Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1873-07-03

from further effort, he hung motionless,
his hands convulsively cramped to the
ledge of the rock, which afforded so slip
perry and difficult a hold, that his sustain
ing himself by it at all seemed amiracle,
and could only be the result of uncom-
mon muscular powers. 1t was evident
that no human strength could possibly
maintain him for more than a minute CT
two in that position; below was an abyss,
a hundred or more feet deep-to all ap-
pearanceS his last hour was come
M'Dermot and | stood aghast and help
less, gazing with open mouths and strain
ed eyeballs at our unhappy friend. What
could we do? Were we to dare the leap,
which one more active and vigorous than
ourselves had unsuccessfully attempted ?
1t would have been courting destruction,
without q chance of saving Ashley. But
Dora put us to shame One scream, and
only one she uttered, and then, gathering
up her habit, she sprang unaided from her
mule. Her cheek was pale as the whitest
marble, but her presence of mind was un-
impaired, and she seemed to gain courage
and decision in the moment of peril.
our cravats, your handkerchiefs ~
cried she, unfastening, as she spoke, her
long cashmere scarf Mechanically
M'Dermot and myself obeyed. With the
speed Of light and woman's dexteritv
she knotted together her scarf long silk
cravat which | gave her, M'Dermot's
handkerchief and mine, and securing
how, L know nOt-a stone at either eX-
tremity of the rope thus formed, she threw
one end of it, with sure aim and steady
hand, across the ravine and round the sap
ling already referred to. Then leaning
forward till feared she would fall into
the chasm and sprang forward to hold
her back, she let go the other end Ash
ley's hold was already growing feeble, his
fingers were torn by the rock, the blood
started from under his nails, and he turn
ed his face toward us with mute PRAYER
for succOr. At that moment the two ends
of the shawl fell against him, and he in
stinctively grasped them. 1t was a mo-
ment of fearful suspense Would the
knots so hastily made resist the tension of
his weight? They did so; he raised him
self by strength of wrist The sapling
bent and bowed, but his hand was now
close to it, He grasped it; another pow.
erful effort, the last effort of despair, and
he lay exhausted and almost senseless
upon the rocky brink. At the same mo-
ment, with cry Of joy, Dora fell fainting
into her brothers arms.
OF that days adventures little remains
to tell. A walk of mile brought Ashley
to place where bridge, thrown over a
ravine, enabled him to cross it, | omit
his thanks to Dora, his apology for the
alarm he had caused her, and his admir-
ing eulogy of her presence Of mind. Her
manner of receiving them, and the look
she gave him when, on rejoining us, he
took her hand, and with a natural and
grateful courtesy that prevented the action
from appearing theatrical or unusual,
pressed it to his lips, were anything but
gratifying to me, whatever they may have
been to him. She seemed no way dis
pleased at the freedom | was most CON
toundedly, but that Walter did not seem
to observe.
The incident that had occurred, and Do
ra's request, brought our excursion to an
homeward. 1t appeared as if this were
doomed to be day of disagreables. On
reaching the inn, | found letter which,
thanks to my frequent change of place,
and to the dilatoriness of continental
post-otfices, had been chasing me from
town to town during the previous three
weeks. 1t was from lawyer, informing
me OF the death of a relative, and compell-
ing me instantly to return to England to
arrange some important business concern
ing disputed will. The sum at stake
was too considerable for me to neglect the
summons, and with the worst possible
grace prepared to depart. | made some
violent attempts to induce Ashley to fol
low me, talked myself hoarse about fox
hunting and pheasant shooting, and other
delights of the approaching season; but
all in vain. His passion for field sports
seemed entirely cooled; he sneered at
foxes, treated pheasants with contempt,
and professed to be as much in love with
the Pyrenees as | began to fear he was
with Dora. There was nothing for it but
to set out alone, which | accordingly did,
having previously obtained from M'Der-
mot the plan of theirroute and name Of the
place where he and his sister thought of
wintering. [ was determined, SO soon as |
had settled my affairs, to return to the con
tlnent and propose for Dora.
MAN proposes and g od dispOses," says
the proverb. In my case | am prepared
to prove that the former part of the prov
erb lied abominably. Instead Of fort
night in London being, as had too san
guinely hoped, sufficient for the settle
ment of the business that took me thither,
| was detained several months, and COM
PEELED to make sundry journeys to the
North of England. | wrote several times
to M'Dermot, and had one letter from
him, but no more. Jack was notorl-
ously bad correspondent, and | scarcely
wondered at his silence
Summer came-my lawsuit was decided,
and sick TO death Of briefs and barristers,
parchments and attorneys, l once more
found myself my own master. An appli-
cation to M'Dermot's London banker pro-
cured me his address. He was in Swift
zerland, but was expected down the
Rhine, and letters to Wiesbaden would
find HIM That was enough for me: my
head and heart was still full of Dora NJ
Dermot; and two days after / had OBJ
tanned the information, the 'Antwerpcn"
steamer deposited me on Belgian ground.
MIR MDermot is stopping here?" l in
quired of, or rather affirmed to, the
head waiter at the -Four Seasons Hotel at
Wiesbaden If the fellow had told me he
was not, l believe | should have knocked
him down.
''He is, sir. You will find him in the
Cursaal Gardens with Madame sa soeur'
Off | started to the gardens. They We're
in full bloom and beauty, crowded with
flowers and frauleins and foreigners of all
nations. The little lake sparkled in the
sunshine, and the waterfowl skinned
over ii in all directions. But it's little l
cared for such matters. l was looking
for Dora, Dora-Dora M'Dermot
At the corner of a walk | met her