The Island School — page 332: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

: | “fervor gave him daring, and lent him wings. : _ than meets the eye. ‘ shoot bim !” . Wares JH ey eee . Ag Py Rell Re he a ie pa ne eh) e , 3 ; T would accept this as an accident. It was done by you, or some of your boys with their explosives.” ee “T fear so.” “You fear so! ‘ You know it. You were in the plot to deceive me. There is something more in this ‘Take him as and at PunESS Mr. Farrell uttered a loud ery of despair. Then ‘s sprang away from the side of Vamos, and dashed answering scream from the flying man. _ towards the wood. “Kill him!” shrieked Lucia. Half a score of rifles were fired, and there was an But his ‘s flight was not stayed, and he vanished in the glocm. _— “Qne has got away,” said Lucia, angrily, “ but the _ other two att i pee Let us go back. They shall be shot at once.’ , Her bitter cae for the moment seemed a to age her, and by the light of the flickering torches her face was old and witch-like. Vamos gazed at it in terror. But it changed again almost on the uh instant, and the beautiful face was there again, calm ai) and resolute. _ Back to the camp they went, and Lincin walked to a0 the tent where the other two captives had been left. By the entrance to it lay one of the men left on ied Inside all was dark. “A light here!” she cried. As aman came forward with a torch, she snatched it from his hand, and entered the tent fearlessly. On the ground lay the other man, with all the ghastly : signs of having been strangled visible on his face. Neither of the prisoners was there. “Fooled, and by such men as they are,” was all the said at first. _ The man by the tent entrance was yet alive. They — pieked him up, and with a little wine restored him to pe isciousness. ‘Lucia questioned him, and, at the outset, he was confused 3 in his replies. He was attempting to con- eceal something. But in Lucia di Valo he had a __eross-examiner of no common power. The truth had iP be told, _ Not thinking that their prisoners would attempt to ess. tliey ia indeed lain down as if to sleep— _ the two men of the guard sat down, and sought to while away the time with gambling. _ hey jhhad barely dealt the andes. a the speaker receive a blow that stretched him out insensible. Le knew no more. | The assumption was that one of the men had sailed him, and the other strangled his companion ‘ fl oY 7 ey rat it was a a the work “00, aly # vy i I sae ‘ida ¢ WAS * FN > fi | FARRELL'S ATT. URE AND FLIGHT. sacrificed. He a! ADS ; i hss ¥ A ish Z ia ‘ oe h: lef a , ew * ‘ * * » ' Sf é oT] 1 He had een brooding for hours over Mr. Farrell 4 being taken in hand by Lucia di Valo and, ignorant for what purpose, conceived the idea that the school- master was to be spared and he and Turner HY: \ Brooding brought on one of his fits of ungovern- _ able passion, and, rising like a demoniac, he dashed at the men on guard, struck one senseless, and throttled the other, Turner looking on aghast. Then he fled into the darkness, drageing his bo ee ‘er companion with him. eae Of this Lucia knew nothing. It was, Beyond the ° ] story told her, all surmise. One fact, however, re-— iY mained: the men had been lax in their duty. That was an unpardonable offence, and the living offender _ : was peremptorily ordered to be shot. — alk The wretched man threw himself on his a pleaded a wife and children in his Minorca home, iM and his faithful services in other ways. All in vain. ey Embittered by repeated failure, Lucia di Valo was a deaf to his pleadings, and the man was doomed to die. : a Es He was allowed until dawn to collect his thoughts - and repent of his sins, and then the sentence was car- _ ried out. In the cold grey light of the morning he was led out with his arms bonce behind him. Wit They stood him with back to a hole already dug i in iv the sand; it was to be his grave. Vamos bandaged his eyes, and Lucia was there, with a cold, cruel face, to see her sentence carried out. Me “Courage,” whispered Vamos, in the ear of ‘the 4 doomed man. bi: The answer was a confused muttering, and he was. Hy: left rocking to and fro upon his feet Satb the agony of the hour. . i Ten men were chosen to fire upon him. Ten rifles - taken by lot, and one of them with a blank cartridge. — Who had that to fire with was a matter of guess- work. Things were so arranged that each might per-— suade himself that he had ieee che blank weapon, | and so was innocent of a share in his comrade’s death. For, after all, what had he done? Gambled when on duty. In faith, did they not all gamble at all times and seasons? It was hard. But he senorita was a csi woman with a strong will, and must be obeyed. ime | So atthe word they all fired, and the unhappy man a fell back in a heap into the ready-made grave. They _ just straightened him out, and then hastily covered — ‘ & him up and left him. 4 Vamos lingered beside the grave to the ish “ Surely,” he muttered, as he looked upon the little : mound of sand, ‘‘ one tae need of courage to marry such a woman, I had better have given my heart to — a gentler nature. But, it is done. There is no (eos Me if I learn to hate her I must still a er Vv Te ageance is a thing to be drea ban m icboo | Nye | | i i cor