Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1881-05-06
"a Leap in the Dark.

: "a Leap in tho Dark"
AMAD ACT.
The cliffs that rear their naughty heals
High Ger that rivers darksome bed
We're here all naked, wild and gray,
There waving all with greenwood spray
Here, trees from every crevice,
= And . er the crags their branches threw
And there, all spntered anu uneven
: The shvered rocks ascend 10 heaven.
1t was clear, bright night, lii tn
deptbs of the mountain wilderness.
There was long, deep, narrow valley
running north and south, for MANY miles
flanked east and west by towerins mum
tains
The RANGE ON the east was called Cata
mount Cliffs. that on the west, P.nthe
Peak.
Deep down in the bottom of the valley
ran a low and narrow river. cillel til,
Umbra.
On this night not sound disturb the
awful solitude Of Athe wilderness NOT
living creature appeared Ill sight
Human life seemed far away.
Yet had there been light enough, hui
man form might have been seen Oh the
eastern range.
1t was the figure of IA young girl, wrap
ped in dark shawl that covered Ler from
head to foot. gliding slowly y, 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 descent.
Sometimes she paused and leaned
against a tree, as IL for momontary sup
port, and then the faint light of the moon
fell upon an upturned, lovely young face,
pallid with despair.
And now another figure appeared upon
the scene, another and 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
.'shadowing" 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, be-
tween which and herself lay the tracks of
a very recently laid railroad, whose trains,
twice day, awoke the awful cchces OF
the towering rocks.
Here she sat down Oh 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 stsrlit heavens, as If
help for her hidden grief were there.
Then she looked vaguely at the little
crescent of the moon that WAS sinking
slowly behind the cedar crowned summit
of the western ridge, She watched it
out of sight and then let her glance slow
ly 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-if dared" she whisper
Ell, her eyes dilating as she gazed down
upon the river, whose shining, smooth
dark surface reflected every star above.
IF | only dared TO take the plunge.
They say the 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 L
have never had the courage to take that
plunge! What does the poet say?
Who would not choose
The leap attaining the repose -
Oh, but cannot-I cannot Oh, for
one brief fit of madness to give Inc
courage 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
this rivers bank, night after night, but
he has never driven me into it. Ah-h-h
she suddenly cried, starting to her feet
What is that 2"
1t was the noise of the rushing express
train from the north, gaming force and
volume rs it sped onward, its thunders
caught up by the echoes OF the rocky
cliffs on each side the river, and hurled
back and forth with an overwhelming up
roar that filled the valley. and seemed to
threaten with humiliation every living
creature in it.
The girl. standing up. gazed, breath
less, upon the rushing monster, whose
fiery eyes and believing breath were al
most 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 fercsly, rs with the
suddenly kindled fires of madness.
Another instant, and with frcnzled
veil she threw her arms on high, and,
swifter than an arrow from the bow, she
shot downwarls from the bank and threw
herself headlong upon the track, under
the very heat of the rushing Agine.
But swifter than the arrow was the arm
of love, as the watcher sprang forward
and flung her off, both falling back from
the impetus clear of the track, Just as the
express train thundered onward, shaking
the solid foundations of the mountains rs
it passed.
At last there was silence.
Both girls, motionless, exhausted, half
paralyzed. lay together where they had
fallen. The elder, with every vein and
artery throbbing, as if they would burst
with intense excitement, still ciutched
the younger in her arms, and held her as
in death-grip. Both were panic -strick-
en-, overwhelmed and speechless.
The deliverer was the first to recover
herself
Were You mad?" she whispered, III
husky and almost inarticulate voice.
Yes " moaned the other, after a
pause.
"Oh, tohy did You do it,"
II have told you-I was mad.
There was silence for few moments,
and then the elder spoke again, gravely
and tenderly.
"Bevvie what drove you to despera-
tion?"
II cannot tell you !! Oh, | can never
tell you! | wish you had not stopped
me 1t would have been all over by this
time, " moaned the girl called Beyvie.
All over
"Yes, yes, yea, yes !" walled the girl,
rocking herself back and forward-'for |
should have been out of all my misery
Ora Ora Why did you follow me?
Why did you interfere with Inc 2"
II have watched you for weeks; l have
followed you for days, L am responsible to
the Lord for you l was In duty bound
to save you, even if had not loved you
as do ungrateful child y
.'Oh, if YOU knew If you knew.
Ora All! why did you interfere ? 1t
would have been all over now, and
walled Beyvie.
You say that again And it ID false !!
All over 2 Past your trouble? Fool
ish girl You would have been before
your Maker for self murder You would
have exchanged temporal grief for etcr-
nal woe - exclaimed the elder, III II tone
of intense emotion.
"Oh. no, | hope not for | pds mad
then, Ora | was mad then indeed
WAS. ! had not thought Of doing that act
one minute before did it But the rush
of the engine, the thunder OF the noise,
the uproar Of the echo, the fiery eye, the
flaming breath, the vision Of swift and
sudden death, all fascinated, maddened
me M | stood alone in the dark, and drew
me down to the destruction from which
you snatched me -
"And yet you seem deeply TO regret
being saved, and you bitterly reproach
me for saving you You are inconsist-
ent Bsvvie But that too, IL Il symptom
Of an unsound mind Come with me |
do not know cannot even hazard II con
lecture, rs to tho nature Of the grief that
has unsettled you. You have steadily
refused to tell me- But tonight nm
determined to know / for | am III the
place Of II mother to you, Bevvie. and
am responsible to the Lord for your well
being. Can you walk up the steep?'
"Oh, yes, | can walk. sighed the
younger girl.
..Tnke nv arm then and do not hest