The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1888-02-03

HnrN tS4Ss Wln0 nQmtned like soma avv.ut
nica "a sS ~ Ssiled t9 each other from nTecj.
81 man. i no VIA ,, 40 ntghtYste dreamed
S ETY.. ever equal the living hoTfos az III
y =. and the weird crying Of thGsa - to ~
~ =. ".,o algntAs We Eay. like shfs;srecEc3
s M,I.lneIs o1 . taft, and tossed Oh 4 Sin~cS'
10 fho tosss wilderness Of air. Eorttinates
deej' H. eu,peI9t0f was not q low one-iu.
have ner}snndIA. WSs warm, or we should
And while we still were stretcS sesIdi o ,:nss nnoS
S cms rock q thing happened thnt Vas 10
i i"risDns and suggestive in itself. though
~ vuU.tsss u was q mere coincidence. That.
~ y atnyIning It added t~orathertllan deduct.
y ~ t, 'e.a, Inc burden on our nerves.
VIVA stnaS ~ that when Ayesha
~ Ma m s.andlag on the SPUR, before we crossed
10 So me stone, the wind tore her ciosk from
n net 4 anu whtrled II away into the darkness
NJ inc guilt. we. could not sec whitier
we'll hardly like to tell the story, it iss 40
stcna es,a We lay there upon the locking
t ttUl hia .Ils very cloak came floating ont Of
dead, and fell on Leo DO that n soverei
nun mn nearly from head to foot. We could
noI at first make out what IL was' INF snnw
by Its feel. and then po0r len
NE Jus nLsI tlme gave way. and heard
,,n.ss sonDlng there upon the stone. No
s snoo me COAX a been caught upon
N--.E "a VAC GILL; uutk VvUS tn9nCe
blown hither by q chance gust. but still It
WIS q most curious and touching incident.
Snortly after this, suddenly, without the
ssllgn1est previous warning, the grent red
hn..e OF light came stabbitig the darkness
.nrougn and through, struck the swAying
point-upon the spur opposite.
Now for it, said Leo-.now or never.n
We rose and stretched ourselves. and
looked ~ the u d-wreaths, stainei the
color OF pioot by that red ray, rs they tore
through the s!ckenfng depths beneath. and
ttnen ~ sae empty space between the sway
U hearts despafred and prepared for
death. Surely we could not clear IL.
desperate though we We're.
WHO is to go firstf" said /.
ID you, old fellow" answered Leo. "r
Will SIT upon. the other side Of the stone to
sue, s.eaay ~ You must take as much run as
mercy on us, say l."
acquiesccd with a nod, and then ] did n
thing had never done since Leo was n
little boy. 1 turned and put my arm round
MIN, n kissed him on the forehead, IL
sounds rather French. but us a fact l was
taxing my. last farewell Of u mar whom 1
could not have loved more IL he Ind been
my wv son twice over.
"Gooi-bye,. my boy" 1 said, Il hope that
we shnu meet again, wherever 1t is shat we
go o."
The fact was I did not expect to live an
other two minutes.
Next l rctreated to the far side of the
rock, and waited till one of the chopp!ny
gusts of wind got behind me, and then
commanding my soul to God, l ran the
length OF the huge stone, some three or
four ana thirty feet; and sprung wildly out
into the dizzy air. Oh! the sickening ter
rors that l felt Us I launched myself ut that
little point of rock, and the horrible sense
OF despair that shot through my brain as I
realized that l Ind jumped short! But SO
u was; my feet never touched the point;
they, went down into space, only my hands
and body came in contact with 1t. grip
ped Mt 1t With n yell, but one hand slipped,
l swung right round, holding by the
other, SO that 1 faced the stone from which
1 had sprung. Wildly l stretched up with
my left hand, and this time managed to
the fierce red light, with thousands of feet
holding to either side of the under part Of
the spur SO that its point was touching nv
head. Therefore even If I could have
found the strength / could not pull myself
up. The most that l could do would be to
hang for about u minute, md then drop
down, down into the bottomless pit. If
IN man can imagine u more hidcous posi-
tion, let him speak. All I know is that
the torture Of that half minute nearly
TUNED my brain. l heard LEO give a cry,
and then suddenly saw him in mid-air
springing up and out like a chumois. 1t
WINS u splendid leap that lie tool under the
Influence of his terror and despair, clearing
the horrible gulf us though il Wero moth.