The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1869-11-19
BIDDEF0RD, ME-, FRIDAY
ould pass nv lips. His face frightened me.

would pass my lips. His face frightened me
I saw q look in his eyes which was look ol
horror. He suatchci the boot out Of my hand
and set Il in footmark on the sand, bearing
south from us as We stood, and pointing straight
toward the rocky ledge called the South Spit
The mark was not yet blurred out by the
rain-and the girls boot fitted II to hair.
The sergeant pointed to the boot In the foot
mark, without saying word.
caught at his arm and tried TO speak to him
and failed as had failed when tried before.
He went on, following the footsteps down and
The South Spit was Just awash with the flowing
tide; the waters heayed over the hidden face Of
the Shivering Sand. Now this way and now
that, with an obstinate patience that was dread
full TO sec, Sergeant Cuff tried the boot in the
way-straight 10 the rocks. Hunt ~ he might,
no sign could be fnd any where Of the footsteps
walking from them.
lie gave il up at last. lie looked again at
me; and then he looked out at the waters before
us, heaving in deeper and deeper over the hid
den face Of the Shivering Sand. looked where
he looked-and saw his thought in his face.
A dreadful dumb trembling crawled all over
me on . sudden. | fell upon my knees on the
sand.
she has been back at the hiding-place,
heard the sergeant say TO himself Some
fatal accident has happened to her on those
rocks
The girls altered looks, and words, and ac-
tions-the numbcd, deadened way In which she
listened to me and spoke TO me, when bad
found her sweeping the corridor but few hours
since, rose up in my mind and warned me, even
as the sergeant spoke, that his guess was not
wide OF the dreadful truth. tried to tell him of
the fear that had frozen me up. tried TO say,
the death she has died, Sergeant, was death
Of her own seeking No the words wouldn't
come. The dumb trembling held me in It's grip.
couldn't feel the driving rain. couldn't see
the rising tide. As in the vision or dream
the poor lost creature came back before me.
saw her again rs had seen her in the past time
-on the morning when went to fetch her into
the house. heard her again, telling me that
the Shiyering Sand seemed to draw her to II
against her will, and wondering whether her
grave was waiting for her there. The horror Of
IL struck Mt me. In some unfathomable way,
through nv own child. My girl was just her
age. My girl, tried as Rosanna was tried,
might have lived that miserable life, and died
this dreadful death.
The sergeant kindly lifted me up, and turned
me away from the sight Of the place where she
had perished.
With that relief began to fetch my breath
again, and to see things about me as things
really were. Looking toward the sand-hills, l
saw the men, servants from out-of-door, and the
fisherman named Yolland. all running down to
US together; and all having taken the alarm,
calling out to know il the girl had been found.
In the fewest words the sergeant showed them
the evidence Of the footmarks, and told them
that fatal accident must have happened to
her. He then picked out the fisherman from
the rest, and put a question to him, turning
about again toward the sea: Tell me this, he
said, could q boat have taken her of from that
ledge Of rock where her footmarks stopr
The fisherman pointed to the rollers tumbling
In on the sand-bank, and to the great waves
leaping up in clouds Of foam against the head
lands on either side Of us.
NO boat that ever was built he answered,
could have got to her through that
Sergeant Cuff looked for the last time at the
footmarks on the sand, which the rain was now
fast blurring out.
There he said, 'is the evidence that she
can't have lcft this place by land. And here.
he went on. looking at the fisherman, 'is the ey-
idencc that she can't have got away by sea.
He stopped and considered for minute. She
was seen running toward this place, half an
hour before got here from the house. he said
TO Yolland. Some time has passed since then.
Call II altogether an hour ago. How high
would the water be at that time ON this side of
the rocksI' lie pointed to the south side
otherwise, the side which was not filed up by the
quicksand.
.As the tide makes to-day said the fisher
man, there wouldn't have been water enough to
drown kitten on that side Of the Spit IN hour
since
Sergeant Cuff turned about northward toward
the qucksand.
'IIow much on this sidel' he askei.
LESS still,' answered Yolland. The Shver-
ing Sand would have been just awash, and no
more
The Sergeant turned to me. and said that the
accident must have happened on the side Of the
quicksand. My tongue was loosened at that.
No accident = I told him. 'When she came to
this place she came, weary Of life, to end 1t
here
known he asked. The rest Of them crowded
round. The Sergeant recovered himself Instant
ly. lie put them back from me he said was
an old man he said the discovery had shaken
me he said, Let him alone a little Then he
turned to Yolland and asked, is there any
chance Of fniing her when the tide ebbs againl'
And Yolland answered, 'None. What the Sand
gets the Sand keeps forever Having said that
the fisherman came step nearer and addressed
himself to me.
.'Mr. Betteredge,' he said, Il have word TO
say to you about the young woman's death.
Four foot out, broadwise. along the side Of the
Spit. there's shelf Of rock about half fathom
down under the sand. My question is-why
didn't she strike thstl II she slipped, by acci-
dent, from ofthe Spit, she fell in, where there's
fcothold at the bottom, at depth that would
barely cover her TO the waist. She must have
wadcd out or jumped out, into the deeps be-
yond-or she wouldn't be missing now. No ao-
cident, Sir! The Dceps Of the Quicksand have
got her. And they have got her by her own
act
Amer hattestimouy from man whose know
ledge was to be relied on the Sergeant was ST.
lent. The rest ofus, like him, held our peace.
With one accord we all turned back up the slope
Of the beach.
AT the sand-hillocks we were met by the un-
der-groom, running TO us from the house. The
lad Is good lad, and has an honest respect for
me. lie handel me little note, with decent
sorrow In his face. Penelope sent me with this,
Mr.. Betteredge,' he said. she found II in Ros-
anns's ruom.'
II was her last farewell word TO the old man
who had done his best-thank God, always done
his best-to befriend her.
You have often forgiven me, Mr.. Bettcrcdgc,
in past times. When you next see the SILVER
ing Sand try to forgive me once more. have
-l..-. Ia
for me. have lived, and died, Sir, grateful for
your kindness
There vi. no more than that. Little A. II
was, hadn't manhood enough to hold up against
IL. Your tcar come easy, when you're young,
and beginning the world. Your tears come en-
sy, when you're old, and leaving II. burst
out crying.
Sergeant Cuff took a step nearer to me
meaning kindly. don't doubt. shrank back
from him. Don't touch me- said. Its
the dread Of you that has driven her to it,