New Orleans Republican., 1877-01-14
d Margarat aped away again IowaEd

And Margaret sped away again toward
home
The way up had been steep and rocky;
she knew of g shorter though more dam
gerous path through the other side of the
wild canon.
She had heard the clock at VAIN
wright's strike for half-past seven as she
left, and she was anxious to be at home.
'sThe brook must be low enough to
wade through, she thought, land it will
save time.
She felt strangely, and longed to get
home; she was too healthy to think of dy-
ing, but as she hurried along the danger
ous path, where loose rock or a misstep
would have been fatal, she could not but
think how merciful it would be if she
could fall, and never open her eyes again.
She had reached the brook, taken off
her shoes and stockings, and was Just
ready to wade in, when she heard rum
bling underneath her feet, as if a reQi-
ment of cavalry were rambling there.
'.Earthquakel" she thought. She had
felt many of them, and was not alarmed;
she was, besides, in dazed, wretched
condition when scarcely anything would
have alarmed her.
She started into the brook, although
she felt the ground rocking beneath her
feet, and the great boulders which lay
loosely on the sides Of the steep hills be-
gan to roll and jump with a dreadful
noise; any one less unhappy would have
realized that she could scarcely have been
in more dangerous place. "There |"
she thought, pausing half way through
the water to look up around her, 'it's
over. 1 hope Mrs. Mill is with poor
| mother"
But it was not over; it was but breath
ing spell Of a couple of seconds, when the
real earthquake commenced.
Margaret stood still, her bare feet slip
ping on the messy stones. The strange
noises, the great rocks tumbling about
her, the swaying trees, bewildered and
confused her, she realized her danger, but
dared neither advance nor retreat.
She thought not of heaven at that aw-
full moment; neither of the vengeance nor
the infinite mercy of God; the very re-
membrance of her sin and the knowledge
that she must answer for it seemed to have
passed from her.
my God, my Cod" she cried, shave
mercy upon him! Father, let lot your
mercy fail him."
A great rock above her head split and
Iell Will lSIElDlo CIdsA5 tue eaTLDQ uhhe
lasted but forty seconds, but to Margaret
it seemed hours; great cracks were opened
in the earth; springs bubbled up in the
bed of the creek, and the water rose "a
pidly; another great boulder from the
cliff above her broke and fell; Margaret
saw it come with dazed terror; then
she knew no more
The water rose in the sloping banks oi
the creek as high as in the depths of win.
ter, and swept down the cannon perfect
torrent. bearing earth and the branches Of
trees, and all things before it; far, fal
down, below Lost Chance diggings, the
miners lifted out of the muddy food, the
next morning, poor human body, all
bruised and broken. Margaret's friends
heard, and came to look at it; the fair,
rounded face was cut and bruised beyond
recognition, but they knew the ring on
her finger, the soft hair, the dress, and
they said it must be she.
If any guessed her secret, none whis.
pered it; if Ralph Cranbourne was re.
membered, when the dry earth fell above
her, none spoke his name; and up above
the angels of God. seeing clearer than we
surely must have welcomed her as one
worthy of the crown. Christian Union.