The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

__. __v V..-....,........ 0n Christmns Eve we were on outpost duty, our company, near the left of our attack, by the Woronwfl Road. "Soft Joe” and I were companion sentries, mov- ing on our short beat, and meeting once in two minutes. The air was bitterly cold, and the ground deep in snow. Joe had wrapped his ankles and arms with straw bands to prevent frost-bites, and I had thrust my chilled fingers under my out!!! and was trotting to keep my blood in circulation. It was near eleven o’clock The dinfié;‘c5hs;§t~é&v-éf thin soup and waxy potatoes; but we did not leave any of it. We were hungry enough to have eaten, as Pat said, "a washing of olothas." After this first experience of war came many days of heavy work and deadly fir- ing in the trenches; many long nights on picquet duty round the camps or along the Womnzofi‘, Road; many a desperate struggle in the dark when the Russians sal‘lied out to destroy our trenches; and many a sad hour as we sat in the tent! wig thought of the gaps in our toll. __ ---\....,,.w v. vuv Buys! Au uuu Avu. The weather, too, became intensely cold. so cold that we could scarcely sleep, dog-tired as we were; and our clothing wore out. and we grew thin, and gaunt, arid sigh]; And_so came Christmas. A few pm: further Homeching winsd by my ear. I thought I felt, it touch me. like the wing of a gnu. and instinctively threw up my haind and looked round. 41a: right wsdg'oi'biir ‘rlafikméfii'é‘éfméfifi $55 relieved us; and we doubled back out of 1113 am} went to dinner. -..~ “mm.” anyv "an ucnnuug. This went on until about noon, when a. great shell from our batteries burst with- in the Russian embra-sure and dismount- ed their most destructive gun. Our men cheered, and one of them, a. lad named Searle, jumping up in his glee, was shot thyough the head and killed, A- 15w fiinutesfl later fife Russian fire almost- oeased, and not another shell was thrown Itill a_.fter £0qu o'ciock. when the >- A,‘ . _.___ _..‘.. nvvnv‘. .vuuu. “Steady, men; look to your front." came the captain's voice again, and then, "whiz, whiz,” two more wasps went by, and I heard a low chuckle from Patsy Harrington, who marched in front of me, and Peter Hogan, answering a whis- fiered inquiry from “Soft Joe," "did ye not now what that was? Shure ’twas a bullet.” v "Right wheel. Fox-ward: double!" sans out the captain’s voice, and the next mo- ment we were tumbling hurriedly into the trenches, behind a row of battered gabiona, with the thunder of} the Rus- sian pannon close upon us, the “phit, phit” of the bullets striking the earth all round, the smoke drifting into our faces. and the whistling dicks plunging into the ground and scattering soil and stones in showers. “Hands down; heads down,” shouted the oolor~sergeant. as we crowded into our places, and then came a tremendous crash as a whiff of grape shot swept the gabion lrom before me and sent up a cloud of sand and twigs. I got my head down pretty sharply, and Ywas in no hurl?7 to lift it up again, until 1.1“...1 ‘1‘- ,, ..-_‘.v. vvmv u Aluuu mun a crack, an answering shot from the trench, and the Russian would disap- pear. Joyce, posted as near the terrible angle as he could get. stood calmly, steadily, and rapidly loading and firing upon the Russian embrusure opposite. Patsy Har- rington put the shake of a dead comrade on a mmrod and Held it up to draw the fire of the Russian sharpshooters. half a dozen of his friends standing by to pot, the enemy while in the act of taking axm. Ensign Simpson, with tears in his young eyes, consoled and tended the wounded, and I. with a bounding heart. and my head spinning with excitement, stood close up to Joyce and fired rapidly and not very carefully at the porthole from the deadly snaps was belching. w unv u up again, any“ I heard the color-sergeant yelling, "Now then. Davis, be alive. Stick up smother gabion there”; and Pat Harington push- ed by me with a long basket in his arms. which he pushed into the 3am caused by the enemy's shot, bobbing down immedi- ately, and only just in time, as a musket ball struck the wicker where his left hand had been, and knocked the tuft off his shsko. "Left, files commence firing," said the captain, in a brisk, cheerful tone, as he hooked his sword. then added. "Here, Corporal Allan, hand me your rifle, and I'll try a. shot." Allan handed over__his_rifle. and the non4...'... Ali‘s; - Allan handed over his rifle. and the captain aimed round the Ride of a gabion and fired. Harrington fired at the same instant, and turning to the captain said, "Ye got, him, sor; ye did, nor, begad; 1nd I did; no, bend, he was too sharp for me. begad.” By this time I had somewhat. recovered my presence of mind, and as I put on a cup and cooked my rifle I glanced about 7n- Joyce stood close by my side, perfectly calm, in the act of reloading his rifle, which he has just fired. Corporal Allan, standing behind the captain, was peep- ing over his shoulder at the enemy. The color-sergeant, a grizzled veteran, was packing cartridges into his tunic between the buttons and speaking to the men in {rent of him. , V ,, ,1. â€" _ . _ v u mum.» nu: on grape and shell. The splitting crash of the explosions followed each. other at short intervals for hours. The gabions were battered Into mavtohwood, and their 111- ling of earth strewed over the trenches, the‘msn decimated. and our company, heedless of the enemy’s sharpshooters, had to concentrate their flre upon the of- fending guns. The shells from the Eng- lish batteries in our rear sailed over our heads like balls of cloud, and burst. against the Russian batteries or inside the embrasures, hurling fragments of stone and splinters of iron in all direc- tions. The Russian musketry fire was close and sustained. The bullets pattered and hissed and squealed about us. A dozen of our men went down in the first, hourâ€"Corporal Allan wounded in the left “Lanny-.. 4L. - Hunâ€".0 “Hun uvuuuvu 111 um zen. shoulder. the color-sergeant wounded in the neck, five privates killed. Poor Downs was hit in the chest by a. rico- chet bullet, and lay writhing on the ground for a long time, begging some of us to put him out of his misery. Every instant a flat cap, a. streak of brown face and an eye would” pop up behind the parapet, and then wopld ooxpe a flash and -__AL , pacmng cartridges into his tunic between the buttons and speaking to the men in front of him. , “Steady, men. don't waste Government ammunition; come to the present, and when you see a head, bang at. it, and down under cover. Mick Doyle, you’ll be shot before dinner-call. They nearly had you that Hum 11... -v . . ,, a- _.-. . - w... z.ch nearly and you that time. Man alive, keep your ugly phiz out of sight! We want to shoot ’em, not to frighten ‘em. Leave me a. space there, Tommy Dowllnz, while I pot one"; and the sergeant shouldered his way to the front, bobbed up, fired a shot and bobbed down again, while the other men got by degrees to work, myself amongst them. * It was hot work. We were in the ad- vanced parallel, not two hundred yards from the Russian batteries. A new angle had been made over-night, and on this point, held by our F Company, the en- emy kept. umean incessant fire_of grape and at..." “Jun” THE WHITE LADY; CHAPTER XV.â€"(Cont’d) CHAPTER XVI. OR, WHAT THE THRUSH SAID. "You are a wonder, Phil." I would say to him; “I don't know how you keep your oheerfulneua. Are you never tirvd? Are you never out 0/ spirits?” Furious fighting; crash of musketry, ».cla.nk of steel; grunts and rowls and mifffj; clubbing of rifles, the envy thud of falling men, the sharp, agonized cry of the wounded; a cloud of smoke, and diabolical flickering of fire-flashings, and once more we found ourselves falling back firing and swearing. the enemy in close pursuit. .vathed the endless mixture of navvy- work and shambles in the trenches, and came to spit and curse every time our weary eyes looked over the river mounds and swirling smoke to sea the wells of Sebastopol, still solid, still belching fire, still manned by dense battalions of re- solute and uxidgunted enemies._ Gloomy and desfiondent as I was in temperament, I should have sunk almost into a state of melancholy madness had not Phil Joyce been by to rally me and keep my soul alive with his bright hope and kindly gaiety. For he never changed nor saddened. Amid the fiercest hand-to- hand fighting, or the hottest storm of missiles in the trenches, he preserved his cheerful calmness. Starvation, fatigue, cold, and danger, even hope deferred failed to sicken his brave heart. "A man has but one life to live," he would say, "and that. is too short to move in and too insignificant to fear for.” And he was as goo'd as his word, and no more thought ‘of shirking danger than of ra~ pining over hardship. They were very stubborn, and fought both in the open and behind their work! with a stolid, steadfast bravery which won the respect of nearly all our men. Bepulsed in every sortie; defeated in every pitched battle; shut up in their doomed fortress throughout that long and bitter winter, with enemies all round them on land and sea; torn and shatter- ed day after day by the cannon of the fleets, and of a. chain of batteries and trenches five miles long they preserved the same steadiness end discipline, the same cool bravery and stolcal endurance to the end. ~ To us it seemed as though the end would never come. We sickened of the sight of the driving sleet, .smd sodden snow, the stench of blood and powder, the crackle gf musketry and roar‘of cannon. We Not that our enemies~poor creatures- had less to bear. Certainly they were better clothed and fed than we, and per- haps their sick and wounded might be better cared for; but their loss by battle and disease was frightful, and during that. fierce bombardment they could have got but little rest. and pitch dark. Joe and I had just come togethet when a fireball was pitched from the enemy’s battery and fell close on out right. We immediately threw ourselves down and crawled away to our left, know- ing from experience tint a, round shot would follow. The round shot came, and we sprang up to find a. cloud of grey- cogted Russiqn juiantry_close uppn us. So it was this time. The Russians seem- ed to be in force. Our picquet was driven in, and after a. sharp tusle the enemy got possession of the first. trench. But only for a. minute. The supports rushed up. and the Russians were driven out again. They fell back in good order for a hun- dred yards. then halted. poured in 3. vol- lez. and aQVgnoed at the charge. I shall not dwell upon the recollection of that terrible winter in the Crimea. The very thought, of it makes me shudder. To this day I dream about it, and start up quaking and clammy. imagining that I "hear the dull booming of the cannon, the whistle of the shell, and the wailing of the bitter wind that gna/wed our flesh, and drifted the frozen snow knee~deep inj,_o the weary trenches. Bang went both our rifles together, and without a second thought we ran for the trenches, the Russians following, with 112311-99 yelle, at our‘ heelsx This was a oommd'n incident. Often we were attacked three or four times in one night, and our orders were to fire and fall back on the picquet. who in turn wgulq fall bqu fighting on_ thq trenches. It was at this moment that young Simpson, waving his sword, and calling us to come on, ran out of our ranks to- wards the Russians, and fell about mid- way. Instantly Pat Harrington sprang towards him, as did two Russians. One of these fired at Pat, and missed. Pat fired and shot the Russian dead. then striding over to the oflioer, he bayonet.- ed the other Russian. calling out, "Now thin, boys, thisrwgy for the apports.” It was a critical moment. The enemy were wit-bin a few yards of him. The officer was wounded. I should be no use if I returned. I saw the fierce. lowering looks of the enem , their gleaming bay- onets, and than t 3 figure of the mad, handsome girl on the sea-wall at Ports- mouth came into my mind. and I bound- ed to Pat’s side, just as he pitched face forward into the snow. No pen can tell what our army suf- fered in the Crimea. The cruel frost. the insidious fog. the unrelenting wind; hun- ger, disease, wounds, and fatigue, wore down our health. our hope, our patience. We were reduced to mere bags of bones, and the bags all rents and pamhes. All day long, as we boiled and fought in the trenches, we were raked and peppered with grape, or pounded with shot and shell, and scarcely a. night went by with out sorties and surprises. The sufferings of the wounded were horrible. I have not the heart to describe them. And those of us who escaped unhurt were so weary and overwrought that we had little love of life left in us. Five minutes later we were back in our trenches, firing on the retreating Rus- sians. Nor did they return that night. But they had done enough. Young Simp~ son was dead, and the brave Patsy was mortally wounded. not. to speak of other losses. - “He’ll not fast many minutes, poor fel- low,” said Phil. “Try if you can make him understand.” I sought out. poor Pat when I came 01? sentry. He was lying on a great-coat, spread on the snow, with his head on Joyce's knee. His face was very white, and his brows knitted, and hands clench- ed,» unit in yam. I knelt down beside him and put a. drop of rum upon his lips, then asked him, in a clear and distinct tone, if he had any message. “Pat,” said I, "the wife, the childrenâ€" I will see them if I can.” A light- came into the dull eyes. His lips quivered slightly. I pressed his hand â€"it was already coldâ€"and put the clotted hair from his forehead. In a, few minutes he was dead. "Willie," said Joyce, as he laid the poor fellow gently down, "you saw his wife, and Simpson's mother." "I did,” I answered, “and this is war." “God forgive us,” said Phil, "it. is; and there have been widows made to-night on both side.” His â€"eyea opened slowly. He knew me, and tr‘ed to speak, but his mouth was full of blood. CHAPTER XVII. I got almost to love her myself from his enthusiasm; I did get to reverence her. and to think of her dimly as a. guardian spirit, something brighter and better than mere flesh, yet warmer and nearer than the angels. And so stron was this semi-superstitious feeling that would have gone single-handed into the Redan for her sake, would have died a hgndged deaths to save my friend's life ‘ The winter passed sway, and the grass grew green above our English graVes, and the birds sang over the blood-soaked fields. and the cannon roared under the bright spring sky. And the Russians still held on, and the struggle grew fierc- er_ and deadlier than ever. It was an awful siege. Nearer the trenches reached towards the battered walls, deeper and longer stretched the curve of the investing batteries, louder and longer howled the iron threats of the slayers. Thousands of shells were hurled into the doomed fortress every day. Ceaseless fusilade went on, by which ‘Jhe devoted defenders fell. Heavier can- non, heavier mortars were mounted, the fleets of France and England poured in broadside after broadside, and still the dogged foe held on. And thonhemuld husdniato long and fervent unlode :boct "my." It Wlf love that kept MI has“ from taming. t was tho i ht of that awoet (ace and pun soul that no show him like a liter, so that his eyes lever heeded the murky hell and mm! devil’s dance of murder that tau-anon him. Whoni I have bum hipped lore, md to welcome detth u 3, fr d, we." 0 the hateful present. and sick in the sha- dow of the hopeless future. I have looked at his radiant face an envied him the love of that English glr . â€"for her. Not that dying meant much in the Crimea. Life was very cheap there. and many a man exposed himself to needless and desperate peril merely for thg sake of excitement. Five times in one night they drove us from the Sandbag battery, five times we recaptured it. The Mamelon was taken after fearful carnage; the While Works followed, and at last. we held the Quar- ries. for which so many of both sides had died. And after each of these suc- cesses the bombardment grew more ter- rible. And still the Russians, cold and iminova-ble, held on. We took the Quarries on the 7th of June. 011 the 18th our allied forces made a dash at the formidable walls, and were defeated, losing five thousand men. In this engagement I was knocked senseless by a, spent ball before our army left the trenches, and Joyce, in rescuing a. fal- len ofiicer under fire, was wounded in the neck. It was two months before Phil was fit for duty again,. and all that time the siege went on. and at the end of it. the defences of Sebasmpol were still intact. and the Russian courage and phlegm were still unshaken. But directly afterwards came the fa- tal action of the Tchernaya River. It was the last attempt of the enemy to raise the siege. Down came the Rus- sians, fifty thousand strong. upon the French and Sardinian positions, and for many hours a. furious battle raged, the Russians charging again and again with sullen bravery, and the Frenchmen fight- ing in gala spirits. with cheers and even laughter; the end being once more the retreat of the assailants, with a loss of nearly seven thousand men this time, and many officers. The place could not long endure such a murderous cannonade. No citadel could stand before it. Every day the British batteries alone threw some four thousand shells into the enemy's works; every day the walls were pounded by more than thirty fihousand shot, and the musketry fire from the trenches became agerfgct hail. The Russians suffered fearful losses. I have heard it said that a. thousand of them fell every twenty-four hours. Their cannon were dismounted, their gunners blown to atoms, or crushed beneath the carriages and masonry. As we peered between our gabions, or looked down on the fortress from the Cathcart Hill, we saw the earth-works crumbling, the great masses of stone rolling down. We saw the roofs and chimneys of the houses melt and collapse, and ever and anon a stream of flame shot up through a cloud of deb- ris with a sullen roar as some magazine exploded. sending scores of poor crea- tures to their last account. It was sw- ful, horrible. The lea-th trembled, the batteries shook, the wind was hot with The very next day the word went forth. and all our batteries by land and sea began to pour in a ceaseless and mur- derous flro. For three days and three nights this storm of fire and iron rained upon Sebastopol, and. though the Rus- sians bore up with heir old steadiness, the hopes of our me most! as the hours went by. ', ' the breath of oonflugration from the town, and the great guns banged and clanged and belehed out fire and death, and the shrieking shells and whistling balls rent the sulphurous air, and through it all the Russians kept up a desultory fire, and went to their death on wall and parapet witlhout a. flinch or murmur. (To be continued.) To Clean Hard Felt Bahtâ€"Pro- cure one pint of cheap benzine, and then, with a piece of black materi- al dipped into it, rub the greased part till perfectly clean. Hang in the open air to disperse the smell. Take A Scooptnl 01 Eachâ€"â€" Side By Side Take “St. Lawrence" Granulated in on e scoopâ€"fiend any other sugar in the other. Look at “St. Law- rence” Sugar -â€" it: perfect crystals~itu pure, white sparkle- its even grain. Test it point by point, anf‘you ‘will see {hat is one of the choicest sugars ever refinedâ€"with a standard of purity that few auger: can boast. Try it in your home. Anal :13 shows “St. Lawrence Granulated" to be " Ixoo to moi y Pure dune Sugar with no impurities whategwa?” “Most every dealer sells St. Lawrence Sugnr." 8T- IAWRENCE SUGAR REFINEIIES “MITRE. - MONTREAL Absolutely Best THE newest thing In sugar -â€"â€"and the bestâ€"is this 5-Pound Sealed Package of M Extra Granulated. In this carton 5 pounds full weight of Ganada’s finest sugar comes .to you fresh from the Refinery, and absolutely free from any taint (or Impurity. Ask your Grocer for the W 5-Pound Package. [CANADA SUGAR REFINING COMPANY, LIMITED, MONTREAL. To get rust off keys and locks leave them to soak, for forty-eight hours and then rub well with news- paper. Soaking a. second time may be necessary. Sateen cushion covers are apt to lose their gloss after washing. Add. borax to the final rinsing water, and you will be surprised what a; nice gloss will come when ironed. ' A flour dredger which costs 110-] thing can be made of an emptyl: mustard or cocoa tin. Bore a, num-} ber of small holes in the cover and‘ it is ready for use. 'S'ugan- Absolutely