Weekly Calaveras chronicle., 1866-06-23

o'clock in the morning, came hack to
the ball room for a parting dance.
81 claim this one also, Emily" said
Frank, smiling, and she responded with
smile and blush.
In the midst of the siddy maze, hands
clasped in hands, with sheltering arms
around them, those bright young girls
were fated to meet their doom. Gaily
played the musicians, still more gaily
rose the ringing music of woman's
laughter, when dreadful crash was
heard, breaking in like some strange,
awful discord; heads were raised to be-
hold, fast falling upon them, the totter-
ing cliff, shrouded by festive flags and
draperies, but coming still, and faster,
faster, with every added movement of
velocity. Frank clasped his partner to
his breast, and like many another manly
form that night, looked down in tender
est pity on the white lips be had SO
loved to kiss
"Emily, darling, death is coming up
on US. BE calm; our only hope is that
door and the cliff will fall so much in
one mass, that our hope is but despair"
Before he finished speaking there was
dreadful rush to that one door; too
often man forgot to be generous, woman
to be unselfsh; each struggled for the
dear life that was their own but in
most cases the gallant young hosts won
drawer names that awful night than they
ever merited in the fierce, unholy bat
tle-ield. Frank bore the trembling
Emily in his arms "Dearest, l must
save you,' he said, with painting breath
as he encircled her in close embrace.
''Save yourself, Frank" she mur-
INJURED; "kiss me, and let me die May
God have pity on my poor father /!
Where is Ether?"
81 cannot tell you, darling. Oh! it
were sweeter to meet death thus with
you, than to live as 1 have sometimes
pictured life, alone and desolate. But
[ want to save you, Emily; cling to
me, dearest; we will live or die to-
gether'
That blessed word seemed to strength
en- the young man, and he pressed for
ward.
'It is no use,' said an officer, who
had opened the door, "the cliff has fall
en- outside also; we are buried in o liv-
ing grave
1t was an awful sentence, that blanch-
ed many cheeks, and moistened eyes
unused to weeping.
"Can we not make a way of escape?"
suggested Frank; "cut through the
fallen rock ?" GLOW? ?"
Frank could not tell. cat tleast," he
continued, eve may hope that help will
come ere it is too late 1t is known
there is ball here tonight; the car
riages will soon arrive"
"But we shall be dead before another
hour, Frank Graham,' said despairing
voice.
The last hour of life! How awful it
looked to all. How few had lived for
that hour how few had guessed that
they should meet it among the gay fes-
tivities of the Cliff Ball.
And now the fragments of rock came
rushing down upon them, breaking the
lustres, extinguishing the lights, threat
ening to add the horror of "thick dark
ness" to their terror, bruising fair heads
and delicate arms, and, at last, bringing
DEATH
A huge fragment fell upon Frank
and Emily as they stood together in the
dim light beside gay pennant that he
had hung there so joyously only thirty
hours ago, and they Bever spoke again,
only with trembling clasping arms they
fell together to the earth, bruised, and
bleeding and insensible. A little group
gathered around. trying to discern, by
the faint glimmering ray of their only
remaining candle, which of their num-
Der had fallen, and marked their young
and gallant comrade, with the lifeless
form of his beautiful betrothed held
tightly in his grasp. In sympathy for
these stricken ones, men learned forget
fulness to their own imminent peril.
'Poor things, poor thingsl and her
father opposed the match, didn't be?
Poor old man he, too, will be utterly
undone after this shock"
"They have died, poor young Great
ures, as they would have wished to die;
their souls, like pure white doves, shall
flee away and be at rest"
"By my faith" said an Irish officer,
81 wish I was gone too; for this sus-
pense, with death at the end of it, is
worse than death ITSELF"
Esther Graham had been lying in a
stupor, succeeded BY fits of hysterical
fainting. They feared to tell her Of
her sisters doom, till she looked up and
inquired piseously: "How is it Emily
does not come to me? Where is she p
Then they gently told her, and she
shut her eyes and cried quietly but
ceaselessly. Another roll, another crash
and they were buried indeed.
Hours after, digging among the ruins
men found one man who had escaped
the fate of his companions. Gradually
be recovered from uneonsciousness, and
told his awful tale; and to this day, be-
side many hearths in old England is he
welcomed for the strange and fearful
story that he has to tell; but to none is
he 80 welcome as to an old, lonely,
white-headed man, who listens to the
circumstances of his young daughters
death; and as he hears for the hund-
redth time how Frank and Emily fell
together, be murmurs, "Righteous God