The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1879-03-20

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
/ Bsten6yg
The day was fne-no rarity in the
East-but a sort of silvery haze hung
over the peaks nOrthWards, and there
were frequent gusts of ice-cOld wind
rushing down from gap and pass, in the
rocky range that forms the rocky bOund-
airy Of India rode on and presently,
from an angle in the mountain road, l
caught a glimpse of the Twenty
Springs" as Mr.. Warren's thriving sta
tiCn was called, " Il its gardens and
meadows, and the now deserted planta-
tl9nj and the etiipt1 hits Of the coolies.
/ Then turned the corner and saw it no
more; but even as It vanished from my
| eyes I heard a Strange, deep sound like
that of distant thuhdeT, the nature Of
which I 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 s0othingly to him
/ the while; there broke .upOsl my, ear
sullen roar, louder, neafer at each in
slant, and eliminating IN a crash so
dreadful that the simultaneous discharge
ofa thousand cannon would bave seemed
puny when compared with it.
Deafened, dizzy; and confused, I dis
mounted from my frightened horse; now
wholly Unmanageable; and hurried to
spot whence; as I Remembered, Edith's
home was in sight. The, air was, thick
with dust and Withered leaves, but as
the prospect grew clearer I could see no
trace of the bungalow, of its homestead
and gardens or of the thriving tea PLAN
tatiOns and verdant meadows around it.
Vainly did l strain my eyes to catch enc
well-khoHh feature Of the familiar Scene.
Nothing was visible save a 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 I stood stupidity gazing on the scene
of ruin, l caught sight of a man, bare
headed, and with a scared white face. I
knew him. 1t was the young clergyman
who had come. over from Nyhee Tai to
perform the marriage ceremony between
Edith and me.
"lIr. Edwards ?' I said inquiringly, as
I neared him.
He caught my hand, covered his face,
and burst Into tears. Then for the first
time I realized what fear was.
For PHYS sake, tell me ALL" cried I
hoarsely. 'sIs Miss WarTen-k Edith
safe? What has"
"Of all beneath that ro0f-the roof of
Mr.. WarTen's hospitable house, 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 mOrdine,
as it is called in Switzerland, had rushed
down from the uRscaled heights of the
huge mountain towering above Yirmi
Sou, and had overwhelmed all beneath
it.
'I caught glimpse of Miss Warren in
the garden, as the stony food burst on us
with its deafening roar" said the clergy
man as hegrew calmer; ''it may be that
Gods. mercy has spared her life too"
And indeed have much to be thank
full for, since my dear Edith was found, |
fainting but unhuTt, 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 I have been married these |
FIVE years, but our home is in England, !
not in India; and sometimes when I !
see a shadow come across my wife's fair |
face, I know she is thinking Of those !
who sleep below the cruel stones at Yir-
ni Sou.