ran shouting through the house,
stealing everything valuable that they could lay their hands upon, and
wantonly destroying the furniture; they would have fired the house, but
were prevented by McCloskey, who acted as leader of the gang.

For two long hours they ransacked the house, breaking all they could not
carry off, drinking the wine in Mr. Garie's cellar, and shouting and
screaming like so many fiends.

Mrs. Garie and the children lay crouching with terror in the wood-house,
listening to the ruffians as they went through the yard cursing her and her
husband and uttering the direst threats of what they would do should she
fall into their hands. Once she almost fainted on hearing one of them
propose opening the wood-house, to see if there was anything of value in
it--but breathed again when they abandoned it as not worth their attention.

The children crouched down beside her--scarcely daring to whisper, lest
they should attract the attention of their persecutors. Shivering with cold
they drew closer around them the blanket with which they had been
providentially provided.

"Brother, my feet are _so_ cold," sobbed little Em. "I can't feel my toes.
Oh, I'm so cold!"

"Put your feet closer to me, sissy," answered her brother, baring himself
to enwrap her more thoroughly; "put my stockings on over yours;" and, as
well as they were able in the dark, he drew his stockings on over her
benumbed feet. "There, sis, that's better," he whispered, with an attempt
at cheerfulness, "now you'll be warmer."

Just then Clarence heard a groan from his mother, so loud indeed that it
would have been heard without but for the noise and excitement around the
house--and feeling for her in the dark, he asked, "Mother, are you worse?
are you sick?"

A groan was her only answer.

"Mother, mother," he whispered, "do speak, please do!" and he endeavoured
to put his arm around her.

"Don't, dear--don't," said she, faintly, "just take care of your
sister--you can't do me any good--don't speak, dear, the men will hear
you."

Reluctantly the frightened child turned his attention again to his little
sister; ever and anon suppressed groans from his mother would reach his
ears--at last he heard a groan even fierce in its intensity; and then the
sounds grew fainter and fainter until they entirely ceased. The night to
the poor shivering creatures in their hiding place seemed interminably
long, and the sound of voices in the house had not lo