Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1878-10-11

And with that he dismissed the sub
Ject, and the evening passed genially
enough. Later on, however, after a
whispered farewell to my sweet Edith
IN the porch, draped with the glistening
leaves and big white blossoms of the
Indian creeper, after the ride home to
my own dwelling among the hills, and
when my head rested on its pillow, q
vague sense of insecurity beset me
afresh; and even when I fell asleep nv
dreams were troubled and sad, not such
as should visit the slumbers of one on
whom the world smiled as it did on me,
George Musgrave. The dawning of the
new day-my wedding-day-however,
chased away the clouds from my mind !;
and when l mounted my horse to ride to
Yirmi Sou, attired as a bridegroom
should be, my heart was light and full
of happy hope. Edith loved me better
than l deserved, I knew that; and it
| was her fathers intention to establish
the young couple on his fine plantation,
while he and Mrs. Warren returned to
England to enjoy their well-earned COM
potency.
The day was fne-no rarity in the
East-but a sort of silvery haze hung
were frequent gusts of ice-cold wind
rushing down from gap and pass in the
rocky range that forms the rocky bound
ary of India. rode on, and presently,
from an angle in the mountain road, I
caught a glimpse of the "Twenty
Springs" as Mr.. Warren's thriving sta
ton was called, v. its gardens and
meadows, and the now deserted planta-
fion onH tho HT1kr of tho ooo1ioc
Then turned the corner and saw it no
more, but even as it vanished from my
eyes heard a strange, deep sound like
that of distant thunder, the nature of
which l could not divine. My horse
suddenly snorted and reared. and theL
stood trembling, and could Scarcely be
urged forward. While was in the act
OF STOPPING forward to pat the Arabs
glossy neck, speaking soothingly to him
the while, there broke uposl my ear a
sullen roar, louder, nearer at each in
slant, and eliminating IN a crash so
dreadful that the simultaneous discharge
ofa thousand cannon would have seemed
puny when compared with it.
Deafened, dizzy, and confused, dis
mounted from my frightened horse, now
wholly unmanageable, and hurried to a
spot whence, as l remembered, Edith's
home was in sight. The air was thick
with dust and withered leaves, but as
the prospect grew clearer could see no
trace of the bungalow, of its homestead
and gardens or ofthe thriving tea plan
tations and verdant meadows around it.
Vainly did strain my eyes to catch enc
Well-known feature of the familiar scene.
Nothing was visible save dreary waste
Of stones, mud and rocks, filling mp half
the valley, and above which hung a
cloud of tawny dust that was slowly
subsiding.
As stood stupidity gazing on the scene
of ruin, / caught sight of man, bare
headed, and with scared white face. I
knew him. It was the young clergyman
who had come over from Nynee Tai to
perform the marriage ceremony between
Edith and me. -
@Mr. Edwards?' I said inquiringly, as
neared him.
He caught my hand, covered his face,
and burst into tears. Then for the first
time 1 realized what fear was.
"For PHYS sake, tell me ALL" cried l
hoarselY. '1s Miss Warren-s Edith
safe? What has"
aOf all beneath that roof-the roof of
Mr.. w Warren's hospitable house-I alone
am spared" answered the clergyman in
broken accents. "Death, the grim now
er, has garnered in his harvest there"
The cause of the disaster was but too
evident. A stone avalanche, or TOrdine,
as it is called in Switzerland, had rushed !
down from the unscaied heights of the
huge mountain towering above Yirmi !
Sou, and had overwhelmed all beneath !
it.
II caught glimpse of Miss Warren in
the garden, as the stony food burst on us |
with its deafening roar" said the clergy
man as he grew calmer; "it may be that |
Gods mercy has spared her life too"
And indeed 1 have much to be thank
full for, since my dear Edith was found,
fainting but unhurt, at the foot of tall |
cedar. the only tree left standing, wedg- |
ed in between fallen rocks. But the |
other inmates of the house had perished, |
nor were even their bodies ever extri- |
Gated from the mighty mausoleum which
Natures own hand had piled above |
them.
Edith and have been married these
five years, but our home is in England, |
not in India; and sometimes when 1 |
see q shadow come across my wife's fair |
face, know she is thinking of those |
who sleep below the cruel stones at Yir'
mi Sou.