The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-07-26

''O uSHieStiC Virtues COulQ ever
holrish, and q woman without domestic
virtues is-what shall say 9--only fit to
iive and die {: coquette, for whom admi-
ration takes the place of love, flattery of
respect. .Teii"-what a low, soft, Bit
ter laugh 1t was she uttered lone must
pay price for all empire, but you may
resi- satished that L am not happy
woman, Colonel ThuBton."
Strange to say-considering how ar
dently he had desired that She might
lufier-this assurance did not satisfy
Thurston. Mad though he knew the
impulse 20 be, he would at that moment
have given great deal to make Agatha
LoriDg happy-granting that it was in
his power to do 80.
III am sorry" he began, but she in.
terposed hastily:
do not think that there is any neces-
city to express what you cannot possibly
feel. Extored sympathy is not worth
much--and | only mentioned the fact
because you see,ned to desire so much
that should suffer. The feeling is very
natural, no doubt, and do not biamo
you. Meanwhile 1 think it has ceased
raining. Can we not leave here ?''
II am afraid We shall find it very diff
cult TO- do So" he answered. "The
stream has probably increased in volume.
anu II 1T fills the gorge-as it may do
we shall be- forced to stay here until it
FINS down."
THAT is pleasant prospect; but do
You mean to take it for grated that it
has filled the gorge ?'
so far from that"-he rae as ho
spoke-"I mean to go and explore the
passage. ar3 sorry to leave YOU here
alone, but there is no help for it. 1 can
not take you until l have asc,rtained
whether or not it is safe to do so.'
"Oh, pray do not leave me betir.d !'
she pleaded. ''Let me 90 with y,u. I
will be very cautious, and surely f it ia
safe for you it is safe for me-"
"By no MEANS" he answered. "To
have you on my hands would embarass
me greatly, and in case of danger night
be fatal to us BOTH"
"Then do not you 20. 1t is better ito
stay here and wait for daylight than to
risk anything"
He put out his hand and touched hr
dress.
~ thought So" he said. "You are ne
wet as possible, and yet you talk of stay-
ing here until daylight. We may be
forced to do 30, but shall not think of
such thing unless it is matter of
necessity. You have q stout heart. Miss
Loring, know; but do you think it is
stout enough to stay here in the darkness
alone?"
eyes," she answered. "If you insist
upon going without me, am not afraid
to remain; but l hope you will not be
RASH"
II shall certainly endeayor not to be
drowned, since 1t would be very unpieas-
ant for you to lie left here in absolute
solitude "a feminine Robinson Crusoe
Will leave some matches with you, but
l beg you not to venture near the water
fall until return"
lie gave her the matches, made her
close her palm over them to preserve
them from dampness, then struck one
himself, reconnoitred in the neighbor-
hood of the fall, reported that the stream
did not appear to have risen very much,
stepped around the angle Of the rock,
and disappeared.
a stout heart, as he had said, gatha
possessed, but it challenged all It's stout
ness TO keep nervousness at bay in the
position in which she now found herself.
Nor was this to be wondered at. Let
any reader OF moderate imagination fig
ure to himself the situation. and he will
be likely to decide that it vas not Condu.
Give to serenity of feeling. Of course
the time of Thurston's absence seemed
immeasurably long, and she had quite
decided that he must have been drowned.
when-by the light of a match struck at
the entrance of the cave-she saw his
figure.
II could manage to take ycii out. Miss
Ioring," he said, "but it would be quite
useless to do SO since the horses are
gone"
The horses gomez
"Yes. went to the place where they
were fastened, and found that th.y had
evidently broken loose-frightened I
presume, by the thunderstorm. With
Sans-Souci ten miles distant, can YOU
suggest anything better for lis to do than
to stay here 2"
"But there are houses nearer than
Sans-Souci. We passed two or three"
we did, but the nearest is four miles
distant. Can you walk four miles p,
Il think l can-at least I can try, and
it will be better than sitting here in wet
clothes"
He felt that this was true; 80, having
safely made their way through the gorge
"a much moro difficult matter after the
late flood than Agatha had at all reck
oned upon-they set out upon four
mile walk.
Il Was walk which neither Of them
was ever likely to forget. The clouds
had by this time parted, and the moon
shone forth sufficiently to guide them on
their way and prevent their wandering
from the road-sufficently, also, to reveal
the Loneliness and mystery of the forest
which surrounded them. Everything
above and below was wet as wet could
be; but they walked on courapeousIy.
endeavoring the while to sustain their
spirits by cheerful conversation. This
conversation ranged over q very wide
field, but it did not again touch in the re-
motest manner on the personal topics
discussed in the cave.
1t was past midnight when they reach
ed their destination. During the last
mile Agatha had not declined Thurston's
assistance, and fcg many a long day after
ward he was haunted by the picture Of
that moonlit forest.rnad and hv the
memory of the lisscme figure that hung
in weariness on his arm, of the pale fair
face on which the soft light fell through
overshadowing boughs.
All things end at last, and this ended
when they emerged into an open SPACE
and saw before them substantial farm
house standing in the moonlight. with
that supreme air of quietude which
houses wear ut night when their inhabi
tants are wrapped in slumber. So deeply
wrapped in slumber were tlaaa inbob;