tationed at Clonmel a regiment of infantry in
which there served a captain named Maurice St. Leger Farmer. He was a
man of some means, but eccentric to a degree. His temper was so utterly
uncontrolled that even his fellow officers could scarcely live with
him, and he was given to strange caprices. It happened that at a ball
in Clonmel he met the young daughter of Robert Power, then a mere child
of fourteen years. Captain Farmer was seized with an infatuation for
the girl, and he went almost at once to her father, asking for her hand
in marriage and proposing to settle a sum of money upon her if she
married him.

The hard-riding squireen jumped at the offer. His own estate was being
stripped bare. Here was a chance to provide for one of his daughters,
or, rather, to get rid of her, and he agreed that she should be married
out of hand. Going home, he roughly informed the girl that she was to
be the wife of Captain Farmer. He so bullied his wife that she was
compelled to join him in this command.

What was poor little Margaret Power to do? She was only a child. She
knew nothing of the world. She was accustomed to obey her father as she
would have obeyed some evil genius who had her in his power. There were
tears and lamentations. She was frightened half to death; yet for her
there was no help. Therefore, while not yet fifteen her marriage took
place, and she was the unhappy slave of a half-crazy tyrant. She had
then no beauty whatsoever. She was wholly undeveloped--thin and pale,
and with rough hair that fell over her frightened eyes; yet Farmer
wanted her, and he settled his money on her, just as he would have
spent the same amount to gratify any other sudden whim.

The life she led with him for a few months showed him to be more of a
devil than a man. He took a peculiar delight in terrifying her, in
subjecting her to every sort of outrage; nor did he refrain even from
beating her with his fists. The girl could stand a great deal, but this
was too much. She returned to her father's house, where she was
received with the bitterest reproaches, but where, at least, she was
safe from harm, since her possession of a dowry made her a person of
some small importance.

Not long afterward Captain Farmer fell into a dispute with his colonel,
Lord Caledon, and in the course of it he drew his sword on his
commanding officer. The court-martial which was convened to try him
would probably have had him shot were it not for the very