Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1871-04-05
Go TO his rescue.

The certain deathOf not one, but both
would have followed, had not the cOole
Edith secured a rope that was lyinI
near, with one end fastened to a pile
and ventured out into the boiling surf
secured il around the slight form of Flor
=, ide, and returning to the shore, stOo,
ready to pull her beyond the reach O
the water. Almost breathless, they boil
watched the crippled form that was drift
ing rapidly towards them. Then, as /
came near, the Southern girl made
mighty effort, seized upon It, and Tough
her way back. Burdened as she was
the undertaking appeared hopeless. Tit
waves swept in as if angry at having
been robbed of their prey, and the un,
der current carried her from her feet
But the cool Yankee girl Edith was &
host in herself; and, watching the Op
pOTtunity, at length, succeeded in bring
ing both ashore, and finding that hel
companion was able TO take care of her
self, gave all her attention to the stFang
er.
In this, FlOride was soon able to as,
sist, and their united efforts carried him
to a secure place, and soon restored him
sufficiently to be able to walk TO The
house, though one arm was broken and
his head bleeding.
A very few words explained all thai
was deemed necessary. He was visit,
or at a neighbOring watering-place--had
gone out for days fishing, been over.
taken by sudden squall, and--the resi-
they knew, save that his home was in
Baltimore.
"A Southerner like myself, whispered
FlOride, as she and her fair cousin stole
away to change their wet garments,
/ r,FA ~
the latter. And, oh, how handsome 2
In the eyes of q young and enthusias-
tic girl he undoubtedly appeared so; but
Hubert Walden thought the reverse. He
did not fancy the soft white hands that
bore no traces of labor, the smooth face,
the carefully tended hair and mOustache,
and more particularly the expression of
the eye and the scornful curl of the lip.
But he was Teticent man, kept his own
counsel, and tended to the wants of the
one whom the waves had brought to his
door, with as much of kindness as if he
! had been his dearest friend.
Still, he was determined that it should
only be for brief time. The stay, how
ever, was much longer than he had cal
culated. Death, though he had been
robbed upon the water, made another
desperate fight for his prey upon the
land. Brain fever followed, and for weeks
Archibald Fenton's life trembled in the
balance. Then came cOnvalescence-
doubly sweet to him because FIOride was
by his side, and the old story was enact
ed again.
The young nurse learned to love the
young patient, and the patient the nurse;
and despite all warnings on the part of
her uncle and aunt--despite her own
better judgment-FlOride consented to q
hasty wedding, bade them farewell, and
started upon the bridal tour, to visit the
home he had described, and which ex-
listed only in fancy.
And as sudden as was her marriage, SO
was her awaking from the dream of bliss.
A very few days served to convince her
that she was the victim of an adventur-
er--One whose aim was to possess him.
self of her property, and then leave her
"a man already married; gambler and
a libertine. And never was there a more
bitter awakening than hers when she
found herself deserted, one morning, in
q strange Southern citY-Without means
to travel--without means even to pay
for a days board. She wrote to her
friends for advice and assistance, and re-
ceived GOODNESS or neglect. Her own
folly i'll signing checks, in the first flush
of love, without looking at the amount,
had deprived her of ready means, and
she was forced to almost beg her way
back to the home of her childhood.
And there for time she fingered, ut
terly crushed. The finger of shame was
pointed at her. She would soon be a
mother, and yet was not wife. Terri
BILE, indeed, was the blow. The hour
that the cOOl-headed Mr.. Hubert Wal
den had predicted had not yet arrived,
though it was swiftly coming. Love had
died out, but revenge was not, as yet,
born. . .
A child of shame, though not of sin,
saw the light, struggled for life but a
little time, and then was laid away
beneath the blOSsOming orange trees.
But the mother mOurned it nOtas one of
her fiery nature was expected to have
done. She stood by the little grave dry
eyed-left it with tightIy-cOmpressed
lips, and strange, wild light burning
in her black eyes. The old negro serV-
ants shrank from her; and whispered
that she was going mad. Even the law
yer who sold the property left by her
father felt uneasy in her presence, and
was glad when the money was handed
over and she had departed. For q
month or more she fingered, finding a |
home in secluded farmhouse, and de-
voting herself to practice with o pistol, |
but reticent as to her reason for so do
ing; and those around her knew nothing,
or very little of the sad episode in her
life. Then she disappeared altogether,
and was as much lost asif the earth had
opened and swallowed her. They
thought she had killed herself, but it |
was not SO. She had a deadly purpose
yet to accomplish.
The first ship that sailed from neigh |
boring port carried with it q youth, |
black-eyed and black-haired, with beard |
less cheeks, and determined, though rosy
lips, that looked strangely like girl |
a boy who kept apart from all, and was
constantly bending over the side and i
talking in broken whispers to the Wild
ly murmuring waves. None knew from /
whence he came, or whittier he was go-
ing, and he soon was lost amid the null
titUde of q great Northern city. All
boy or girl, the path he or she was fol-
lowing was that of q destroyer, and one
man might tremble if they ever met.
And meet they did, but it was far from
the haunts of busy mon-was amid the
widest sublimity of nature. Far up the
heights Of Mount Washington a gay
party was tOiling, intent upon lunChing
upon the summit.
Manhood and beauty were there; and
mirth appeared to attend upon their
footsteps. 1t was no place for murder,
but the dark hounds of blood were fol-
lowing swiftly and silently.
Separated from his companions, the
leader-One in the very prime of life
was seeking for an easy path for the fe-
males to travel.
But few moments previously he had
been whispering sweet words to gold.
en- haired girl, who had enshrined him
within the deepest Feeesses of her heart.
Now he stood alOne-hidden from all
eyes-With his own resting upon dist. :