The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-12-25

for unnatural calm, and hosts OF appalling sounds
for silence: these we're things, on the edge or q
deep abyss, to chill the blood. though the fierce
wind, made actually solid by ice and SNOW, had
failed to chill it"
Obenreizer, walking to and fro in the gallery
without ~ceasing, signed to Vendale to help him
unbuckle his knapsack. They could see eacn
| other, but could not have heard each other speak.
Vendale complying, Obenreizer produced his bot
tie Of wine, and poured some out, lnotionlng
Vendale to take that for warmth's sake, and not
brandy. Vendale again complying, 0benreizer
seemed to drink after him, and the two walked
backward and forward, side by side; iboth well
knowing that to rest or sleep would be to die"
The snow came driving heavily into the gallery
| by the upper end at which they would pass out OF
it, if they ever passed out; for greater dangers lay
on the road behind them than before. The snow
| soon began to choke the arch. An hour more,
| and it lay go high as to block out half Of the re-
turning daylight. But it froze hard now, as it
fell, and could be clambered through or over.
The violence Of the mountain storm was
gradually yielding to a steady snowfall. The
wind still ragged at inter vals, but not necessarily:
| and when it paused, the snow fell in heavy
flakes.
They might have been two hours in their
| frightful PRISON, when Obenreizer, now crunch
| ing into the mound, now creeping over it with
| his head bowed dow and his body touching the
top of the arch, made his way out. Vendale
followed close upon him, but followed without
CleHE mOLlf6 UT ChlCul6tkOus EOA ~ tObaok6 ~ "
Basle was creeping over him again, and master
ing his senses.
How far he had followed out Of the gallery, or
with what obstacles he had since commended, he
knew not. He became reused to the knowledge
that obsnreizer had set upon HIM, and that they
were struggling desperately in the snow. BE
became reused to the remembrance OF what his
a~ssailant carried in q girdle. He felt Tor it, drew
| it, struck st him, struggled again, struck at him
| again, cast hin of, and stood face to face with
him.
| promise. The journey Of your life ends here.
Nothing can prolong it. You are sleeping as
"You are q villain. What have you done to
"You are q fool. I have drugged you. You are
| doubly o foo, for I drugged you once before upon
the journey, to try you. You are tre'ly the ::N,
for 1 am the thief and forger, and in q few mo-
| ments Tshall take those proofs against the thief
| and forger from your insensible body"
lethargy. but its fatal hold on him was so sure
that, even while he heard those words, he
| stupidity wondered which Of them had been
| wounded, and whose blood it was that he saw
sprinklsd on the snow.
"What have I done to you" he asked, heavily
and thicklyy, "that you should be-|so base-a
"Done to me? You would have destroyed me.
but that you have come to your journeys end.
Your cursed activity interposed between me and
the time ! had counted on IN which l might nave
replaced the money. Done to me? You have
and again and again. Did I try to shake you of
in the beginning, or MOI You wer0 lot to be
shaken of. Therefore you die here"
Vendale tried to think coherently, tried to
speak coherently, tried to pick up the iron-shod
staff he had let fall; failing to touch 1t, TIED to
-. m -ikhont ito otd All IN vain all IN
vainl He stumbled, and fell heavily forward on
the brink Of the deep chasm.
Stupeied, doing, unable to stand upon his feet,
q vail before his eyes, his sense OF hearing dead
porting himself on his hands, he saw his enemy
standing calmly over him, and heard him speak.
"You call me murderer" said obenreizer,
With q grim laugh. "The name matters very
little. But at least I have set my life against
yours, for I am surrounded bydangors, and may
Tburnnente is rising again. The snow is on the
whirl. I must have the papers now. Every
moment has my Life in it."
"Stop p cried vendsle, in q terrible voice,
staggering up with q last flash Of fire breaking
out OF. S Of him, n and md ol II; 9 him II! 4 st sh11'is sta asps svs at
from me God bless my Marguerite ! Happily
she will never know how I died. Stand off from
me and let me look at your murderous face. Let
it remind me-of something-left to say.
Inc 61gnt or MIN ugntlnp 6u uaLu luz 4ln
senses, and the doub whether he might not for
the instant be possessed byj the strength of o
dozen men, kept his opponent still. Wildly g!ar-
ing at him, Vendale faltered out the broken
Words
at shall not be-the trust-of the dead-be.
trayed by me-reputed Observation-Disclosures
fortune-see to it |"
As his head dropped on his breast, and he
| stumbled on the brink of the chaum as before,
| the ttievish hands went once mora, quick and
busy to his breast. he made q convulsive at
tempt to cry "No /" desperately rolled himself
| over into the gulf, and sank away from bis
enem US touch, like q phantom in 3 dreadful
dream. -
The mountain storm ragged again, and passed
agar. The awful mountain voices died away,
t6e moon rose, and the soft and silent snow fell.
Two men and two large dogs came out at the
door Of the Hospice. The men locked carefully
around them, and up at the SKI. The dogs
| rolled in the snow, and took it into their
| mouths, and cast it up with their laws.
One OF the men said to the other: We may
venture now. We may find them in one OF the
| five Refugees" Each fastened on his back .
basket each took in his hand q strong spiked
pole each girded under his arms . Topped end
Of a stout rope, 80 that they were tied together.
Suddenly the dogs desisted from their gam
bols IN the snow, stood looking down the ascent,
--.N Atasr nnond dnUn hn-