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

llOullSll, anu a. NUlllall NllIlOuU QOIllSSliC
virtues is-what shall l say ?--only fit to
live and die coqucttc, for whom admi-
ration takes the place of love, flattcry of
respect. Well n'-what q low, soft, bit
ter laugh it was she uttered !-"onc must
pay price for all empire, but YOU may
rest satisfied that | am not happy
woman Colonel Thurston."
Strange to say-considcring how ar
dcntly he had desired that she might
suflcr-this assurance did not satisfy
Thurston. Mad though he knew the
impulse to be, he would at that moment
have given great deal to make Agatha
Loring happy-granting that it was in
his power to do so.
81 am sorry" he began, but she in
tcrposcd hastily:
"Do not think that there is any ncces-
sity to express what you cannot possibly
feel. Extortcd sympathy is not worth
much-and | only mentioned the fact
because YOU seemed to desire so much
that should suffer. The feeling is very
natural, 10 doubt, and 1 do not blame
you. Meanwhile I think it has ceased
raining. Can We not leave here %
II am afraid VIC shall find it very diff
cult to do So" he answered. "Thc
stream has probably increased in volume,
and if it fills the gorgc-as it may do
We shall be forced to stay here until it
runs down."
"That is a pleasant prospect; but do
you mean to take it for granted that it
has filled the gorge ?"
$50 far from that"-he rose as he
spokc-"I mean to go and explore the
passage. | am sorry to leave you here
alone, but there is no help for it. | cam
not take you until l have ascertaincd
whether or not it is safe to do So
ooh, pray do not leave me behind ~
she pleaded. "Let me 60 with you: |
will be very cautious, and surely If it is
safe for you it is safe for me-"
"By no means" he answered. "To
have you on my hands would cmba:rass
me greatly, and in case of danger night
be fatal to us BOTH"
"Thcn do not you go. 1t is better to
stay here and wait for daylight than to
risk anything"
He put out his hand and touched h'r
dress.
II thought So" he said. "You arc as
wet as possible, and yet you talk of stay,
ing here until daylight. We may be
forced to do so, but shall not think Of
such Il thing unless it is q matter ol
necessity. You have stout heart, Miss
Loring, l 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 1 hope you will not be
RASH"
~ shall certainly cndcavor not to be
drowned, since it would be very unpleas.
ant for you to be left here in absolute
solitude "a feminine Robinson Crusoe
l 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 hcl
close her palm over them TO preserve
them from dampncss, 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.
4 stout heart, us he had said, Agatha
possessed, but it challenged all its stout
ness to keep nervousness at bay in tho
position in which she now found herself
Nor was this to be wondered at. Lei
any reader of moderate imagination fig
ure to himself the situation, and he vii
be likely to decide that it was not condu
Give to serenity of feeling. OF course
the time of Thurston's absence seemed
immcasurably long, and she had quite
decided that he must have been drowned
when-by the light Of a match struck a
the entrance Of the cavc-shc saw hi:
figure.
~ could manage to take you out, Mis-:
Loring," he said, "but it would be quito
useless to do so since the horses arc
gone"
"Thc horses gomez
EYES. | went to the place where they
were fastened, and found that they haC
evidently broken loosc-frightcned,
presume, by the thunderstorm. With
Sans.Souci ten miles distant, can you
suggest anything better for us to do thar
to stay herc?"
"But there arc houses nearer than
Sans-Souci. We passed two or three.
ave did, but the nearest is four miles
distant. Can you walk four miles? 2"
81 think l can-at least | can try, and
it will be better than sitting here i'll wet
clothes"
He felt that this was true; so, having
safely made their way through the gorge
a much more difficult matter after the
late flood than Agatha had at all rcck-
oncd upon-thcy set out upon Il four
mile walk
1t was walk which neither Of them
was ever likely to forget. The Clouds
had by this time parted, and the moon
shonc forth sufficiently to guide them on
their way and prevent their wandering
from the road-sutlicicntly, 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 couragcously
cndcavoring the while to sustain thcil
spirits by cheerful conversation. This
conversation ranged over Il very wide
field, but it did not again touch III the re-
motcst manner on the personal topics
discussed in the cave.
1t was past midnight when they reach
cd their destination. During the last
mile Agatha had not declined Thurston's
assistance, and for many a long day after
ward he was haunted By the picture Of
that moonlit forcst-load, and by the
memory of the lissomc figure that hung
in wcarincss on his arm, Of the pale, fair
face on which the soft light fell through
ovcrshadowing 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 quictudc which
houses wear at night when their inhabi.
tants arc wrapped in slumbcr So deeply
wrapped in slumbcr were these inhabi-
Al. - fl,,