The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1884-04-19

At length a dreadful suspicion crept
over us, and cry burst from one of the
women She wrung her hands and cried
historically that the girl was in the crf-
fin and they were going to bury her in
the lake.
The woman was silenced with effort,
and all stood still as death, waiting,
waiting, The moon seemed only little
way above us, cnly a little higher on the
hill, ard oh, so pale and p,ifuI and sor.
rowing she seemed! The far white
m ountains of snow shone like silver in
this whtest and brightest OF silver moons
this side Of Arabia.
Why were we compelled to stand here
and see all this? Surely they meant to
murder this girl and make us witness it,
in order tn spread terror and the Fur of
their power to judge" and to execute
Judgment through the land. Here was
murder to which the murderers de-
m"nde witnesses and compelled the
presence Of witnesses, But still, MS ]
said before, we conld see but dimly,
The moon was sinking fast now. How
slow and deliberate they were! The bar
row evidently had heavier load than
ever before The heavy chain aud the
chained Pirl7 1t moved heavily. slowly,
through the great white girdle of gleam-
ing salt; slowly and sadly. like funeral
march
At last it touched the edge of the dark
waters. All was still, AS silent as death.
1t seemed that some one of these men
two of them three of them, all of them
must disobey this giant and monster.
kill him if iecfsNary, and save this
beautiful girl. Even if they Ind no
sense OF chivalry or vi-lue or valor in
them 10 help the helpless, it dld seem MS
if home one, all. might do almost any.
thing to protect her. save her.
Two men rode up. dismounted. held
their horses by the long tethers as they
stood there freiful aud knee-deep in the
cleaning girdle of salt and so hastily
lifted the long black coffin into the
boat.
The giant solemnly and silently took
his place at the oar and began to move
slowly and certainly toward the dark and
desolate rock in the deeps of the lake.
The horsemen remounted. drew back
hats in hand, and 80 sat with the Others
looking ort at the colossal and silent
boatmRn with his singular freight. Was
he rowing 10 reach this rock where the
corpse had been seen loaded down in the
water with chRins2 Would he not go on,
on, on, anywhere, aud escape these brnt-
al and blind followers, who believed him
a SAINT engaged in maintaining the
Church of Jesus Christi
But these men did not doubt for u
moment. They sat their horses in a
crescent about the head of the lake ami
looked on. tranquil, silent. rsverential.
waiting with certainty the signal o;
death.
Never fell there such silence, Never
was there such murder as this. Far
away above tue cleaning towers of snow
aud stars stood trembling. The moon
began TO hasten away and slide swiftly
down in the west behind the hill on
which We stood. as if terrified aud re-
fusing to witness.
The man saw that the moon was going
away, and be dipped his oars with rapid
and heavy stroke. The water shore,
sparkled, flashed in the moon. The
oars dug into the heavy water rs if dip
ping into sea Of molten silver.
The boat struck the rock! You could
hear it CRATE aud grind, all was so still.
The giant stood mp in the boat Sc
cond, and with his broad right hand
slowly drew back the covering aud look.
ell down AS If into a face in the coffiu
He WAS SO tall. bis form seemed like a
tree. He cast black aud irighIful
shadow far out oyer the sea of silver in
the fading moonlight The mounted
Danites loomed up in the mirage larger
than heroic statues st last the colossal
figure ia the boat leaned over. caught
mp something long aud heavy from the
oofhn, stood up tall and terrible with II
poised in the air, high sbove his head