Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1863-12-03

Emma's despair was fearful to witness and
in her passionate grief she upbraided US for
allowing the victim to perish, unhelped be-
fore our eyes; but human aid was useless
there, and We could but remain spectators of
what we were powsrless to prevent. At
every fresh fash, We could see by the vivid
though momentary light, the horse sinking
deeper and deeper. The moist sand was up
to his withers nova few short moments and
1t reached his neck; now the horse was Who'll
" lost to sight, and the rider was waist-deep
IN the quagmire, sinking, still sinking, as if
dragged down by some viewless monster be-
low INTO living grave. And the sea came
on-triumphant, relentless-its blue wall
curling and frothing as it ran, arrow-swift,
over the strand, and already foamy line of
shallow water had reached to within few
yards of the spot where Harry remained
helpless
Another fash. The line of foamy water
crept snake-Hke on, reached Harry, passed
him, and rolled on far to landward, and line
after line, streak after streak, came in the
deepening water, aud then rolled on the low
blue wall; and still the quicksand gaped in
satlate, for its prey.
1t was up to his armpits now, the water,
and presently another fash showed the poor
wretch, his head alone above the salt flood,
with face deadly pale, and eyes that glared,
white and CHASTITY, in the lurid glow of the
lightning; while the lips seemed to move-but
whether in prayer to Heaven, or a hopeless
cry tor aid, can never be known No sound
reached U.s. The rain was blindingly thick.
and the wind raved as it swept the hurrying
clouds before it. There was longer pause
than usual between the flashes. TO our i'm
patience it seemed as if the dreadful dark
ness endured for ages.
At last it came, broad and bright, the
nerce Hare OF white light; but nothing was
Flslole-nothlng but grey sea and white foam,
Where the little waves began to toss and curl.
and the curling wall of blue ran shoreward.
we strained our eyes, but could see see moth
Ing more. Unwilling to trust our senses,
anxlously We waited for the next flash, and it
came; but we saw nothing but waste of sea
and sky. Henry Hilton was lost forever to
mems sight until the Judgment Day
In the agony Of that suspense, had almost
forgotten my poor sister, Her voice had died
away in sobs, and she had sunk at my feet.
and lay there, crouching. But, when l saw
that the grave had closed over its victim,
bent to raise Emma, and thought at first that
she was IN swoon; but cry of dismay from
one OF the party aroused me to a new fear.
We lifted Emma tenderly, and by the light of
the carriage-lamps, saw the signs of the mis-
chief had dreaded, only too plainly. Poor
girl, the white handkerchief she had waved
SO long was pressed to her lips now, and
stained with crimson drops that ran heavily
down, and left dark stain ON the light muslin
she wore, and on the small white wrist that
lay passive between my hands,
Why linger on the sad story? Suffice it
that Emma's frail health had not been able to
endure the anguish Of that hideous scene. A
blood vessel had given way, and she never
spoke more, and before we reached Ayranches
she was dead.
We buried poor Emma on the very day that
was to have witnessed her union with him
whom she had loved-loved too well to sur
vive his fearful end