Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-05-11

your life until you get within couple of
yards of the white mark nearest us-then
take to the rocks, the way |. was telling
you just now, and mayhap-mayhap you'll
/ get across in time"
| / heard no more. | had torn off nv
coat and hat and was flying along towards
the white mark at racing speed.
1t did not take me long to reach the
spo. where l must leave the sands for the
rocks. Before beginning my perilous
climb, l cast one hasty glance in Celia's
direction. Was [ already too late? No,
thank God. A hysterical sob of ioy arose
in my throat as | saw that some whim of
the moment had induced her to stop in
her onward way, in order to try to oblige
her horse to 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 evidently bent
on urging it, and then my whole energies
of mind and body had to be concentrated
on the difficulty of making my way along
| the shaley face of the cliff.
Rising straight up from the sand for
| about twenty feet was sheer, smooth slab
of rock, which afforded absolutely no foot
hold, but above this came the strata of
shale along which | was scrambling as
best | could. The overhanging cliff above
me looked as though it were longing to
fall over and push me downtown on to
the horrible, hungry sands below. The
shale cut my hands, and broke away from
under my feet at each step, and 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
sands would have swallowed up my dar-
ling forever. | remembered our quarrel
with a sort of dull distant pain. On if
| only l could be in time! How could
| endure to go through life never knowing
whether she had forgiven my hasty words,
or whether she had gone to her awful
death still smarting under their injustice.
could only have been about ten min
utes, but it seemed to me to be hours, be-
fore l at last reached the messy white
mark, whick showed me had come to the
edge of the quicksand 1t was only as
crossed it and scrambled down to the shore
below that l dared to look to see if my
worst fears had been realized.
How can | describe the Tevulsion of feel
ing when, as my feet touched the sand,
heard Celia's laugh, and looking ~ saw
her on the ewe-necked mare within a ward
of me-
Why, You silly boy p she exclaimed.
what ever made you come that way?
have been waiting here for the last three
minutes, expecting every second to see YOU
come tumbling down. You ought to take
better care of yourself now you are steady
married man."
could say nothing. l staggered like
drunken man. For three minutes she had
been standing there within few yards of
certain destruction 1t made me dizzy
and faint to think of the narrowness of her
escape.
At last | managed to say hoarsely, as
took her horses head and turned it home
wards: How did you come here ?"
Why, can't you see ?" she said, puzzled
at my manner and my white, scared face.
When you left me in that very ungallant
way this morning, | had to find some
amusement for myself, so | had the mare
saddled and came out for little ride on
the sands"
oh my darling my darling can you
ever forgive me?' L cried, brokenly. And
then, by degrees, l told her of the terrible
danger that had threatened her, of nv
agony, and of my almost despairing climb
along the cliff.
Her face paed. "AIy poor Dickp' she
said, as she laid her hand on my shoulder.
" And to think how cross was to your
"Crossw / exclaimed. "No wonder.
when /" But she stopped me gently.
: Don't let us talk of it any more, Dick.
And yet, after all" she said, as she
wiped away few tears, " it was really
providential quarrel, for if we hadn't quar-
relied we should have gone out riding to-
gether, and we should both of us have got
into the quicksands"
We'll" / returned, "the next quarrel
might not be so providential. A quarrel is
always dangerous experiment We won't
repeat it; will we, dear?"
And, in spite Of the Blundell temper"
we never have.