The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-06-30
MJerry, whom doos Tom love 2 said

why, OF course Dut WHO IN he III
love with, ImeanP'
at WINS curious way to get at it.
Could I be justifled2 1t was not ask.
ing what had intended, but 1t was
getting ut il in another way, and just us
we'll, perhaps. It was, at all events,
asking Toms question for him, and it
saved me tlV embarrassment Of putting
il Os my own. determined this in an
instant.
"'sarah, could you love Tom well
enough to marry himF
"1, Jerryl what do you mean 2
"'Suppose Tom wants you to be his
wife, wifi you marry llimf'
"iI don't know-r can't tell never
thought Of such thing. You don't
think he has any such idea, do youY
"That was my answer. Itwas enough
as far Os it went, hut l was no better
OF than before. She did not love Tom,
or she would never have answered this.
But did she love me? Would she mar
ry me Wouldn't she receive the idea
in Just the same way
al looked back. Tom was on the
ground, had picked up his whip, and
had one foot in the stirrup, ready to
mount again. I gulped down my heart
that was up i'll my throat, and spoke
out
"Snrah, will you marry mel?
Phillip, Bho turned her eyes again
toward me-those large brown eyes,
those holy eyes-and blessed mo with
their unutterably glorious gaze, To my
dying hour | shall not forget that gaze I;
to ali eternity it will remain in my soul.
She looked ut me one look aud whether
it was pity, sorrow, surprise, or love, l
can not tell you, that filed them and
oycrAowed toward me from out their
immpasurable depths; but, Philip, it
was the lust light OF those eyes l ever
saw-tho last, the last.
"Is there any thing left in that bot
tie? Thank you. Just II glassftil, You
will not take Any2 Then, by your leave,
| will finish it. My story in nearly
ended, md l will not keep you much
longer.
1--WE had not noticed, so absorbed
had We been in our pleasant talk, that
n black cloud had risen iii the west and
obscured the sun, and covered the en-.
tire sky; and even the Bultry air hud
not called our attention TO the coming
thunderstorm.
"As she looked ut me, even as she
fixed her eyes on mine, n flush, binding
and fierce, fell on the top Of pine tree
by the road.side, not fifty yards from
us, and the crash Of the thunder shook
the foundations OF the hills.
"For moment all was dazzling,
burning, blazing light; then sight was
gone, and n momentRry darkness set
tied on our eyes. The horses crouched
to tho ground in terror, and Sarah
bowed her head rs il in the presence Of
God.
"All this was tho work OF an instant,
and the next, Toms horse spraug by us
on furious gallop, dragging Tom by
tho stirrup. He had been in the net OF
mounting when the flash came, and his
horse swervel and jumped 50 that his
foot caught, and he was dragged with
his head on the ground.
"There was point in theroad, about
fifty yards ahead, where it divided into
two. The one was the carriage.track,
which wound down the mountain by
easy descents; tho other was foot.
path, which was short, precipitous cut
to point on the carriage.road nearly n
quarter OF a mile below.
"Calling to Sarlh to keep back and
wait, I drove the spurs into my horse,
and went down the steep path. Look.
ing back, l saw her following, her horse
making tremendous speed. She kept
the clrriage.road, following on after
Fom, and l pressed on, thinking TO in-
tercept his horse below.
"The pace was terrible. could hear
them thunlering down the track above.
looked up and caught sight Of them
through the trees. Hooked down, and
saw gully before me full eighteen feet
wide and US masy deep.
"a great horse was that black horse
CHsar, and he took the gully at flying
leap that landed us far over it, aud u
moment later WIS at the point where
tho roAds again met, but only in time
to see the other two horses go by at
furious pace, Sarah's abreast OF the gray,
and she reaching her hand out, bravely
trying TO grasp the flying rein, as her
horse went leap for leap with him.
ITO ride close behind them was worse
than useless in such case. 1t would
but serve TO increase their speed SO l
fell back q dozen rods and followed,
watching the end.
"At,t6e foot of the mountain the river
ran, broad and deep, spanned by the
bridge ut the narrowest point. To reach
the bridge, the road took short turn
up stream, directly on the bank.
ION swept the grly and the black
horse, side by side, down the hillside,
not fifty leaps along the level ground,
and then came the turn.
"She was on the ofl.side. At esharp
turn she pressed ahead hall.length
and reined her horse across the gray's
shoulder, il possible to turn him up
toward the bridge.
at was all over in m instant, The
gray was the heavier horse. He pressed
her close; the black horse yielded, gave
way toward the fence, stumbled, and
the fence, a light rail, broke with n
crash, and they went over, all together
into the deep black stream.
"still, still the sound Of that crash
and plunge is in my ears. Still ] can
sec them go leadlong down that bank
together into the black water
1I never knew exactly what l did
then. When was conscious 1 found
mySelf swimming around in a circle,
diving occasionally to find them, but in
vain. The gray horse swan ashore and
ssood on the bank by my black, with
distended nostrils and trembling limbs,
shaking from head to foot with terror.