Litchfield enquirer., 1871-11-16

1 Fali: ins une place fnii uf pebbles that, l rolling nndrr, the foot. might plnnge one into the black. swift stream; III another, wet and slippery with the continual spray. Once in while strong chains were fixed 1 to the towering rock, and ciinging to these went up. Far above and over the brink leaned the young birch-trees apd tossed their naked arms. tue wind rushed I down and filed ths chasm and s0ared ] away again; every thing was dark with terrible suggestions around, and before me fell forever that white phantom. steep over steep. Behind me the great dog fol
 lowed closely, and was like Il human com panionsnip. I had reached halfway point. and thers at last my ascending course was checked by rushing marmur. distinct from the waters. and swelling with near and nearer approach; dust and gravel, twigs and boughs, whirled down l around me; and with a thunderous echo an enormous fragment of the limestone bounded across my sight and fell, lodged in the very footprints from which I had l recoiled. Blinded and deafened but for a moment, quickly began an examination, 1 which ended by my surveying 1t with baf- fled incapacity; for it seemed impossible to cross it-it filled the path, and there ' WcI0 uO Cu0Iuo AOOhOo uOWu Idk O0AOWs where the dark. rapid water was already boiling wildly beneath the stroke of the Fall. I looked up at the unecaiable fac ing, cracked, creyiced, and shelving above me, and | trembied at thought of proceed
 ing. Besides was. after all. pursuing only long vanished souud--out alone in all this mystery, pursuing. for sught 1 1 knew, some phantasy, some dead voice, some horrid, ghostly foot-fall turing me to my ruin. looked forward. and after long, close gage detected moving shad- ow. and then a plainer form, climbing swiftly over the threadlike way, upward aud still upward. tb the very crest of the Fall. Hastily, while I gaz-d. great 1 cloud blew away all its ragged edges tow ard the east. and the moon hung unveiled and perpendicnlarly above the Leaping River, lighting up the whole scene in say age glory. The broad beams poured down the rift nf the black rock, kindled all the smoking vapor and fountaiuoqs spray in- to a cloud of splendor, dimpled tLe black eddies below with pits of golden radience, and smote the cataract itself, that rose in triple state and spread the snowy sheet of it's flashing fal1. wrapped in misty rs I moteness, as if instead of descent it were soaring mp and away. But only in one I instantaneous picture did all this strike me; my glance still chased the 1.-the form, now revealed in moonlight 9ud flying up from height to height. Impossible to reach her--all that was left was to follow her thus. At length she paused: there ] Was no object near her,. she stood at the very summit, distinctly drawn upon the 1 sky. and for breathing space. rigid aa some statue placed there te delight for ever the pfansiae rivesge4 Then she drew nearer the verge, and gagged down 1 into the gaping grave of waters An. ! swered back the hungry cry of unglutted caverns, and still she stood fascinated to gaze, fearless to fall. Fearless to fall? In breath 1t rushed upon me. Waiting ] to fall! Waiting till the wild wind swooped 1 down again and struck her from her dizzy perch, or till the fierce pain at her heart pierced with recarrent throb, and sue could sink in ghastly joy froHs the air, and the face of returning day. ! shrieked. but tue dull roar drowned my voice. l clutohed at the rock. and tore My hands till they bled in my efforts to surmount it. 1 Suddenly figure leaped up from step to step below, led as had been, not seeing me. not needing. recking with agonized ! gaze only of her, dashed by ne in frantic | bpocus WAtu uOaISS PaAtSs ose1 "uN ""0Js breathIessly up and on, madly, pitilessly reaohed her, tore her down from her per 1 ilous footing, snatched her into his saffo- eating grasp, turned back wildly, never l bending to right or left nor giving one 1 glance at the great creature swinging white l and beck oning at their side, and dashing it's damp upon them, lest with the burden l in his arms he should spring behind it's shrouding curtain, seeking death and l iudgmens, They were close upon me before was aware. did not wish that they should know of my presence: I felt as if the moment. for good or evil, were sacred to them: had done no wrong in being there, but slipped into seam of the rock and hid myself in the shadow that they might pass. Pausing at the fallen fragment he placed her on her feet: it was not so easy to scale now as iu his ] madness. He lifted the great bongh that it had swept down in it's progress, and en- deavoured to pry it from the path. She surveyed him a monent. and then spoke 1 in quick, sharp tones as if there were not time for many of them. #
 "Why did you save me? Why did you save mo? I wanted to dief'
 Because have not the courage to die. 1 desire life now, and cannot live with out you somewhere in the world. Be- cause love you"
 She waited, and wrung out the wet from her long hair, and when she turned her face was transfgured. The very silence was passionate; she held her arm toward him. st'a@j fa 'sf I aaa
 "And you?" he murmnred. not mark. ing her gesture. "Have you no reply?"
 ssYou know all that could say"
 But say it. At least once let me hear
 She lifted her hands as if to place them about his neck, and gazed with wide, in- tense eyes upon his face. ''I love youl Oh. I love you!" she cried, and sunk shu dderingly away from him, lower and lower, till lying prone as 8 reptile at his feet. He stopped and lifted her: dared not stay, but slipped at all risks away un- der cover of second obscuring cloud and down the giddy deep. The great dog commenced to bay behind me in the path, the wind whistled louder, and, together with the Fall. filled the dark glen with dreadful 'tumnlt. stepped again and again deep into the cold, rapid river, re- gained my foot-hold, and, half crazed. es- capped from the horrors of the gorge to the smoth garden with it's tempest .traii- ing branches. and 30 up t0 the house.
 Hardly was I within my own nook when the hall doors swept together with clang, and Arria entered her room. The wind screamed without. drops beat againss the pane, and then one torrent fell everywhere. With the !. morning, all the. young birches that crowned the precipice had been nptorn and scat tered in the river, that. raving on, swollen between brimmed banks. raged tumultous. ly through the flooded fields. and laid
 waste drowned gardens and cherished
 places,
 We reacIed home on the next day.
 Trefetheness waited for us. and saw, by
 his anxious face and thin cheek, that the
 time had passed with no lighter tread for
 him than me. had nothing to tell him;
 he must only surmiss by my silence. So
 we took up our old life. We saw many l n. A Axfs-