woke be-
yant Albany"
Thousands! There must be millions
in flight. Across the river, below the
high banks. the trains on the West
Shore railroad were in plain sight. One