Year: 1879

WOIo udu2i ing HUH H6I DELI, dHu tOOk
her staff from behind the door, and set
out; but just before she crossed the
threshold she hooked down at Solomon,
keep house till get back. 1t won't be
alone with cats are apt to confide things
to them.


1t was a lonesome walk, and weary
thought of her poor cows kept her up.
The night was beautiful, the air was
mild, and the starlight so clear that she
could easily find her way, and yet it was
not bright enough to betray her to any
which indeed was very unlikely
few stray cottagers like hers alf, was safe
within the walls of the town; and as
for the enemy, they were twelve miles
off in Ghent.


Besides its own strong defences Dude
narde was further protected by great
ditcEes, deep and broad, along the mead
ows, SO that it was considered safe from
attack on that side. When Petronilla
reached the outermost of these bitches
she was much surprised to find that
there was no water in it, but being
anxious to gather her bundle of grass,
she fell to work, pulling it up by long
handfuls, until she had secured as much
as she could carry, and had just tied it
with the cord, when strange thing hap
pened, and she soon learned something
very important about the ditch


Though her hearing was not as good
as it once had been, she was sure that
two or three persons were talking not
far away, and that they were coming
nearer. She instantly pulled off her cap
that its snowy whiteness might not at
tract attention, muffled herself to the
eyes in her kerchief, and crouched low
among the tufts of reeds.


And none too soon, for men began to
pass close by her, carrying long ladders,
which nearly swayed against her, so
near were they. She dared not stir, and
could not raise her eyes to see higher
than their knees; but as the feet went by
her face, one pair after another, she
counted; and there were four hundred
men.


What was the meaning of it she gath
cred quickly enough, for the leaders talk
ed over their plans almost over her head,
They were foes. the men of Ghent,
come at midnight after long marching
to surprise Oudenarde.


They said that most of the garrison
and the great officers were away, feeling
that all was safe-they had sent spies
who found this out-and that the town
was carelessly guarded, and what was
worse, that the inhabitants had drawn
the water out of the bitches to get the
fish, and along these channels the enemy
could now approach even to the walls,
and by means of their sealing ladders
climb over.


AS soon as the men had all gone by,
Petronilla, though shaking with terror
hurried as fast as her feet could hobble
by short path she knew to the walls,
just where the emptied ditch would give
them place of advantage.


The sentry was going his rounds, and
finding all was well, would soon have
passed out of hearing. but she began to
moan and cry as il in distress, and hear
ing her, he came back and asked her what
was the matter.


Then in quavering voice she told her
story, which he knew not what to think
of; being only a poor sentinel obeying
orders, what should he think when an
old woman started up before him at
midnight begging him to alarm the gar
rison, when the commander had felt
secure enough to leave every thing just
as it was?


But he was humane, so he treated her
kindly, and asked her to stop and rest
herself, but she said:


mo; if don't hurry away | shall be
a dead woman


When she had gone, the thought came
to him how true and kind her voice
was, and what an honest woman she
seemed.


"She made me think OF my poor
mother, who has been dead these many
years, | fear"


Because of this, he said he would 90
and look off from the highest place and
watch and listen, which he did; but not
a sound broke the stiffness except the
cry of night-bird on the meadow;
nothing was stirring, even the old wo-
man was nowhere to be seen.


Indeed, she had made haste to get
back to the place where she saw the
men, who remained as she had left
them, all but four, who were Just being
sent onward with orders from their
leader not to speak, not to cough or
sneeze, hardly even to breathe, but to 90
as near the walls as possible without
S1tIL ILIlHS Tie WdICunlaQ, recOnnOItor.
and bring back word


This they did; and Petronilla waited
to hear the report in dread and sorrow,
for she was sure there was not a light
burning in all the town and that the
people were sound asleep in their beds.
never dreaming of danger; and when
the spies returned, their words only
added to her misery.


They did not see so much as lighted
candle, they said, and they believed that
the sentinel had been his rounds and had
goneto bed; and now it was proposed to
prepare for start, enter the ditch and
move on to the walls.


Then poor tired old Petronilla started
again, and appeared once more to the
astonished watchman, who was still
keeping sharp lookout, and told him
all she had just heard, and that it was
the last he would see other that night.


But" she said, "if evil does come to
the town and you escape, my hut can
shelter you from harm. 1t is the first
on the road to Ghent.n


She told him this because he had
civil, pleasant way, which made her
think of her dear boy, Peter.


And now the man, fully alarmed, went
round to the gate that was threatened,
where he found the soldiers of the guard
crowded about a dim light playing dice,
with three or four TASKS of wine beside.
them; they were his superiors in rank,
so he addessed them as Gentlemeni'
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