Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-05-19

within a couple OF yards OF the white
mark nearest us--then take to the rocks,
the way | was telling you just now. and
maybap-mayhap you'll get across In
time"
heard no more. l had torn of my
coat and hat and was flying along toward
| the white mark at racing speed.
IL did not take me long to reach the
SPOT where must leave the sands for the
rocks. Before beginning my perilcus
climb. L cast one hasty glance in Celia's
direction. Was already too late No,
thank God A hysterical 500 OF Joy
arose in my throat az / saw that some
whim OF the moment had induced her to
stop in her onward way. in order TO try
70 oblige her horse 10 walk into the sea.
had lust time TO see that the horse was
FESTIVE and kept backing away from the
advancing waves into which she was evi-
IDENTITY bent on urging 1t, and then my
whole energies Of mind and body had TO
be concentrated on tine difficulty Of
making my way along tie shaley face OF
the cliff.
Rising straight up from the sand for
about twenty ieet was sheer smooth
slab of rock which afforded absolutely
no foothold, but above this came tho
strata of shale along which 1 was
scrambling as fast as / could. The over
hanging cliff above mo looked rs though
it were longing to fall over and push me
downtown on to the horrible.
hungry sands below. TIE shale
cut my hand. and broke away from
under my feet at each step, ana all
the time there was the haunting fear
that | should be too late that before |
should have got up to the second white
mark the sends would have swallowed
ND my darling forever. ! remembered
our quarrel with sort OF dull distant
pain. Oh, il only / could be IN time
How could / endure to go through life
never knowing whether she had forgiven
my hasty words, or whether SIZE had
gone TO her awful death still smartlng
under their injustice.
could only have been about ten
minutes, but it seemed to me to be
hours, before ] ut last reached the messy
white mark which showed me J had
come to the edge of the quicksand. II
was only as ] crossed 1t end scrambled
down 10 the shore below that | dared to
look to see ii my worst fears had been
realized.
How can / describe the reyulsion OF
feeling when. as my feet touched the
sand. ! heard Celias laugh, and looking
up saw her on the ewe-necked mare
within yard Of me.
"Why, you silly boyi' she excloim-
ed. "what ever made You come that
way? 1 have been waiting here for the
last three minutes, expecting every Sc
cond TO see you come tambling down.
You ought to take better care oil yourself
now you are a steady married man. ~
could say nothing. ! staggered like
a drunken man. For three minutes she
had been standing there within a few
Yards Of certain destruction. u made
me dizzy and faint to think OF the mar
rowness OF her escape.
At last | managed to say hOarsely, as
I took her horses head and turned 1t
homeward How did you come
here ?"
why can't you see ?" she said, puz.
lied at my manner and my white, scared
face. "When you lett me in that very
ungallant way this morning had to ind
some amusement for myself. so had
the mare saddled and came out for lit
tie ride on the sands
"Ohl my darling my darling can
YOU ever forgive me? ?" / cried, broken
| is. and then, by degrees, [ told her OF
the horrible danger that had threatened
her, of my agony, and Of my almost
despairing climb along the cliff.
Her face paled.
"My poor Dick I" she said as she laid
her hand on my shoulder. "And to
think how cross 1 Yves to you -
Gross /" 1 exclaimed. " No WONDER
when i" But she stoppedme gently,
Don't letus talk of it anymore, Dick.
And yet. after all, she said, as she wiped.
away a few tears, sit was really proyl1
dental quarrel, for if We hadn't qnGrrel3
led we should have gone out riding to-
gether and we should both OF Us have
got into the quicksands. "
Well, 1 returned, 1.-The next GUAR
rel might not be SO proyidentlaL 4
quarrel ia always q dangerous expert
ment. We won't repeat It, will we,
dear "
And, in spite Of the "BlundeI tenn
per, We never have.