River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1888-03-29

49, [ -
$3.50
SHE WAS PAST REvIvING AND DEAD.
ed and dazed. his left arm hung limp and
motiOnless by his side, but his eye, wild and
haggard, shot around the glances Of a man
/ determined and desperate even 10 death.
Naught! naUghti could he see! Naught,
except black, ill-omened bird of strange
form and plumage. Standing motionless on
a crag that overlooked the deeper part of
! the cove, il suddenly shriel1ed out in those
7 same weird, unearthly, frightened tones
/ that he had heard before, and, spreading its
wings, sailed YEARLY away toward the
pines.
/ With an execration, Fairfax hurled =
/ stone after II. Thrown with unerring aim
I and tremendous force, the missile hit the
/ creature so that it tumbled heavily to the
( ground, where it lay fluttering in the
I thrOes Of death.
| Fairfax glared at il with no other emo
I ton than that Of hate and glutted revenge.
/ A racldng pain in his forearm now at
/ tracted his attention. CHANGING al himself,
/ he, for the first time, became aware Of
I his frightful condition.
1 Blood was streaming from various bruises
ali over his body His clothing hung about
/ him in tatters. His forearm was broken
Y and his shoes cut 10 pieces.
/ There was no fresh water at hand.
''Salt water IS better than no water at all
Z III wash my wounds in that-sting
though they may" quOth he, grimly shut
I ting his lips
The dying bird fiuttered again.
With 4 glance Of rage at il and an oath,
Fairfax stumbled 10 the head of the cove
and, tearing of fragment Of his clothing,
was about 10 wash and bind up his wounds,
when he CHANGED TO look out into the
I deeper water beyond.
UuterIng a cry Of horror he at first re-
coiled but, quickly recovering himself,
I sprang into the sea and swan out with
strokes vigorous As a broken arm and
MANNED body would allow.
Was Il Natalie who lay there SO quietly
and peacefully on the heaving water. her
long, dark curling tresses streaming out far
behind her in the c0Ol.translucent wave. her
pure, upturned face cleaning like marble in
the mOonbeams and her white-rObed,
shapely form rising and falling on the long
sea-swelif
Not daring 10 look at the face not daring
70 verify ms horrible suspicion. Fairfax
with the deep and labOred breathing IF one
undergoing some terrible excitement, ex-
tended his wounded arm against her
/ figure and, striking out powerfully with his
other limbs, forced her to the shore
Touching terra irsHa, he lifted her bodily
and. staggering wOefully beneath the
burden, almost fell forward upon the rocks,
slippery with sea-wced.
Then, for the first time, he found courage
10 glance at her face.
She was past reviving. quite dead, and
sbs ,Cas not the Princess
Fairfax breathed fervent Thank God -
and. Immediately, for the first and only
time in his life, fell in dead faint, beside
the drowned girl.
How long he lay there, he could not say
probably for three or four hours. The
strain upon his nerves and strength had
been something tremendous Besides, he had
eaten nothing since breakfast.
When he regained consciousness, dawn
/ was family shining in the east.
Was II all horrible dreamf
No! there on the grass beside him, in
/ the sleep that knows no waking, lay the
! figure Of the dead maiden. Acutest pains
shot through his arm, and his whole body
seemed a mass Of aching bruises.
Faint and weak, he summoned all his
strength and courage and rose slowly to his
feet
What was to be done. This was no time
for moping or for sentimental regrets. His
I tired energies again must act.
Who was this girl, and what her history9
How was she drowned, and why-here III
these remote cOasts3
Scarcely more than nineteen she seemed
about the age Of his own Natalie. She
[ looked like an Orient Princess Beautiful
and classic as a Greek marble, and almost
as white.
Not a wrinkle or a line showed in that
Esas,
[ quiet and sercnely peaceful, she slept
Il am of the house of CHsarti breathed
I forth from every curve and contour of that
marvellous face and form to all who looked
upon her.
And no Caesar was ever thine equal, or
ever shall be- fell spontaneously from the
lips of the ravished gazer.
Crescent earrings were pendant TO ex-
quisitely-shaped ears, and on her left hand
glittercd brilliant signet-ring Of rare and
antique shape, set with a stone of wOndrous
beauty and value a necklace of eostliest
pearls, arranged in a manner severe in its
simplicity. encircled the polished throat. and.
hanging from this necklace, a ieweled lOcket
rested on her bsred, ivory bosom.
Again he glazed at that curious, quaint
ring
Once, and only once before, had he seen
its counterpart.
There arose before his backward gazing
eyes the vision Of pleasant little room in
an old. low house at Tang ers: the grizzled
yyeather-beaten captain Of his uncle's YES
sci sat in closest conference with noble
looking. gray-bearded Greek merchant
prince, whose whole life seemed bent on
money getting. above all, came the men,
Ory Of that darlz-orbed. olive-hued little
daughter, with her bright, sweet, eager
face, literally hanging upon every word
from his lips. watching his every motion
with those lustruus. melting ewes Of hers,
forestalliug his every wish. her tireless
feet trotting hither and thither for cooling
fruits or drinks.
He recalled the sudden tear, the deathly
pal.or e her face and upon his ear smote
her sob of despair, when the rough old cap
lain entered sud announced his departure
on the morrow, adding:
Arthur. my Lad, you must leave your lit
tie pupil When we quilted your uncle,
thought ylu not long for this world. But
now, thanks 10 good sca-voyage. l take
You back 20 him youth strong as the
next"
Then came the parting with his many
rash promises Of returning soon. the two
soft white girIish arms flung tight about
his neck, her hot tears falling fast upon
his cheek and the passionate moan of the
warm-hearted, impulsiye young Greek
child. as she utterly refused 10 let him 60;
then tine old Moorish seaport faded away in
the distance and, alas 80, too. did little
Haydee. He had scarcely thought Of her
from that day 10 this; and that was eleven
years ago
Bet hGd 81 ster Jorgottsa HIN Or his prom
~ - retLErGf
CHAPTER NNEL
MILLIONS OR-NOTHING:
with q start. he awolle from his musings
over tho past and hastily began TO search
for some proof Of the woman's identity.
As he opened the locl1et he staggered
backward in amazemeut. In one side was
the face Of an old gray-bearSied man. a face
he never could forget. In the other, bent
and worn. small tiu-type Of a young lad Of
eighteen or nineteen.