The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1870-02-18
dy height with the moaning, gulping
sound of the hushing waves below,

dy height with the moaning, gulpin.
sound of the hushing waves below
shakes Fanny from head to foot.
What if she cannot find him? Wha
if he has fallen to the bottom of tn,
cliff, ard the hungry waves, ebbinf
back have carried him along with then
forever?
Her fingers grew unnerved and trem
bling-she cannot relight the lantern
Even If she finds him he will not bt
alive. He may be an undistinguisha
BILE mass of broken bones and wound:
rtoo dreadful TO think of. .~TDDll
Flame at last, and with it the girl'l
courage rekindles. She trembles still
but she draws her shawl more closely
round her and goes forward, not so fast
but more steadily.
There is heart, after all, in her vain
little body-a, heart that almost, fol
the first time in her life, is speaking to
her more of another than to herself
and the longing to help and comfort
John for his own sake is overmastering
any selfish dread.
She stops and holds the lantern high
above her head. Just before her, black
in the vague light, Ragged Jack stands
out as If to stop her way. A sudden
chill at her heart and she lowers heI
lantern to the paths edge. Fanny
could never remember why she did
this-it was a strong impelling instinct.
looks, and then she shrinks back, sick
and white, against the rock wall beside
her. If John yet lives, he is lying be-
hn cfo 10
broken away, and there are sighs that
large bits of rock have been freshly
loosened from its edge and hurled down
to the sea.
And as the reality forces itselfupOn
Fanny that shemust descend that fear
full precipice alone in the darkness, face
to face with the meaning, wailing sea
"a moaning and wailing which echoes
heavily and yhOpelessly every thought
of terror-Fanny's courage flies in one
long shuddering sigh. and she sinks on
her knees sobbing.
The attitude, or a power beyond her,
brings prayer to her lips: "Oh, my
father! save fhirn-hefp mew The
words seem to nerveher-perhapsthey
remind her she is not so helpless. She
lies down OH her face, and drags herself
to the edge. Johhi- John Fry! :
John, darling! do you hear me-"
The wind is lulling fast, and her voice
sounds clear through the night air.
No answer comes; the silence seems
more awful, and the moan of the
waves more awfully true in their fore
boding. ra.4lFlli ..u, 5f,
Desperately, she raises herself, and
l.. l,1. IN,
ing cry. a. ,sf - ...4.-. .... H..
Then she strains her ear to listen.
Far Off-seemingly as far as the bay
on the other side of Ragged Jack
an, answer comes, but in a sound of
many voices; and then nearer, almost
close, so it seems by contrast, Il feeble
whistle. r.... -i.5tts. sfgta
All her fears are gone; she only chides
at her own delay. Still holding the
lantern in one hand, she feels her way
cautiously, foot by foot, down the cliff,
till she finds at last a standing place.
She knows where she is now; the crag
puts out here into huge jagged rock,
with a bush or two ON it, and then goes
sheer down to the sea. aar.:a, 's..
Again, close beside her, the whistle
sounds lOunder than before. Hs
She calls, but no answer comes; and
then she holds the lantern so that Its
light falls below her.
Close to her-sO close that her next
downward foOtstep would have been set
on his face-John Fry is lying with shut
eyes. He has been caught, seemingly,
between the bushes, growing on the
edge, for only his head and chest are
visible. ,-.5-- I
Fanny kneels down; Slle touches his
ace timidly, with her hand, and then
draws it back, shuddering. .-a..g /
'sJOhn John, darling! Open your
eyes! Speak 10 me!f if ai ali !
He'lies there as still as the gray rock,
almost as cold. She forgets the danger |
IF falling; she twines her arms round
lin; she murmers to him, and presses |
warm kisses on his face. .- 81 |
i"Oh, John, my darling my dar- /
ing! look at lne just once; let me
lear you say once you forgive my wick
,dness!r
She might as well cry to the rock
tself; and yet, as she presses her lips |
IN his, it seems as'if some warmth lin
gered in them. rs5 ,..1 .,-..f
Suddenly she raised her head, and
,ries out loud for help. A strange
Ound has reached her. She listens
Yes, they are coming.
overhead she hears voices, and, from
he sea, the strong regular pull of oars.
John Fry was taken home alive, but
here came weeks of anxious watching
,efOre he was able to walk once more
,eside Fanny Haywood, to the scene of
lis fearful! fallAand then he walked
With crutches. ' I'
Fanny smiles brightly OH her lovers
ace. She is trying to cheer the sadness
hat, spite Of his efforts, clouds, the
trong mans eyes at times, for it Is
cry hard to John Fry to realize that
le is crippled fol, life; but under the
iris smiles, is aitender, sublued look
lew to her face. 1t may be that the
litter tears she has shed during II
ong, patient nursing, have left their
race-tears, not only of sorrow for her
overs suffefings, but of contritiOn for
he part she had acted toward him..
"Fannyu John had stood i'm 81 /.
ence for some minutes beside the
'roken pathway "I don't think you
nd l will quarrel again; will we, dar.
ing% IirkG fe5', 4-JF.I /
He looks at her, smiling, with his
eep, loving eyes, and she tries to an
wer brightly; but the recollection
# that foolish quarrel and its ending
masters her, and tears come instead of
words.
"Hush !" he whispers softly; "youll
poll your sweet eyes, my darling, and
hey're my eyes now at least they will
e after Thursday .ael CsafR =
Fanny hides the eyes On his Shouts
er. "Don't ask me to promise, dar-
ing,n she whispers. "While you've
cen so ill I've learned more about my
elf than lever thought to know. l !
Wonder how you find anything to love
a a girl who can put no trust in her
elf" ''''"i ~. .
There is no need to tell Johns an
wer. t .a.l assa
Snndry Facts. .f
TheInumber of languages spoken is
.OG4. The number of men is about
anal tn the number of women. The !