The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1869-06-29

seen under the soft moonlight, appealing
to Frank Hill for protection, was enongh
to nerve him to the last exertion of his
strength and he kept on, without speak
ing a word, his whole thought and soul
absorbed by the one great desire to over
take and rescue her.
From what? From the grasp of a
maniac, as the behaviour of Lansing now
proved him to be.
NIerciiul Heaven What is that
sound heard ahead, and at no great dis,
tancc.
Hill did not need to ask the question,
He knew it was the roar of water-he
knew that a cataract was below. And
near below tor, on sweeping around an
other curve of the river, the black smooth
water could be seen gushing rapidly forth
from under the field of ice, quick white.
ed into froth as it struck against the
rocks cresting the cataract,
The pursued saw it first, but soon after.
the pursuer.
My God ! gasped Hill, in a voice chok-
ing with agony. 'Can the man mean to
carry her on-over! Stop, madmanl' y
Lansing heard the call, and looked
back The moonlight, falling full upon his
face, revealed an expression horrible to
behold His eyes were no longer rolling,
but fixed in terrible stare of determine
tion, while upon his features could be
traced smile of demonac triumph. lie
spoke no word but, raising his unem.
ployed arm, pointed to the cataract.
There could be no mistakinp the pes.
ture; but what followed made still clearer
his intent Giving a loud shrek, that
ended in prolonged peal of laughter, he
faced once more toward the edge of the
ice. Then, throwing all his mad energy
into the effort, he shot straight for it,drag-
ging the young lady along with him.
The crisis had now come. A moment
more, and Kate Clinton, struggling in the
arms of madmin, would he carried over
the cataract, down to certain destruction
on the rocks below.
With heart hot, as if on fire, her lover
saw her peril, now proximate and ex-
treme. But his head was still cool and
at glance he took in the situation.
by bearing direct upon them he would
only increase the momentum of their speed.
and force both over the edge of the ice,
Ills only hope lay in making one last viz
orous effort to get between them and the
water. a grand sweep might do it. and.
without waiting to reflect farther. he
threw his body forward in the curv, of a
paraboIa.
With hands and teeth both tightly Glen
ched, with eyes fixed upon one point, aad
thoughts concentrated into one great pur,
pos', he passed over the smooth surface
ike an electric flash, ending in shock,
as his body came in contact with that of
Lansing. y blow from on. arm. already
raised, sent the latter staggering off upon
the ice, at the same time detaching his
grasp from the list of his intended VIC
tm 1t was Instantly seized by her res
cner, who' continuing the sweep thus in,
tercepted, succeeded in carving her ON IN
place OF safety.
In vain the mailman tried TO recover
himself. The momentum of his own pre.
vlous speed, increased by the powerful
blow from Hills clenched fist, sent him
spinning on to the extreme edge of the
ice, where he fell flat upon his face.
Perhaps he might still have been saved,
but for his own frenzied passion. As the
skaters, following along the curve, swept
close to where he lay, the skate of the
young lady almost touching him, he made
an effort to lay hold of her ankle, as in,
tending TO drag her over the cataract alonu
with him. Fortunately be failed, but the
movement was fatal to himself. A piece
OF rotten ice on which he rested, giving
way under his weight. broke off with n
loud crash and in another moment IN,
detached fragment, bearing his body alons
with it, swept over the falls, TO be crushed
to atoms in the seething cauldron below
The lovers, now ,fe from all danger
stood for time silent, with arms crossed
and listening. But, after one wild. an
palling shrek that rose from the maniac,
lips, as for a moment his body balanced
upon the combiDg of the cataract, the,
heard no more-Only the hoarse monoton,
OF the waters, to be continued TO eterni
ty,- Onwdrd Maya,me