The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1863-12-10

and eeInlng to deVour the snOre as IL sweep
EDWARDS Worse still, the coming tide wa
'~iquickening' the sands as it advanced, TO
we saw pools appear where drybanks ha(
lrteIy been, and the surface heaved and glis
tened, and the horse had to make desperate
efforts to advance shoreward.
} | shouted loudly to encourage the
fellow; but the wind drowned my voice an(
now the thunder rolled, and the lightning
+ flashed redly over the sea, and 1T seemed sud
denly to grow dark, while torrents of rail-
came dashing down. But we did not heec
them. If my own life had been trembling il
, the balance, | could scarcely have felt more
, cruel anxiety and as for Emma, | hardly
? dared to steal a glance at her pale and an
| guish wrung features as she stood on the
highest point of the rock, clinging to me fol
| support, and waving her handkerchief, poo
thing, while her eyes pierced the twilight
riveted on the figure of that lonely horseman
} on whom the sea was gaining with fearful
rapidity.
ts'Why does he not head straight for the
shore? All, now he takes the right Course
! but the horse can scarcely answer to the
spur" Imuttered between my set teeth
'3On, push on for Heavens sake, press on p
[ shouted with the full strength of my lungs,
L using my OuISpIGdu udLlU DIS d tIullp0G. dUO
Hilton heard the call, started, and knew us,
for he gave an answering hail, which only
reached us as an inarticulate cry.
But the voice of human sympathy, or the
sight of her he loved, seemed to revive him,
{ for he lifted the steed with the rein, and pres,
sed on more steadily while Immediately af-
terward the horse seemed to find frner
ground, for he no longer sank beneath the
, surface, and as he broke into a quicker pace
he shook his head with a loud neigh of tri-
umph. The carriages had by this time come
to a halt; but the horses were alarmed by the
lightning, which was now almost incessant,
and they were with difficulty kept under con,
troll. while two or three of the party came
scrambling OH foot up the bank, utteriug loud
Explanations of disnay and compassion.
Gle is nearer, nearer now. The horse goes
fast. lie will be saved-he is safe! Harry
Harry y cried Emma, as the firmer ground
was reached then, as the storm gathered,
she turned wildly to me-"George, brother,
say that he is safe !"
[ said something-I do not remember what
to encourage Emma's despair, perhaps
should her hopes be disappointed but l
meant it for the best, and the boys, who were
excitedly watching the struggle, set up a
shout.
"Well done! he can galIop now. He is
on firm ground. Mr.. Hilton is safe, papa ;
he is out of the reach of the sea! Hurrah %
But the joyous shout died away on their
young lips as, with an awful plunge, the good
horse sank to the saddle-girths, snorting,
~plunging, rearing wildly but in vain, for
every effort seemed but to bury him deeper
and deeper in the tenacious quicksand, and
his neigh of distress changed to that horrid
scream, seldom heard but on the battlefield,
which nothing but extremity Of pain or fear
can elicit.
We shouted to Hilton to throw himself
from the saddle-to fling himself flat upon
the treacherous surface-as the only chance
of life; but | do not think we were heard,
so hoarsely did the thunder roar overhead,
while the darkness deepened so much that
it was only when a flash of lightning showed
every detail of the scene that we could dis
tinguish the sufferer.
Emma's despair was fearful to witness, and
in her passionate grief she upbraided
us for allowing the victim to per-
ish unhelped before our eyes; but human
aid was useless there, and we could but re-
main spectators of what we were powerIess to
prevent. At every fresh flash, 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 it reached his neck; now the
horse was wholly lost to sight, and the rider
was waist-deep in the ~quag-mire, sinking,
still sinking, as if dragged down by some
} viewless monster below into a living grave.
And the sea came on-triumphant, relentless
Its blue wall curling and frothing as it ran,
arrow-switt, over the strand, and already a
foamy line of shallow water had reached to
within a few yards OF the spot where Harry
remained, helpless.
Another flash. The line of foamy water
crept snake-like on, reached Harry, and pas
sed him, and rolled on far to landward, and
line after line, streak after streak, came in
the deepening water, and then rolled on the
low blue wall and still the quicksand gap
ed i~nsatiate for its prey.
1t was up to his armplts now, the water,
and psesently, another flash showed the poor
wretch, his head alone above the salt food, with
a 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 for aid,
can never be known, No sound reached us.
The rain was blindingly thick, and the wind
raved as it swept the hurrying clouds before
it. There was a longer pause than usual be-
tween the flashes. To our Impotence ii
seemed as if the dreadful darkness endured
for ages.
AT last it came, broad and light but moth
ing was visibIe-nothipg but the grey sea and
dashing 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 nothing more. Unwilling to trust
oI,r saucac auyiOuS1v Xra ,Uaitad f,r tho pavt
flash and it came, but we saw nothing but
a waste of sea and sky. Harry Clinton was
lost forever to mems sight until the Judgment
day.
In the agony of that suspense, | had al
most forgotten my poor sister. Her voice
had died away in sobs, and she had shrunk at
my feet and lay there, crouching. But, wher
| saw that the grave had closed over its vic
tim, | bent to raise Emma, and thought al
first that she was in a swoon but a cry O
dlsmay from one of the party aroused me tx
a new fear. We lifted Emma tenderly, anc
, by the light Of the carriage-Iamps saw the
signs of the mischief l had dreaded only too
plainly. Poor girl, the white handkerchie
she had waved SO long was pressed to her
lips now, and stained with crimson drops thai
ran heavily down, and left a dark stain on tn
light muslin she wore, and on the white small
: wrist that lay passive between my hands.
; Why finger on the sad story? Suffice i
that Emma's frail health had not been able
to endure the anguish Of that terrible scene
! ! A blood vessel had given way, and she new
! er spoke more, and before we had reached
. Avranches she was dead. We buried poor
Emma on the very day that was to hav'
witnessed her union with him whom she haC
) loved-loved too we'll to survive his fearful
end
Eg The Government, fully approaching tn
value of veteran volunteers, has added to tn
e large bounty offered for their re-enIistmen
, thirty days furlough prior to the expiration
7 Of their present term Of service, to be grantel