The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1879-10-10

falls, tell you?
'WeIl. why shouldn't somebody go with her
sWhy ?" echoed Johann, goaded beyond endu-
rance. "Because we Rhinelanders are no fon er
Of being drowned than other people: I've seen
many silly thing done in my time, but a shoot |
ing the Schaff hausen Falls in boat is thing |
I've never seen yet and never shall"
The sudden gleam in Montague's dark eye and |
the glow on his handsome features sufficiently |
betrayed the wild thought suggested to him by |
the honest Germans last words. The significant
glance exchanged between him and Burdett
showed that the same idea was in the minds OF
ooth though the latter accompanied his look with
q warning gesture, reminding the reckless Wis
count of the effect which the words that were
Just about to break from his lips would have up
on the two ladies But when they had retired,
Montague could contain himself no longer.
"Glorious idea! Well do Itch, Sed p
"Doit? should think we would! After the
'Gueule d'Enfer' Rapids in Canada, this thing,li
be joke. Never seen it yet, and never shall,
eh? Well give Mr.. Johann another story to
tell tomorrow, one thatll last longer than any
of his present stock"
Our two heroes were not the men to loiter
over any enterprise, however desperate, upon
which they had once resolved, and they lost not
q momentin setting out in quest of a boat. But
to find one was no easy matter. Some were un-
seaworthy; others failed to please the critical eye
of Sedley Burdett, who with all his recklessness,
knew better than to leave any chance uncared
for in match where life itself was the stake.
More than one conscientious native, on learning
the nature of the proposed expedition, fatty re-
fused to have anything to do with it, nor was 1t
till late in the afternoon that they at length met
with less scrupulous individual, who, on re-
ceiving the full value of his boat in advance, and
handsome gratuity for the use of her, consented
to let the "English madmen" have their way.
He agreed to leave the boat in readiness at a
convenient spot, and then took his leave.
tive oh
and Burdett, unmindful of the tough work that
awaited him next morning, was preparing for
bed, when Montague (who slept in the n. xt
room) burst in, with flush of unusual excite
ment in his face.
"Sed, old fellow, we must alter our time of
starting. Those meddlesome asses, the local au-
thorities, are going to put spoke in our wheel"
''Do you mean that they'll try to stop us?'
asked Burdett, with the natural aniazement of an
Englishman at any one presuming to oppose his
will
al do, indeed! That prating fool of boats
man (see if don't punch his head when it's all
over) must have let the cat out of the bag for as
| I came through the hall just now heard the
landlady say to her husband: Ought we to
let them go? It's really no better than snicide
and the old sinner answered with 8rchuckle:
| BE easy, my Gretchen-when these Young dis
tracted ones get to their boat they will find it in
| charge of certain Gerichte-Diener (policemen)
who are less foolish than they, and no harm will
/ be done.'"
"Just like their confounded cheek % cried Bur-
| dett. "What shall we do then?"
| "Do? Why, set the alarm clock two hours
earlier Q am safe to hear it where am), and
| start at instead of 6; and we'll just meet the
| minions of the law on our way back to break
| fast, and jolly sell it'll be for them. My word
every mortal thing seems to have conspired
against this venture of ours but I'll go through
with it, no matter who stands in the way"
/ For moment thrill of superstitous awe shot
cy-
| be that these countless hindrances were really
| last barrier vainly opposing the final impulse
| which was hurrying them both to destruction
The unnatural excitement of his comrades man
ner the feversh uster Of his eve, the heated flush
in his usually pale face, all terribly sugges
| tive of one goaded to his doom by some irresist
BILE frenzy-fashing upon Burdett's mind with
ghastly vividness, the sudden memory of long
forgotten painting of the young German knigh
lured to his death in tie hungry waters of thu
Rhine by the siren song Of the Lorelei. HI
opened his lips to propose the abandonment
Of the whole project but the fear of ridicule (tha
fear which has destroyed many gallant man
| withered the wholesome impulse, and the favora
BILE moment went by-forever.
Morning at last-a bright breezy, gloriou!
summer morning, over which all things in eartt
and heaven seemed to rejoice. The blue skies
the waving woods, the green sunny slopes, the
broad bright stream of the great river itself, al
seemed to smile a welcome to the eyes that nigh
soon be closed forever. Even the two English
| athletes absorbed as they were in their perilou.
enterprise, felt the influence of the hour, and
| muttered with involuntary admiration:
"What a royal day?
One vigorous stroke sent the light boat far ou
into the swift, dark current, down which it sho
like an arrow from a bow. Rocks, trees anG
| houses seemed racing past on either side. NJ
need to strain at the oars now all that could b.
done with them was to keep the boats bow per-
fectly straight, so as to offer as ttle space pos
| sible to the rush of current which seemed wei
able 10 carry away an entire city.
| Suddenly there came dizzy plunge shocl
that threw both men from their places-and ther
all around was one boiling whirl of foam, anG
the boat was flung to and fro, and dashed up anG
down, amid an uproar that seemed to rend the
very sky. For one feverish moment life and
death seemed to hang by hair; and then the
two daring men found themselves floating in OF
the little line of calm water that separated the
first fall from the worst peril of the second.
@aurshi" shouted Montague, gleefully, "whe
| says It can't be done now? Keep her head
/ straight. Sed, my boy, and we'n come out all
| right yet"
/ The triumphant cheer was answered by a cry
| of dismay from the shore, and the two oarsmen
looking up, beheld Marion Wentworth rushing
distracediy towards the edge of the high banE
that overhung the second fall, followed BY Mon.
tague's English servant. At the sound of his
betrothed's voice, Montague turned his face to-
/ wards her and waved his hand cheerily; and sell
dom has any painter conceived such a picture as
| the one at that moment branded forever on the
| memory of those who it. The stern black
rocks ON either hand, decked with living green
| by the scrubs that clung to their craggy sides;
/ the vast hill of leaping foam, half way down
which the frail boat lowered like leaf the rain
bow arch that spanned the black bowling gulf be-
meath; the glory of the sunrise stealing softly
into the pure, peaceful sky, in strange contrast
/ with the rock-rending uproar below: the stall
wart figures of the two gallant lads, straining
every nerve to achieve their perilous task; the
handsome, reckless face OF the "last of the Mon
tagues," with gay smile on its short curved lip,
and ominious glitter in its large dark ewes.
"Good morning, my pet - cried he, gayly; s!you
are just in time for the end of the play"
These were the last words that Viscount Mon
tague ever spoke. That momentary negligence
| had allowed the boats head TO deviate slightly
from the direct line, and in an instant the Whirl
of the current threw its exposed side full against
the tremendous rush of the cataract. One frantic
struggle to regain the lost ground, and then boat
and men vanished forever into the msts of the
roaring abyss below.
"Flower of Kent All that remained of the
once bright and beautiful girl, was pale silent,
joyless phantom-a body, as it were, without
soul. Neither the tender of her heart broken
mother, or the skill of the most accomplished
physicians, nor even the sight of her dead lovers
ruined home (the burning of which, on. the very
day of its masters death, fulfilled, by sheer
coincidence, the dismal prediction) availed aught
to break that deadly lethargy, which heendured
for the brief remainder of her life. checkered
Ill.