The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1881-04-29
"A LEAPIN THE DARK
A MAD ACT.

Were here all naked, wild and gray,
Iheie waving all with green wood spray;
Here, trees from every crevice grew,
Ana Ger the crags their branches threw,
And there, all splintercd and uneven,
The shiyerea rocks ascend TO heaven.
1t was clear, bright night, in thu
depths OF the mountain wilderness.
There was long, deep, narrow vally
running north and south, for many miles
nanked east and west by towering noun.
tains.
The range on the east was called Gaia.
mount Cliffs, that on the west, Panther
Peak.
Deep down in the bottom of the valley
ran low and narrow river, called the I'm
bra.
On this night not a sound disturbed the
awful solitude of the wilderness; not a liv.
ing creature appeared in sight.
Human life seemed far away.
Yet had there been light enough, hu-
man form might have been seen on the
eastern range.
1t was the figure of young girl, wrap
ped in dark shawl that covered her from
head to foot, gliding slowly, slowly down
the winding mountain path, now passing
out of sight behind clump of trees, now
coming into view again as the path turned
IN and out in its decent.
Sometimes she paused and leaned against
tree, as if for momentary support, and
then the faint light of the moon fell upon
an up.turned, lovely-young face, paIlid
with despair
And now another figure appeared upon
the scene, another and a taller young girl,
enveloped in long waterproof cloak, whose
hood was drawn over her head.
She glided silently down the same path,
in the same manner keeping her eyes upon
her predecessor, as if she were Swallowing"
her as indeed she was.
The first girl wound her sinuous way
down the mountain side to the very foot of
the ridge and edge of the river, between
which and herself lay the tracks Of a very
recently laid railroad, whose trains, twice
day, awoke the awful echoes of the tower
ing rocks.
Here she sat down on fallen boulder,
let her shawl drop from her form and lay
in heap around her, clasped her hands
upon her knees, and turned her woeful
young face up to the starlit heavens, as If
help for her hidden grief were there.
Then she looked vaguely at the little
crescent of the moon that was sinking slow
~ behind the cedar crowned summit of the
western ridge. She watched it out of
sight, and then let her glance slowly drop
to the river at her feet Gazing on the low
river, she began to mutter to herself as
only the crazed or half crazed ever do
"If | dared-it dared" she whispered,
her eyes dilating as she gazed down upon
the river, whose shining, smooth dark sur
face reflected every star above. "If | only
dared to take the plunge. They say that
Umbra here has no bottom, at least none
that has ever been sounded. Night after
night have come here--how many times
how many times; but | have never had
the courage to take that plunge! What
does the poet say!
who would not choose
The leap attaining the reposeY
Oh, but cannot-I cannot Oh, for one
brief fit OF madness to give me cour-
age to end it ALTO end it all
with me-who am afraid to die, and more
afraid to live. The demon has driven me
to the rivers brink, night after night, but
he has never driven me into it. Au.H-nw
she suddenly cried, starting to her feet.
"What is that"
1t was the noise of the rushing express
train from the north, gaining force and
volume as it sped onward, it's thunders
caught up by the echoes of the rocky cliffs
on each side of the river, and hurled back
and forth with an overwhelming uproar that
filed the valley, and seemed to threaten
with humiliation every living creature in it.
The girl standing up, gazed breathless.
upon the rushing monster, whose frey eyes,
and believing breath were almost upon
her.
She pressed her left hand hard upon her
heart, and bent forward, her lips apart, her
eyes dilated to their utmost capacity, and
blazing fercely, as with the suddenly kin
died fires of madness,
Another instant, and with phrenzied
yell she threw her arms on high, and,
switter than an arrow from the bow, she
shot downwards from the bank and threw
herself headlong upon the track, under the