The San Antonio light. (San Antonio, Tex.) 1883-1886, 1885-03-12
A PHANTOM BRIDE.
BY the Author of "TnE Ice CAR
NIvAL."
CHATTER VIII.
IN THE JAWS or DEATH.

X
of fire were kindled at long intervals,
with admirable effect. The moon
shone clear and bright In q cloudless
sky. and on either side the lake tho
background of leailess trees and shad-
owy bosket framed a picture calculated
to recall sketches of winter in the Can
adian woods or Christmas on the Ne
va
But those were undcniably English
forms-stalwart mon and lissOm maids
who skinned the frozen surface with
grace and celebrity purely insular. for
ccries. our British fair ones have
stately carriage and sroho movement
peculiar IN themselves, as they bend
hither, thither, upon the cleaning
blades. swaying like reeds in the wintry
blast, whilst each sturdy unit of the
sterner sex pursues the even tenor of
his way-even upon his Acmes-with a
stolid dignity and strength of purpose
which foreign caperers seldom emu
late.
The gathering proved but small
twenty souls. perhaps, all told; and
Dick. fresh from the limilless acres of
llendon, the Long water, and the Ser
pentine, soon began to weary of the
somewhat monOtonous sport of "fol-
lowing his nose in straight line, half
ut one point the lake diverged, AMI cut
up in n narrow strait some distance
among the trees, yet the ice was held
too sheltered in such reconcile regions
to be altogether safe, despite the rigor
of the frost.
So any advance in this direction was
strictly taboOcd Keep to the right
skating up; keep TO the left skating
down-ligure-cutting only in the centre
of the pond Such was the tenor of
the injnnctions laid upon each guest,
and in this primitive locdle 1t would
have been regarded w.ll-nigh as an in
frngement of the rites of hospitality
had any visitor ventured to disobey.
And, indeed, | know not that any felt
the inclination. saving, perhaps, the in
evitable exception necessary TO prove
the rule in the shape of Dick Carlisle,
who "hailed," as we know, from that
seething whirlpool of iniquity, popular
~ dubbed town." and was consequent
ly prone to evil tendencies happily
confined to metropolitan sinners.
1t must at any rate be confessed that
after two full hours of what he stigma
tised as ''uncommonly poor fun" Dick
began to weary of the mOnotOny of the
prescribed course and cast longing
glances in the direction of the smooth
uncut ice, cleaning like silver ribbon
in and out among the trees.
There might be some amusement now
in exploring the windings of the frozen
stream, and imagining oneself miles
away from the haunts of civilization
and the iostling, "madding crowd"
Dick argued mentally. by the way,
unless he were much mistaken, the
water extended as far rs the gardeners
hut, coign of vantage where he had
spent many happy hours, when first he
| had been visitor on probation at
| lN7ak House, some half-dOZen years
ago.
Ali to be sure, there was the twinkle
of a lighted pane visible, even now, be-
tween the branches of the trees; he'd
mind, a deviiish good mind"
But at this juncture, thought became
merged in action; one glance to right,
to left, before, behind, and, behold
finding himself momentarly unOb-
served, Dick swooped round on his
blades, and, executing a skilful retro
grade movement, glided away under the
shadow of the trees, unperceived alike
by host, sisters, friends.
Then away-away over the CLASSY
surface, swift as arrow from the bow,
bending, swaying, now right, now left,
rs the stream meandered in and out, till
at length Dick paused, momentarily
out of breath, and, by way of variety,
began cutting hierOglyphic Fights,
threes, thoughts, in the centre of the
ice.
1t was pretty, too, from here to watch
the effect of the freight scene beyond,
with the muilled figures in the dark
apparel Swimming the lake like gigantic
birds, the blazing braziers casting high
| hrinht tnnntna nf lixrinm tunn and
shedding u lurid rosy glow on the MIN
ic snow mountains piled around.
Such the prospect on the one hand,
whilst on the other all was dark, mys-
FERROUS and drear; only ever and again
betwiXt the interstices of the trees, the
solitary lamp in the gardeners cottage
twinkled frostily like a fallen star.
Well he'd u mind to wish old Daw-
kins the compliments of the season; so
Dick veered round, bent his head Ia
the breeze, in order to escape some low
hanging branches of the naked alders
which in summer interlaced their leafy
arms over this portion of the stream
then onward, onward, through the
cleir cold night, cleaying space like
some winged thing.
Until
Never after could he succeed in accu.
rately defining what next occurred
Was it that he tripped over some jag
ged unseen stone embedded in the icei
that his skates became suddenly en-
tangled in some fallen twigs? or, that
in any case, without preliminary
sign or symptom, without the vaguest
notion that his equilibrium was en-
dangered, Dick pitched head foremost
heavily to earth, coming down with {
monstrous crash which starred the ice
for yards around, and shivered the froZ
en- surface Immediately beneath hi
weight.
1t rent, it Glove, it gaped asunder, tn,
jagged edges springing wide like thu
two ends of a ribbon sundered sharply
when tension is extreme, and into tn,
dark yawning chasm thus exposed
head foremost Dick was plunged.
Widely, vainly, his iron-shod fee
struck ont fiercely right and left; HI
but succeeded in enlarging the hideOu
aperture, and greedily the prsone,
waters sucked in their uncXpecte,
prey.
Was it fancy, or even as he fell, did
sharp, smothered human cry reach hi
ear from the nearest bankY The vote
of a fellow-creature, telling of sympa
thy and commiseration at that momen
of supremest peril, when in the heyda
of health and strength brave man RI
Allies he is face to face, nay, surely il
the very jaws of remorseless Deaf
himself.
just then Dick might not pause I
ponder; he was graphing with his cru
ell foe, fiercely, wildly, as those onl
| struggle who recognize that the issue
| one of life or death; that no inferno
date course is practicable, that the di