Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-03-06

IT, nnusC nave passed by had nc
Alger growled and shown his teeth.
"Whn are you?n l called in despera-
son-''teii me. Are you i'll? Can l
Then in the silence of the evening it
crept;out of the darkness and glided
quickly towards the edge, the very edge,
of the pond.
l.. ''Take care!" I shouted, "the water
is deep"
FOR all answer it flung off the cloak,
threw up its arms and plunged into the
Black Pond with a shrek. One glance
l a OF white face, theface of a beau
tlful woman, her black hair streaming
round her; and then l rushed to the
waters edge, beside myself with hor-
or. 1 was more than a mile from the
village. Icould get no help-it was
vain to scream. BY good luck the dog
was with.me. "Seize her, Tiger! seize
her'' and as l raised my hand he
sprang after the woman. A tree spread
its branches far over the pond at this
point. Icrawled along a bough as far
as it would bear me, and so hanging
over the water managed to gain a fiirmn
I hold OF her dress. BY Heavens mercy
the pond was not so very deep at this
spot; l do not think that She was ever
fairly out of her depth, and she had not
lost consciousness. How we did it I
can not exactly tell you, but between
us-Tiger and me-we got her out,
shivering, but alive, on to the bank
moaning and wringing her hands. but
alive and, as far as could see, unhurt.
There was no time to question her. I
must get home-home to the warm fire.
side. and take her with me. Come"
l said. holding her hand tight in mine,
"come." She lifted her eyes and looked
at me-they were wild with terror; her
lips moved, but she spoke in a strange
tongue that | could not understand.
l took up the cloak that lay on the
ground and wrapped it round her, tax
ing care that her face was turned away
from the pond. 1 went my way very
| slowly, half dragging her, up the hill,
and ever and anon she stopped to gasp
for breath and to sob and moan. Half
past six struck, and seven struck be-
fore we reached the garden gate, with
Tiger shifting at our heels. Miriam,
the house-keeper, vas there watching
for me. She is a discreet woman; 1
knew l could trust her. There has
been an accident; help me take the lady
in," / said.
Miriam asked no more; she put her
arm round the lady and carried her
fainting to her own room. We got her
wet clothes off; Miriam lighted the fire
and made a hot possct (from my grand
mothers recipe), and little by little the
stranger came to herself and opened
her eyes, again with the wild stare that
| had seen before. How thankful 1 was
to be so far from the terrible pond!
~"Senora," She said, trying to sit up,
81 will intrude no more; L will de-
part"
l answered her that she was too
weak to think of departing, that she
was a welcome guest that she must
sleep now. and tomorrow we would
converse further.
"As you will, senora," she replied;
81 owe all to you. kiss your hand"
And sc her head fell back on the pill
low, and she could speak no more for
very WEAKNESS. A few moments later
and she was fast asleep, with her dark
hair spread around her, her dark eye
lashes resting on her cheek. Her
hands were clasped together as if she
were praying; [ noticed that they
We're white and beautifully formed, on
one of them she wore a broad gold
ring. How did she come to be wander
ing alone by the Black Pond? Who
was she? Whence did she come?
was thankful-ah! very thankful-that
| had been there to help her at that
awful moment. The tears sprang to
my eyes as | stopped and kissed her.
Miriam is my own dear nurse who was
with my mother rs a girl. and lived
with me during my husbands absence.
He had sailed many, many months ago
q write of the year 1922 for a long
cruise. She persuaded me to change
my wet pelisse, she combcd and
brushed my hair, and treasured me
about the strange lady. Not till then
did know how very tired Iewas.
My visitor passed a restless night
for days she lay in a fever, shivering
and talking fast. Now and then she
burst out into broken English, asking
for a certain Captain Charles Walters
over and over again. He had lodgings
at Plymouth, it would SEEM. and she
could not find the house. Miriam is as
clever a nurse as she is a good house
keeper, and she nursed the lady with
the greatest care. BY degrees our pa
tent recovered without the aid of. a
doctor, who lived IL good ten-miles'
ride across country, and of whose skill
Miriam had 10 high opinion. But she
had many simple remedies Of her own,
and these she used, and she made
dainty dishes and cooling draughts,
and at last there came a day when the
lady sat by the tireside, with a faint
touch of color on her cheek, and then
she told us her story. / will make it
short, but / a not make it less sad.
Her name was Dolores de Riano; she
was a Spaniard born Gas l had
guessed), an orphan, and she had
been wooed and won by an English Off
Ger. whose ship lay at anchor in the
port of Barcelona, hard by the house
where she lived with an uncle. q
too, took E an interest in BARGE:
Iona, as my husband had described
the place to me in his letters.)
This officer had married Dolores
secretly; his ship had sailed, and he
1.r. L.. r;+L +bn ,valIipr ,inr which