The Grenada gazette., 1888-02-04


pleasantness and peace.
But it had come in his day! As h,
stood staring, fissure widened aud
. bcld stream shot forth. At the sight
he turned and fed back down III,
path. Naturally. his first impulse wa
to fly with the warning TO his wife ant
child; surely no man could hold hin
blamable If no should bear these frs
to a place of safety!
Yet the path by the ridge was no
the one direct to the factory settle
ment Should ho turn aside, thcrt
were hundreds of lives further down t.
be put in peril. When Jonah was sem
to Nineveh what had been counted for
him in the scale against the salvation
of city of people? What If the lives
Of Janet and the child were more to
him than the lives Of the scores of
neighbors and friends for whom God
had commissioned him to make this
sacrificcp
rs the servant better than his Lord
that he should refuse to pay the price
demaded for the ransom of the msnyr
The words were thought rather than
spoken, as he dashed past hts home.
Every muscle he was strainink 70 the
utmost but there were those abcat the
mills who. marking his frantic gest-
nres, came running to leara Of him
what they portcnded.
THE lake. the lake! Fly. fy!" was
the half-articulate cry they caught
from his lips.
A wavc of his hand toward the creek
filling the mill wheels interpreted the
direful cry. From mouth 10 mouth il
flew. There was a hurrying to and
fro, and a gathering Of treasures in hot
haste. Messengers Of warning gal.
loped along the doomed valley. The
weak, the old, were seen climbing the
heights. Dwights sacrifice had not
been in vain. but, his duty done, he had
turned back to see il. haply, he might
yet save his own treasures. Tho tor.
rent was leaping against aud tearing
at the abutments of the bridge as he
reeled across it, and with spent
strength climbed the path to the cot
tage. Through the door he had
glimpse of Janet with the child
Graded in her arms and above the
roar Of the torrent he could hear the
mother grooming her lullaby.
MAX. Max! Oh. my dear, what is
it?"
He lay across the threshold exhausted.
She stepped past him to the porch.
Below the cliff the Otter was pounding
the bridges supports. She had seen
the stream as high once before. though.
What was it Max fcareds A sound
reached her rs she waited. The de-
tonation. sharply distinct, came from
distance. but was Immediately fol-
lo<red by horrible crunching and
grinding. producing quivcring in the
mther about her In the same instant,
almost, she bcheld, far mp the Divide. |
a white wall rise up from earth to
heaven; it was us cliffs escarp.
ment. scooped and bowed over.
and. pondcrous as it appeared.
it was bearing down the gap at ter
rife speed. Jsnet's face blanched,
but it was a brave smile sha gave her
husband as she lifted him into the
room and closed the door.
Il know what it is, Max" she whis.
pered as she sat down by him. with
The child in her arms, and tenderly
raised his head to her lap. 1T will
not be hard for us to brave death to.
gcther,N
The roar stupelied their senses; the
ridge shook TO its foundations; the
house quivcred like an aspen, as tor
rent descended upon it. and a pool Of
water, churncd TO a froth, gathered
,hout the group. They sat still, un-
needing. What time the work OF de.
'tructioa was wrought tney knew not.
Max crept to the door presently, bu,
Us he looked out he uttered cry. and
,urncd back to Janet. She hurried 10
nim. and this was what they saw: II
'hcer precipice dropping from their
lOor into the turbulent waste of waters
boiling along the length and breadth
# the lately smiling landscape of the
Divide.
The bridge is gone. and with 1t the
'idge has been clean shaven away mp
o our very threshold, Janet" said
Max. awc-stricken.
Yes. the waves and the pillows OF
destruction have gone over us" she
,ried, with Thanksgiving Of heart.
But OH, Max. what of the poor peo-
dc at the mills and in the villages?"
He told her. shivering. how he had
rome to them leaving her and the lit
lie one to perish. She stood for q
moment silent.
you would have pcrished with us
It the last. though, my Max" she
aid. her hand in his. ''only God in
lis goodness has left us to each other.
.et us accept His loving Kindness as
he reward Of your duty faithfully
lone. Mrs. NJ Shc6sy. Peters, in N
T. Observer.
1