Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1888-12-28

He paid her great deal of attention -
won her love. in fact-and might have
married her eventually had not sweet
Amy Leigh appeared upon the scene
| and ensnared him with her sea-b blue
eyes and yellow hair.
THE consequences were he forsook
| black.cycd queenly Zorah. and mar
ried Amy in three months time.
'Zorah Delmaine met the bridal
party Mt the church door after the
ceremony, and pronounced curse
upon the house OF Lynn, to the effect
that each of that name should perish
by drowning-Morton first. then his
descendants in their turn. She threw
| the opal ring given her by her false
lover mt the feet of tho pale young
bride saying:
MY hearts blood stains that stone
Take it. and with it my curse!
.'The bride was carried to her home
i'm deathly faint; but Morton laughed
at the whole affair. Nevertheless he
was little startled on picking up the
ring to find that dash of scarlet in
the stone. A year later he was
drowned in attempting to ford the
Platte River when the current ran
swift. He left one son. who grew up.
married and met the same fate. HIS
son your grandfather. was swept over
board i'm "a storm on the Pacific Ocean.
Ethel. how did your father dep
''He was drowned answered the
girl. in low. hushed tones. HE fell
from the bridge, and the current car
ried him under"
True" said Mrs. Lynn. You and
l arc the sole survivors of our race.
and YOU are maiden young and
fair What inference do you draw?"
Don't ask me-. said Ethel shudder-
| ing. ut is too horrible. But l DO
not. l will not. believe in the curse.
What became of Zorah Aunt Ellen P"
.'She disappeared. Hark. Ethel!
| What was thatp"
A dull, rumbling sound shook the
earth and air.
Ethel sprang to the window.
Half "A mile distant the Platte, River
| flowed darkly, sullenly. between its
shady banks. Like II wild beast. it
roared and washed against the bridge
until the giant structure trcmbed aud
tottered.
Ethel watched it with fascinated
eyes Suddenly there came crash.
and the central props gave wag and
were carried down stream by the an
cry current. The treslle work fell with
them. and from the middle of the
bridge to the great water tank on the
village side the bridge was open. with
only a narrow plank on either side
connecting the broken fragments.
Ethel glanced up at the clock. Half
- a
the little station at 6 sharp.
She turned Mortified look upon her
aunt
ut stops for moth ng." she said, in
n husky voice, "and it goes like the
wind. Aunty. / must give the signal;
there is no one else near enough!'
Ethel, you shall not" grasped Miss
Lynn. starting forward as her niece
caught up shawl and flew toward the
door. Remember the curse of Lynn!
Ethel Ethel !"
But Ethel was already on the rail.
road track hurrying toward the river
and gave no heed to her aunt's voice of
distress.
Onward she few with breathless
haste, unheeding the sharp stones
which cut and bruised her feet at
every step. paused not until she reach
ed the bridge and the great brown
water tank doomed up before her.
Clinging zzily to the iron railing
she felt her way across the narrow
plank, not daring TO glance down at
the whrling flood beneath, lest she
should loose her balance and fall.
AS she reached the other side. faint
and giddy, the whistle of the n-coming
train broke upon the roar of the angry
river.
With the sound new life entered
EthePs veins. Sna,chng the scarlet
shawl from her head. she ran along the
bridge. waving it frantically, as the
fast express swept round the curve.
She saw her signal was observed.
The speed of the train was slackcned,
and with n sound rs of roaring waters
in her ears she fell senseess across the
track.
And to think" said pretty Mrs.
Dacre. some months later, 'fhat YOU
should prove to be the last of Del
maine blood Royce dear; aud in say
ing you that awful day | lifted the
curse from Lynn. How little | knew |
should meet my fate in one of the pas
vi AudN u Rlh
Wasn't it stranger
Very strange. assented Royce
Darce. regarding his beautiful wife
quizzically. "When | picked you up
rs you lay in dead faint across the
ties, / knew | had met INV fate. But
Ethel darling l have no faith in the
curse of Lynn 1t is moonshne. my
dear. 1t is not in the power Of any
mortal to pronounce curse. Cod
only can do that, and his mercy is
infinite. Danish the thought, my little
wife.
Etheps fair face grew thoughtful
Yet how we'll il all Its ill.," she
said, reilectively. The opal ring was
gone from my finger when came back
to consciousness. and no trace of it has
been found. 1t must have dropped in-
to the river Then Aunt Ellen marry
ing that dear old Maj. Darlington.
your best friend. and my marriage with
you. brought the fulfilment of the