The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1880-07-25

such n word as--nothingl Well, thank Tod
that he was not at st. Moor's. Every day
delayed was day gained, il only for think
ing what could he done.
| was walking along the narrow coast
guard path overhanging the sea, which was
the shortest cut from Spendrith to the near
est market town, when was met by lad
who acted as rural postman, and who stopped
me with n letter. took IL with scarcely a
word Of good evening, and opened 1t alb
sently.
"DEAR LAMpouRN:"-l read without even
taking heed of the handwriting" One line
in haste to say THAI we shall all I've home to-
morrow evening, almost ~ soon MS this
reaches you. Everythings all right, but
Jenny would rather be safe at home just
now, and so would I. Look me up for a
weed, there's good fellow, about nine, and
wen have good big talk about the drains.
| feel like school boy OFF for the holidays.
"R. a."
II was like destiny. lie and his wife
yes, would still call her severe hurrying
back full sail into the storm. knew what
their coming back sooner than usual meant;
il was one of Gervase's crotchets that all
his children should he of Foamshirc, and Of
their home, bred and born. Well, that
made matters worse a thousand times. lie
was coming where that woman-l could not
call her his wife-was waiting to lay hands
upon him and to destroy him more terribly
than even she coud dream. I was not to
see her again till next day, and did not
know where she was to be found. | sup
pose had acted stupidity; but it is hard to
keep ones presence of mind where ones
heart is concerned too deeply. How could |
meet Gervase this very night with this ter
rible secret upon me | could not. And
yet what right had TO leave him in his
FOOLS paradise for single avoidable hour
| tried TO ask myself what | should have
done had been simply his lawyer instead
| of his friend. And could find no answer.
II seemed strange that the thunder of the
sea, rs it rose higher and higher with the
| advancing tide against the cliffs, did not
change its tone.
| The letter-carrier could not have left me
many minutcs-long as they seemcd-when
he came running back brcathlcssly, shout
ing aud pointing behind him with his arm.
MIR. Lambourn ~ he painted ont, 'therc
be some un down yonder on the Carricks as
lone MS lone, and not half an hour o. tide ~
was startled out of such thoughts as even
mine. knew every inch Of that coast as
well rs if had been a smuggler of the old
times, and nobody who knows tho cliffs
about Spendrith needs telling what being
| alone on the Carricks means within even an
hour of high tide. The Carricks are point
of rather low rocks, projecting something
like the blade of n scythe, or rather like the
/ pointed ram of an ancient galley, from the
base of the clill, easily to he reached within
about two hours of the highest tide but
after that, breaking the calmest sea into n
rage, and entirely cut of from reach either
from above or below. At absolutely full
tide the most shorewa,d of these rocks was
| r,ll c,4 ~, ,;.,1
The cliff, itself n promontory, rose up sheer
| from the rocks for some distance, then bowed
out over them, and then finished its course
of some hundred and fifty feet to the over.
hanging path on which | was standing. All
these meant, in n dozen words, that he who
| found himself alone on the Carricks half an
| hour before the tide turned would be q dead
man in half an hour, for there was no point
among the network of currents which the
strongest swimmer could hope to gain.
"Who is it 2" / asked. "Could you
tell ?"
81 couldn't see for sure; but it looked to
seem like Lucy Green that keeps company
with Master Brooks
"a woman-goed Godr" lnthis peril, at
least, something might possibly be done. As
fast as could cover the ground was at the
coast-guard station, only TO find single old
duty, n strong fellow enough, with any guam
tity of rope at hand, but what could two
men dor
Nothing certainly without trying. We
could carry to the edge of the cliff rop,
enough to reach the Carricks twice over
But that was little. How could woman
even if she had the courage, fasten hersel
safely TO it, and keep herself from being
dashed to pieces against the face of the elf
on her giddy upward journeyi And how
could one man reach her with but one pail
of hands TO hold the rope above him
Happily the sea was tolerably calm; other.
wise, considering the shOrtness of the time al
our disposal nothing could have been done
1t was only too certain that somebody was
there. The letter-carrier was positive thai
he had twice seen n woman OH the rocks; tht
second time, while / was on my way to til,
coast-guard station, he had seen her trying
to chamber further out seward, as If she haG
become fully aware of her danger, and was
trying to place herself where she might hav,
n chance of being seen from the shore.
looked at my watch and the sailor looked on
to sea. There was no boat that could b,
signaled, and not nearly time to obtain on,
for ourselves and to row around.
The question of the boat was settled
in single look from one to the other
DuL lllc same lobN StI tIlt sailor y VIII.
working.
"Run to the station" he said to the letter
carrier, "and get all the oars you can la,
your hands on and bring them here, and lool
alive,''
lie craned over the edge of the path, ana
SO did /, though more cautiously, but ther.
was no means of seeing anything more il
that way. The sea had already risen in
surge of white foam and darl; green cascade!
over nearly the whole length of the rock.
below, so that any prisoner upon them mus
have been driven for respite from dealt
under the bnlging part of the cliff, wher,
she would be altogether ont Of sight of al
but the sea-gulls. Then the old sailor looked
out westward, where broken patch of whit,
and gray clouds seemed 10 bs rising from thu
sea into the sky in the shape of a spire.
"The wind won't be here till after TIL,
turn, sir" said he. "Thcre won't be $,
much swing on as there might be-" lie pm
ward, but no answer returned. "Where'
that young sing with the oars p
could only hope he had some plan.
certainly could think of none. Perhaps
though rs anxious as any human creature
must be when q man or woman is drowning
under his eyes, and when he can do nothin,
but wait above and listen for the dead heav,
of full tide against the elm. to tell him al
was over, may not have been 80 absorbed
in the emergency as should have been tw
or three hours ago. What was moment
struggle with the sea compared with tia
worse than death againaI which Was tryin
to put oNt my hands no less in vain'
not, feel sure, ut that .nomon, oons, wa
= :n'"A'A. tho greater peril in the INN,
diate face of the less; but that it was tn
greater which had wellnigh paralyzsd me
know,
AT last the lad hurried back with four lon
, oars. The old sailor laid them all together
fagot-wise and bar-wise, over n cleft in n,
= edge at the path, so that the bundle Of oar
might serve for one strong beam, and tina
The rope might run through the cleft for
groove before swinging from the PROJECTING
rlm OF the oliii out into the air. The bean
OF oars was kept from being pulled forwar
instead of downward by tho form of the patl,
which rose up slightly toward the edge. an,