The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1878-11-15
FROM DEATH TO LIFE.

There were six of us seated before a
blazing fire, which cast generous glare
into the otherwise unlighted room. Out
side winter storm beloved over the
chimneys, and beat seriously at the win
dow panes. Affair off we could hear the
gust roaring among the naked hills, now
plunging shTilly through the skeleton
branches of the trees, and again whirl-
ing overhead with a wiered shouting
sound, that might well have proceeded
from the Threats of evil things riding up
on the wind. The ghostly spirit of the
storm seemed 10 have penetrated even
into our comfortable circle, for we had
got, | know not how, upon that most
dismal of all subjects-death.
We had canvassed the theme pretty
thoroughly before we discovered that
two of our number, the professor and the
doctor, had taken no part in the CONVEX
sotiOn. They were sitting n little re-
moved from the rest of us, gazing gloomi-
ly into the fire. Their ordinarily cheer
full expression of cOuntenance had given
place to IA sober, troubled look, and more
than once we had detected the exchange
of strangely significant glance between
them.
AS may be readily supposed, we were
not slow to press them for an eXplana-
ton of their conduct. But for a cOnsid-
tIdDlC lllllt our tllOElS WCTt lTullltSo- al
length, after much persuasion, it was
the professor who spoke:
Gentlemen" said he, gravely, mo
man cares to gain for himself the repu-
tation of liar or a maniac. Yet that is
exactly what you are pressing both of us
TO do. have no doubt that the expert
ence which am about to relate, and in
which my friend, the doctor, bore no un-
important part, will appear absolutely
Incredible to persons of your advanced
views'
There was a touch of sarcasm in the
worthy professors tone, but in our eager
ness to hear his story we found it conve-
nient to disregard it.
However" he continued, 81 shall risk
it. If you choose to disblieve il, why
shall endeavor to have charity for your
ignorance and conceit. Now, doctor, if
you will hand me the tabacco and one of
the pipes-the ranker and blacker the
better-I will proceed"
Having filed his pipe and settled
himself comfortably in his chair, he be-
gan thus:
at must be fully ten years ago that
the doctor and myself were engaged up
on n geological survey of the northern
part of this state. We had labored dill
gently during the summer and fall, when
toward the close of a cold November
day, we shouldered our knapsacks and
turned our faces homeward.
sour way led through a chain of black
and rugged hills toward frontier town,
twenty miles distant, where we intend
ed to take the railroad. A more forbid
ding region it has never been my mis-
fortune to see. 1t was chaos, blacken-
ed and warped by primeval fires, and
destitute of the smallest traces of vegeta-
ton. Tall cliffs lowered thousand
feet above our heads, shutting out the
light of the dull November sky. Slug
gish streams filtered between crevices of
the rocks, and poured nOiselessly into
the deep and motionless turns. 1t seem
ed that the blight of death had fallen up
on the whole country.
"Well knowing the peril of attempting
to proceed through such Il region after
nightfall, we halted at sunset, and build
ing a fire at the foot of a crag, disposed
ourselves to rest as well as we might
Exhausted with the tolls of the day, the
doctor was soon asleep, and / was not
long in following his example.
"How long had slumbered l knew
not, when found myself sitting upright,
peering nervously in the darkness around
me- Ii seemed to me that some one had
uttered wild, appealing cry in the very
portals of my ears. For some moments
sat so, wondering and anxious. Then
/ reflected that as there could be no hu-
man being in the neighborhood besides
ourselves, the sound which alarmed me
must have been the shrek of some bird
or animal Explaining the matter thus,
/ was on the point of lying down again,
when was arrested by a repetition of
the cry. This time there could be no
mistake. Wild, long, and it appeared to
me, full of intolerable anguish, il re-
anhna1 tho with fnarft1l
shrillness. With an uncomfortable start
/ turned and shook the doctor to awake
him.
abe quiet he muttered; Il am awake
and hear il ALL
"'What can it beg l asked, anxious
ly; surely, nothing human; no one lives
in this region for miles around. Perhaps
it is wild cat
"'No,' he said, between his teeth,
such sound never came from the throat
of wild cat. There il is again. Listen =
THE cry was repeated. 1t was wo-
mans voice, but it expressed such SUI
preme misery as believe woman never
felt before. 1t came ringing up the gorge
with a weried and mournful information
that chilled the blood in my heart. By
the doctors quick breathing could tell
that he was as much affected as myself.
Neither of us spoke nor moved; both
waited for a renewal of the cry, in the
hope of arriving at some rational expla-
nation of it.
Again it came; but now like low,
tremulous sob. am not a superstitious
man, gentlemen, but confess that sat
there shivering with a species of horror
that was utterly new to me. What could
il beG Not living woman, surely, alone
and suffering in an inaccessible fastness
where we were morally certain nothing
human dwelt And then what misery
was Il that gave itself such uncanny eX-
preston? Not fear, nor bodily pain, but
something terrible, something namelesS
20 us. While we were debating these
questions in smothered tones, the cry
came once again. This time in words
we understood:
"'Helpl OH God! helpr
AT this Ineligible appeal to our
manhood, our superstitious weakness at
once disappeared. Selling a torch from
our smouldering fire, we made our way
hastily toward pile of rocks few hun
dred yards distant, whence the sound
seemed to have proceeded. Scrambling
up the hight, we came suddenly upon
strange and mournful scene. Before
us stood small wretched-looking hut,
evidently constructed by hands unused
TO such labor, unglazed, and without a
chimney. There was dim light within,
and through the open door we saw the
body of man, apparently lifeless, lying
prone upon the earthen floor. Beside
him, with arms flying wildly over her
head, knelt the figure of a woman, evi.
IDENTIFY the one whose cries had alarmed
us. 1t needed but a glance to assure us
that some strange tragedy had taken
place, and without moments hesitation
we entered the hut.
1.-The woman raised her ewes as we
approached, but gave no further heed to
MS. Apparently her great sorrow had
driven her distracted. She was young
creature, hardly twenty, should Judge,
and despite the signs of hardship and
sorrow visible on her features. very
beautiful. Her form was slight and even
attenuated, but in its shabby dress pre.
served traces of former refinement
Her companion, young man OF
about her own age, attired in a wood
mans suit, had evidently succumbed q
10rOalin on 6ioaaaa and rr-ao askl.--