The Harrison times. (Harrison, Boone Co., Ark) 1876-1938, 1883-02-10

al should firt with the parson Of
the place myself if you were not
here, she said to her husband, as
she uniolded her scheme.
He appeared doubtful of the re.
suit, having formed fairly accurate
estimate OF Cecil's strength Of char.
acter; and though his pretty little
wife was yexsd at his seeptiesm,
she was at last beginning reluctant.
ly to share it.
In all her match making she had
never had to deal with two such
hopelcssly refractory beings as
these two, and there was no deny
ing that Cecil was the harder to
bend.
She was as pitiless as rock
whore her Erlde was concerned.
The sun had sunk below the hori.
zon, but still Cecil Durward moved
restlessIy about among the lilies.
A peasant woman stopped ut the
little white gate, and wished Cecil
good evening.
. She fingered talking for few
minutes, and then, with shade of
anxiety on her weather beaten face,
asked if Madame had seen the En-.
glish gentleman that evening, as
two hours ago he had gone down to
tho beach toward the dangerous
bay.
A fisherman had called out to
him, but he could not have heard,
as he had not returned.
Monsieur had often expressed a
wish to see the bay by moonlight !;
but he must have forgotten that it
was the spring-tide.
Cecil's face grew deadly white.
She looked out across the sea,
which was already beginning to
CLEAN cool and clear in the pllvery
rays OF the rising moon.
The beach ut the foot of the cliffs,
on which the village was situated,
could not be seqn from the garden.
With few snore questions, she
dismissed the woman, and stood for
a accond or two rejecting.
Then, with look of sudden de-
cision, she flew, rather than ran, up
the llttle path to her door.
When she emerged again, she was
wrapped in a long dark cloak that
fell down almost to her ankles.
"God grant that may not be too
late after al !" she murmured, with
a quick look upwards; and, with
out waiting to go down to the vii,
Iase Tor more help, which would
only have delayed her, she sped
along the road until she came to a
path cut into the cliffs, leading down
the beach beneath.
Once on the sands she flew along
with her bare feet, keeping her eyes
fixed on tho black jetting promon
tory that hid the bay from her
view.
The waters were already nearly
up to the cliffs as she hurried along,
and as the rough crags that shut in
the bay on this side curved toward
the sea, the waters were almost
knee deep as she waded past, each
wave as it advanced gaining more
strength, and threatening to carry
her off her feet altogether,
Another effort and she turned the
projecting rock, and stood once
more upon the brown.ubbed sand.
She cast one quick eager glance
across, and then her heart stood
still.
Standing in the center of the
beach, shadowing his eyes as il tho
moonbeams on the waters had daz
zled hlm, was the figure of man.
She did not advance at once, but
turned and looked at the place she
had just left.
A few seconds would make nc
difference now, for by the time she
reached the still unconscious figure
escape by that way would be i'm
possible.
The opposite side had already
boen covered some minutes before
as its cliffs projected still farther on
to sea.
The dreamy ripple Of the advanc
waves prevented hlm from hearing
the sound of hurrying feet.
A hand was laid on bis arm.
"CeCil p burst from bis lips