The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1874-02-12

Of the involuntary listeners heard It.
They also heard the angry tone of some
Of the fathers succeeding words, but the
increasing distance prevented them ffom
catching their sense.
Willis was deathly pale.
ut seems that you are right" said he,
with something like herceness in his
tone.
ayes" echoed the other, II am right"
There was another pause. Willis color
came back, and he gradually assumed an
air of ease. He sat down before his can
vas again, and made an attempt at paint
ing.
said on either side. Both dreaded to
utter the important words that must come
now.
But Nassau, tortured beyond expression,
could restrain himself no longer.
"1ell me, sir, I beg of you. Do you
not see that the field Is miner"
Willis glanced furtively at him, and
then let his hands drop upon his knees.
Even if it is, shall not leave it."
what! Do you mean to say that you
will not?"
II eannOtr'
"And why, pray?"
Il am happy here"
"That is not true! You mean you
would be unhappy if you were not here ?"
"Of course. shou!d be unhappy if l
were not here"
"That is, the sad smiles that have been
given you have afforded you SO much
pleasure that you mean still to demand
them even after you have discovered that
they were not sincere? You mean to
impose yourself upon-upon- By
by his excitement, "then you are a cow
ARDw
Willis sprans to his feet. Hardly had
he done 30, when the whole air was filled
with the vibrations of deep and terrible
thunder. 1t did not come from the sky,
for that was cloudless; nor from beneath,
though the ground trembled. It was
continuous, and the earth and trees shud-
dered as If disturbed by convulsion. A
hollow, cavernous roar burst out, and
over the tops of the trees, at the distance
of an eighth of a mile, the two men saw
a wide cloud of dust arise, like cloud of
smoke from a battlefield, and slowly
overspread the sky.
Suddenly there came a shrill and pierre
ing scream. 1t was the utterance of a
woman in distress.
Nassau cried: e;
THAT'S from the White Hill Pitv'
He turned and fastened down the de-
clivity. Willis followed him at the top Of
his speed.
The latter, being more powerful, over
took and passed the other, and ran over
the crags and broken ground with the
lightness of a deer. They ascended the
height toward the woods which concealed
the quarry. Both felt that the next few
moments must, in some way, produce
important things for them. Both were
nerved and brave, and both were eager.
Willis power and agility told in the
race.
He burst through the fringe of shrub
berry that skirted the pit while Nassau
was still coming on, hundred yards
below.
He was appalled, by what he saw.
The earth on the northern side had
broken away, and had rushed down over
the surface of the rock, and had fallen
into the deep abyss. 1t had dragged with
it an immense number of trees and sap
lings. At the instant that it was precipi-
tated, Miss Alice and her father were
crossing the ground. As it moved and
broke beneath their feet, they became in
volved in the tangled and twisted branches
of the trees, and were carried down with
them.
The great volume of the avalanche had
fallen into the query, but large portion
was caught and poised upon a spur of
rock overhanging the precipice at the
edge.
The clouds of dust lifted and rolled
away, and the two young men beheld at
the same moment, clinging to this rag
ged and suspended fragment the girl
whose favor they coveted. Her arms
were half buried in the treacherous earth,
her clothing was torn and discolored, and
lips were pale, her eyes were closed, as if
to shut out the scene, and she lay con-
vulsively embracing her only support.
The father had escaped before the vol
ume of earth had reached the edge of the
pit on its downward course, and, covered
with dust, he now stood upon the brink
above, gazing with starting eyes at his
fainting daughter. His white hair blew
in the breeze, his limbs shook, and he
tried in vain to call for help. He was un-
able to articulate, and he began to creep
toward the edge.
At this instant, Willis footsteps aroused
him. He looked up with cry Of Joy.
The girl was fly feet from them. To
reach her from the nearest point would
require that one descend PERCEPTIONS
hill of soft and sliding earth, which ter
minated at the edge of the terrible quarry.
Nothing could be more dangerous than
to attempt to traverse this sensitive ground.
Great care and great nerve, added to great
good fortune, would alone enable one to
reach the spot where Miss Alice lay
breathless and trembling.
Despairing, she turned her head and
looked to her right.
She saw Willis. His eyes were fixed
upon her, but he did not move. She tried
to cry, "COmew but the word escaped her
in whisper.
There was q moment of silence. She
saw Willis move few feet this way, and
then few feet that way. Still he did not
approach. He made no motion to ad-
vance nearer. Suddenly he turned toward
her. She saw that his face was haggard,
and that his eyes were fixed upon the dis
tant ragged bottom of the pit. His hands
opened and closed repeatedly, and his lips
were parted.
Her heart beat rapidly. Another mo-
ment must end in her destruction.
All at once she saw Willis throw his
hands up before his face and retreat.
stumbling among the weeds, away from
the brink of the declevity.
Suddenly, volume of earth and stones
rushed past her with frightful velocity,
and shot out into the space before and
below her, and in . few seconds struck
upon the broken marble-bed and sent up
q roar that aroused, even in her, q new
terror.
She warily and timidly turned her head
to the left to see what caused this fresh
catastrophe, and she beheld, halfway
down the slope, clinging close to the
earth the slender 6rnre of the