St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1883-02-02


Dalrymple. 1t had been brought by
the good gray horse, who came to his
masters gate without rider.
CHAPTER III.
Half an hour later, Bob was yet
standing at the roadside, more like a
gIay statue than living horse, when
two singularly unlike persons met face
to face almost beside him.
Handsome Jack Foreman paused in
the easy swing of his homeward walk
to remark ''Got back, has he All
Saddle soaked Wonder how he hap
pened to get in. l must stop and
hear the news"
"Misterr' exclaimed the harsh,
croaking, but still feminine voice of
the arrival from the opposite direc-
ton "Mister, do YOU know Miss Dal-
rymple, the doctors wife ? | do, and
| met her hereaway down the road,
bout two mile, and | spoke to her,
and she never said ary word. She
hadn't any bunnet on, and she went
by me as if she was sent for, and her
face want right. Does she ever use
| likker Or has there somethin' hap
pened 1t kind o. come to me after
ward as how she might be took in her
head"
"Mrs. Dalrymple Did you say you
met her 7" were the first syllables Jack
could wedge into the vOluble flood of
talk of the gaunt, hard, rough-loOking
old woman, who was thrusting her
face so nearly into his own, in the ca
gerness of having something so re-
markable to say.
81 know twas her"
"Oh Mr.. Foreman" exclaimed at
that moment the voice of little Harry's
nurse, on the other side of the gate,
Something dreadful's happened.
know there has. The doctor hasn't
come home and there's his horse, and
Mrs. Dalrymple's gone l don't know
where"
81 can guess where. Pm going after
her." almost shouted Jack, as he strobe
away. The nurse and the bony old
woman were left to exchange their
budgets of news, for he vanished in
the growing darkness.
"AfOOt ?" he muttered, at the end
of the first hundred yards. "How'd
bring her back No, must go to Bel
denis for Toms buggy. Stir 'em all
. up, too"
He made that half mile Il wonderful :
ly short one, and, as he swung open
the gate, the merry voice of Addie
Belden rang out upon the piazza.
"Here's Jack Foreman again. Now,
Mother, what do you say 2"
"TOm -
There was an intensity of ominOus
meaning in that one word, which made
bA e.,
| ward.
"Tom Get out your buggy. Get
a horse for me. We've got to go and
hunt for Sophie"
"FOr Sophie ?" almost screamed
Mrs. Brownlow, and her mothers
| voice added, mOurnfully:
: "Oh my daughter"
"The bridge is down. The doctors
horse came home without him, and
SOphie's off down the river bank, no.
body knows where. Quick, now Ne
! time to lose !"
Tom was already bounding away to-
ward the stable, and Jack followed
: him, and the only hope of the ladies
for further news of the disaster lay in
! hurrying after them both. Addit
alone fingered for bonnet and shawl
ana she Salu 10 nerSel1 I:
"I'll go. | might he needed. II
take another shawl, too"
That was thoughtful; and it wa,
but minute or so before she was seat
ed in the buggy, beside Tom Brown
, low, while he urged his fast trotter be
hind the rapid gallOping of Jack Fore
man.
). "He's got your fathers bay thorough
t bred" grumbled Tom to Addie, "anC
there's no use trying to get ahead o
e him."
4 go, Tom, this is dreadful
0 "Of course, it is but you can't tel
9 yet. Maybe nothing's happened worse
than having to put up Il new bridge
!, 1t was about time for that, anyhow
e The old one wasn't fit to stand
d tioOd.n
1t was not very good time for con
}, versation, and more had been con
e sumed than at all suited the needs o
;. the occasion, if they were to catch u
with Sophie Dalrymple before sh
5 should reach the bridge. The plac
: where the bridge had been and wher
l. a few shattered and twisted timber
- and half-submerged piles formed nov
It a ragged and half-tragic seeming ter
minus for the black line of the road.
e The gaunt and bOny old woman wa
e the only human being who had spOk
d en- to Sophie, as she pushed o.
through the deepening shadows of tn
trees that lined the path she hardl
n knew she was treading. One or tw
1t more had turned for an instant to loo
'e after her; but, as one of them said t
ID himself:
"She's g'wine right stret along an
re mindin' her own business, and | recB
re on know enough to mind mine," an
she was not interrupted.
The four miles went by her like
it nightmare, and then the nightmar
ID stood with her in the shadow of til
ne deserted little ''toll house." at til
re broken bridge-head. At five yard
distance no eyes could have discerne
m either it or her, but her own eye
~ seemed to have received a mysteriOr
IL power to search the blackly gleamin
he surface of that angry water.
They were searching, first, for sOm'
ne thing which could have carried a ma
rs across the SangamOn-a man on
ee gray horse. She held her breath f
a few moments, and then she gaspe1
As hoarsely:
as at is gone. Yes, it is gone"
er After that, as her swift vision wal
D. dered among the scattered flecks {
CHASTITY foam, it was searching for
n face it could not find and all Il
ut while the dingy white patches wei
T. whirled away down the pitiless to
It, rent.
is "Swept away !" she said again. "E
was swept away"
be 1t was gloomy spot, and it was
st weirdly gloomy watching, and thi