The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1926-08-06
She stood ND bewildered.

-bring-him-to? But whyr
Because his heart no longer BEATS
said my great-uncle Quick! Catch
her, Robert"
She lay like tired child In my
arms.
sDead!" she murmured family.
"He cannot be deadp' l exclaimed.
There's not wound on him."
"Neen," said Peter
He picked up the lanthorn from
where z had dropped it on the deck
and directed the light upon the upper
part of Colonel O'Donnel's head. A
blue bruise like a scar was spread
across the Irishman's left temple.
"a graze-shot," pronounced Peter.
"But the skin is not even broken"
l objected.
ga, but dot don't matter"
Murray bent over and fingered the
bruise.
peter is right" he said. "'Twas
the conclusion affected the brain. /
have heard Of such freak shot, but
never saw 1t happen before"
Mora chung to my arms.
"And he is really dead2 The padre
is really dead? And he unshriven,
without comfort Of the Church! Oh,
holy saints, be his advocates! Sure,
was there ever crueler end?"
She collapsed In a passion of weep
ing.
Conduct her below, Robert" said
my great-uncle. 1--WE will follow you"
She suffered me to lead her from
the poop without objection, more like
a child than ever, sobbing and pro-
testing and repeating the same things
over and over again, in an abandon
ment of grief which only the Irish
can attain.
"'Tis you are the kind friend" she
stammered when we had reached her
stateroom. "And oh, Bob, / have the
sore need of you, that am an orphan
in q pirate ship. Troth, i haven't a
friend in the wide world unless it be
you and Master Corlaer. But / am
the bad, selfish girl to be thinking Of
my own plight, and the father that
loved me this moment gone up to
Peters gate, and him without the
holy wafer to his lips or so much
as a prayer said over him. All, what
i'll deed did we do, either one Of us,
that he should be taken from me so,
without a word Of parting? The sis
tiers were always after saying we must
reconcile ourselves to Gods mercy,
but it's little mercy has been shown
to me-"
/ quieted her at last, brought her
a swallow of brandy and induced her
to lie down.
81 mustn't be crying the way I will
have DONE" she apologized, gulping
her sobs Himself will be needing
all the prayers l can say, and boil
ing Of candles, too. Do you go on,
Bob-only promise you'll not leave me
by my lone If there's more fighting.
l could never stand to hear the thun-
dering of the cannon after-after-
that-and no one by to bid me take
heart O. grace"
The gray dawnlight was seeping
through the stern windows when l
rejoined my great-uncle and Peter in
the main cabin. Peter was as placid
as ever, putting industriously at long
clay pipe; but my relative displayed
more concern than / remembered to
have observed In him at any time in
the past.
II trust you were able to calm the
poor lass?" he greeted me. "Stap me,
what a sorry business! I'd never have
panion, but without him I know not
what to do. The whole venture"
He shook his head and stared out
the window beside him, clicking the
lid of his snuffbox open and shut.
But we have first to attend to
the Walrus," he added presently. 81
shall do so with the less reluctance
after that last shot. The cursed luck
of it! A beaten enemy's blow in the
dark, bllndfolded, by CAD! And to
think it must strike down Of all meB
the one most essential to my schemes.
I could Well, well, no matter! We
must triumph over the unexpected.
IT'S the chasm all great leaders must
cross to win the final victory"
I found myself somehow instiac-
lively hostile to his attitude.
''What have you done with Colonel
ODonnell?" l asked coldly.
"Peter carried him. to his stateroom
We will give him decent burial when
we return to the island. And perhaps
some day we can come for him in
state with a squadron of kings ships
and bear him home to grave in the
land he was exiled from"
My great-uncle's spirits frightened
noticeably as he contemplated the pic
ture his words presented.
" Yes, yes" he murmured half to him
self. "What O'Donnell could have
done surely 1 can do. Our friends In
Avignon will help. And, Robert!'
He turned to me.
"Ah my boy this unfortunate incl
dent is my best justification for press
ing you In my cause What should
do without you and Peter? Twill be
for you two, with Mistress MORA. to
establish our connections with the
kings agents in France"
you seem to forget 1 am no ia
cobite," 1 answered unpleasantly.
"Tut, tut, you shall be as stout
Jacobite as Princes Charles himself"
"Not I!''
He smiled
"We'll leave that to Mistress MORA"
maybe you forget der Walrus," In