The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1875-03-05

all his movements were nervous. He
smiled that melancholy smile that was
habitual to him, disclosing the even
white teeth under his lips; and he in
clined his head with quick motion that
shook the curling locks on his broad
brow.
"Quite ready, I see, Miss Merton he
said, as he took my hand.
I started and shuddered his own was
feverishly hot.
81 fear you are not well enough to go,
Mr.. Bartol, said.
"Oh, yes-never fear" he said, light
Iy. 81 am little nervous this morning.
owing, I think, to an ugly dream that
broke my rest last night. Did YOU ever
dream Of falling thousand feet into the
sea. and then sinking, sinking, sinking
till you awoke, just ready to die with
terror and dispair2 Well, such was nv
dream and think it lasted me all night.
But, come, we've something pleasanter
to think of to-day. It's as lovely an Oc-
tober morning as you can imagine, and
Nature fairly beckons us to her. Let's
away at once towards old Romer.''
1 followed him into the hall, and there
met Aunt Janet. Mr.. Bartol bowed and
spoke to her and she cautioned him to
back early, which he promised to do.
Our house was q little way north of
the village, which we just skirted as we
went along the road that led to the Cliff
We passed between we'll kept hedges for
half o mile and then we struck off by
footpath across the meadows. Leading
through some variety of hill and hollow
in the course of mile from the highway,
this path at last terminated at the foot of
Romer's Cliff, which we saw lifting its
gigantic battlement against the sky,
while the bright morning FURNISHED it's
rocky breast as with a gliding of fire.
More than once, as we walked along
the road, had heard a sound like that
of footballs ON the other side of the
hedge, to the left but did not call the
attention of my companion to the fact,
and he did not observe it. looked back
after we had taken the path, and saw the
figure of man by the hedge-sde, lean
ing ON gun, and gazing intently after
us. / knew him at once for Ralph San
ders And when we had crossed the
first broad meadow, and as MIR. Bartols
hand assisted me over the stile, / looked
back, and saw him following us very
slowly, at distance, with his gun over
his shoulder.
We continued our walk. said moth
bered at once his significant words of the
night before '' shall pray to God for
your safety, and I shall watch over you
myself, SO far as can"
And now, it would seem, he had begun
his espionage. IF / was not angry with
him the night before, I certainly was
now. accused him in my mind of hy-
pocrisy and deceit in pretending to think
that this man at my side Is dangerous to
me. Nobody had said it, nobody had
thought it, save the one who had taken
it upon himself to follow me, like dog,
after had declined his company. was
sure that miserable spirit of jealousy,
and nothing else, was at the bottom of
his conduct and / resolved upon the
instant that I would have nothing more
to do with him. With this resolve /
Withdrew my thoughts from Ralph San
ders, and gave them to my companion.
Sidney Bartol was usually animated,
though always serious of face !; but to-
| day he seemed taciturn, and talked but
little. Yet he was scrupulously atten-
tive his hand was always offered in time
| to assist me over the rocks, which, as we
approached the cliff, began to line the
way. There was one place, remember,
| where O great tree had fallen right across
the path and when he had helped me
| upon it, my foot slipped on the wet,
messy trunk, and should have fallen,
had he not caught me. He did more he
pressed me so violently in his arms that
I was frightened, and gave little cry.
pardon me- he begged, releasing
me in the path '' am nervous, indeed
/ have not yet recovered from the effects
of that hideous dream
looked askance ut him his eye
caught mine, and they seemed to burn
1v%o IF f1ao h0
me- I shuddered again, and from that
moment I avoided his gaze. I could moi
mistake it it was the fire of deep, de
termined passion that cleaned in his
eyes, and its intensity startled me. Yet
he said nothing to make me tremble il
was only that look, that touch.
ssHere is the cliff - he said. ''Let us
rest for moment before we begin the
ascent.
| We took our seats upon messy rock
| and I looked from the rough jagged
| fragments that were scattered at the base.
up the smooth, hard face of granite that
reared itself almost in perpendicular
two hundred and seventy feet above us.
Not a tree, hardly q bush, found sus
tenance on that granite surface; and the
stunted pines that lined it's summit look
ed from where we sat like struggling
weeds. The breadth of this gigantic
cliff was at its base about equal to its
height; its sides sloped inwardly, SO as
to give it pyramidal appearance; and
its rough, rocky background gradually
fell away into the shape of great hump
backed hill, which met the fields {
quarter of mile to the rear of the cliff
The place had its story. In older
times there was struggling village
about where Monteith is now situated
and among its youth was Isaac Romer, 6
bold, daring hunter. The village was
surprised one night by the unexpected
| irruption of a large band of outlaws, it'd
dwellings, given mp to the torch, and its
people, men, women and children, to
| the sword. One, the one whose life the
! bandit-chief most desired, Isaac Romer.
escaped to the hill with his betrothed, {
| girl of the village. She it was whom the
chief came to capture. Bafned for {
| moment, the outlaws soon found thu
! direction of Romer's fight, and pursued
him to the brow of the cliff. With yelli
of fiendiah exultation they rushed toware
him, when he, defiant In his horrible
| desperation, took the girl IN his arms
and leaped from the very summit. Tn.
lovers were found ON the rocks beneath
locked in the embrace of death
The occasion of our present visit here
! Il. -.