Wichita eagle., 1888-04-15

| and true hearted even In his lawiesSnesS; and
pity for that ruined life mingled with the
pain caused by the wreck OF his own happi-
ness and hope.
Tt all made him restless, and the confne-
ment of the narrow house where he dwelt
grew unbearable.
Ralph loved Nature in every mood, but
| perhaps best ia her more turbulent ones;
they suited the impatient longing in his
| mind for fuller life and more intensity OF
action He wearied at all times Of the stag
nation and monotony round him, wearled
of minds that could give him no stimulus,
and found well nigh mtolerable round OF
| daily life that seemed to have no result save
the bare fulfilling OF the fact OF living; and
| row that he was severed from the one creature
| that had svmpathized with his wants and
understood his nature, he was more and more
restless and dissatisfied.
Spite of the coming storm, be had wandered
out on TO the moor, had seen the great clouds
| gather ard break, and watched the startled
creatures of the fields huddle together for
shelter, or seek hastily their holes nd coyerts
! for safety.
He had himself taken refuge from the pour
ing rain under AN overhanging ledge of rock,
from whence he could watch the rushing
stream, the play of the dazzling fire amid the
somber clouds and the sudden lighting up by
the fitful vivid flashes OF the great deSolate
| moor.
The lad was not cultured enough to analyze
his own feelings nor, indeed, did he care
about them, and certainly would have found
it impossible to paint in words the scene be-
fore him Yet not less was he awed by its
| sUblimity.
Its terrific IHagnifcence excited him, and
its beauty and wild grandeur made him for
| get his own small troubles. Unconsciously
there fell on him a great deep calm.
Nature was SO great and the something
behind nature so infinitely grand, that his
soul grew subdued.
God was in the thunder to this peasant lad ;
yet he felt only worship-not touch of fear
His love for Maggy was too much part of
himself to be forgotten; but for that hour he
! was patient, and his resentment against her
father, and against the verdict of the country
| side, sublimated itself into heroic endurance
and resignation.
And ever through his thoughts he heard the
roar OF the stream, the cry of the night bird
in the distance, and the thunder, growing
fainter when the storm at length began to
pass.
Once or twice, as the lightning flashed and
lit for a second the whole horizon, he fancied
he saw dark object on the moor, as though
| s0me figure advanced towards him; but the
darkness fell again SO quickly his mind had
barely time to register the impression his eye
| conveyed.
Suddenly cry of dismay! A shrill yet
feeble Shrek for help; then another. as Of
despair, rises above the roar q the torrent;
| and Ralph jumps to his feet.
MercifuI heavenl There within his very
reach, is some lost creature being borne away
by the fury of the stream.
Death so close, SO close and cruel; the lads
heart beats wildly with longing to rescue
the hapless one from that strong icy grasp.
But, alas! the darkness is so deep he knows
not where to fight the foe, and the seconds
seem eternities as he waits, every nerve at
| strain.
Again the cry. 1t is nearer now.
Ralph hestates no longer. His senses are
trained with the outdoor life he has led, and
with an unerring instinct he measures the
distance from the spot whence comes that
awful call.
Wild though the spate may be, it has no
power to check lis daring. Into the whiten-
ing foam he dashes
The plunge makes him giddy and the noise
confuSes; yet he manages to keep his footing
| though the force of the current makes it diff
cult.
The clouds break little, and there is a
faint light behind them, and he sees human
figure borne on the stream above him and
dashed against an outjutting mass of rock.
1t is but second that the downsweep is
stayed by the obstacle; yet it is sufficient for
the young fellow to reach the point and
| grasp in his strong arm the stunned and
helpless man.
Thus far he is successful, but not so
Quickly can the landing be effected.
Hampered as he is by the unconscious
| weight he holds, the lad has little
power to struggle against the stream, and
is borne on and on, though he clutches vainly
with the one hand that is free atevery branch
of tree, or twig, or jutting stone that over
| hangs the banks.
He grows very weary and faint, yet bravely
will not yield.
Fortunately for him, the man he holds is
not conscious enough to impede him by strug-
Cling, and as yet he is able to keep his own
head and that of his helpless burden above
water.
A terrible fear is on him, for he knows
they are nearing the lake, and once within it
ne W III De OUT Vi us ueptu anu eliOTG Will De
useless, for the inland lad has never learnt
! to SWIM.
The terror gives him strength and nerves
| him for one more struggle as he sees fallen
tree athwart the stream.
With strain that tries every well knit
muscle, he gains the bank, and sinks exhaust
| ed on the soaking sward, his comrade in his
arms.
l,,,,a e
| revives him, and, bending over the man. he
has tried 10 save, he feels his heart
Thank heaven, it still beats! Yet how
| feeblyl and out there on the bare kill side
what chance has he to revive its exhausted
! powers!
As he so bends the night grows clearer ano
star or two shine forth BY their light he
can see the white set face of the man for
whom he has risked his very life.
Now he knows i'll
| II is that of one who has treated him
crreliy-one who had vowed never so long as
life should last to lock on him save as an
enemy and a traitor-that of old farmer
Wilkinson, the father of his darling.
Good God, if the man should die with these
| bitter words unsaidl
Ralph moves the prostrate figure into the
shelter OF q neighboring fence. raises tie
| was esfopished TO see the con,te de Z. coming
into the apartment Is seemed that be had
hot resolved the package forwarded him by
! tho general, and learning by chance Of the
coachmanis death, lad presented himself to
! claim whatever papers or articles Of value he
I had left behind him
They have been sent to you already, NJ.
| de v" the general replied: nevertheless,