The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-04-13


| over the gulf.
A score of startled gulls with their cries
called.Ine toIuYsef I opened my eyes, that
had shut In sheer giddiness. Close on my lett
the ledge was broke back TO the very base,
cutting me off by twelve feet from that part
| where the ladder still rested. No man could
jump it, standing 20 the right there was no
gap; butin one place only was the footing
| over ten inches wide, and at the end my rops
hung over the sea, good yard away from
| the edge
l shut my eyes and shouted.
There was no answer. In the dead stiffness
could hear the rafters falling in the House
| of Gleys, and the shouts of the men at work.
The Godsend lay around the point, out OF
| sight And Billy, deaf as e stone, sat, no
doubt, by his rope, placidly waiting my signal.
l screamed again ana again. Inc rock
flung my voice seward. Across the summit,
vaulted above, there drifted a puff of brown
smoke No one beard.
A while of weakness followed. Ny brain
! reeled; my fingers dug into the rock behind
till they bled. | bent fOrward-forward over
the heaving mist, through which the sea
crawled like snake. 1t beckoned me down,
that crawling water.
/ stiffened my knees, and the faintness
passed. l must not look down again. 1t
! flashed on me that Della had called me weak,
and I hardened my heart TO fight II out. l
would face round TO the cliff and work to-
wards the rope.
All the way 1 kept shouting, and so, for
half an hour, inch by inch, shufiled forward
until | stood under the rope. Then l had TO
turn again
The rock, though still overarching, here
1 pressed out less than before, 50 that, working
round on the ball of my foot, managed
| pretty easily. But how TO get the ropes As
l said, 1t hung a good yard beyond the ledge,
the moose dangling some two feet below it.
| With my finger tips against the cliff, | leaned
out and clutched at it. ] missed it by a foot
"Shall jumpl" thought l, ''or bide here till
help comes.'
twas giddy, awful leap But the black
| horror was at my heels now. In a minute
more 'twould have me. and then my fall was
certain / called up DeIa,s face as she had
tainted me- l bent my knees, and, leaving
my hold Of the rock, sprang forwaTd-out,
! over the sea.
| saw it twinkle, fathoms below. Ny right
hand touched-grasped the rope; then my
left, as | swung far out upon it. | slipped an
inch-three inches-then held, swaying Wild
". NV foot was in the moose. l heard a
shout above, and, as l dropped to a sitting
posture, the rope began to rise.
Quick! On, Billy, pull qulckI'
He could not hear, yet tugged like Trojan.
"Now, here's time TO keep man sittin'W'
he shouted, as be caught my hand and pulled
me full length on the turf. Why, lad-hast
seen a ghOst?"
1lere was no answer. Inc DlGCk QOrTOT
| had Overtaken me at last
They carried me to Il shed in the great
court of GleyS, and set me on straw; and
there till far into the afternoon, l lay be-
twixt swooning and trembling, while Della
bathed my head in water from the sea, for no
other was to be had. And about in the
afternoon the horror left me, so that L sat up
and told my story pretty steadily.
What of the house," | asked, when the
tale was done, and a company sent to search
the east cliff from the beach.
''All perishedr' said Della, and then, smi-
ing, Il am hOuSeless as ever, Jack"
And have the same good friends"
CHATS true But listen-for while you
have lain here, Billy and have put our heads
together. He is bound for BTest, he says,
and has agreed to take me and such poor
chattels as are saved to Brittany, where [
know my mothers kin will have welcome
for me, until these troubles be passed. Al
ready the half Of my goods IS aboard the
Godsend, and letter writ to Sir BevIu,
begging him to~appeint an honest man as my
steward. What think you of the planF'
at seems a good plan, ! answered slowly;
"the England that now is, Is no place for a
woman. When do you sail'
AS soon as you are recovered, Jack,
Then that's now" ! got on my feet and
drew on my boots that Matt. Soames had
found in the laurel bushes and brought. My
knees trembled a bit, but nothing TO matter.
Art looking dOWnCdSC. JACK.
Said !, How else should | look, that am to
lose thee in an hour or more!'
She made no reply to this, but turned away
to give an order TO the sailors.
The last of Delia's furniture was hardly
aboard, when we heard great shouts of JOY,
and saw the men returning that had gone to
| search the cliff They bore between them
three large oak Golfers, winch. being broke,
we came on an immense deal of old plate and
Jewels besides over 900 in coined money.
There were two more left behind they said,
besides several small bags Of gold. The path
I'D the cliff was hard to climb, and would have
/ been impossible but for the iron ladder they
found ready fixed for Master TingcOmbs de-
scent In the hole that could not be seen
from the beach, the shelf hiding it, was tackle
for lowering the chest: and below a boat
mOored. and now left high and dry by the
tide Doubtless, the arch rascal had waited
for his comrades TO return, whom Matt
SoameS and had scared out of all stomach
to do so. His body was nowhere found. The
sea had washed it of; but the sack they re-
covered, and found TO hold the choicest Of
Delia's heir looms. Within an hour the re-
naming Golfers and the money bags were safe
in the vessels hold.
The sun was setting as Della and I stood on
the beach beside the boat that was to take
her from me- Aboard the GOdSend l could
hear the anchor lifting. and the men singing,
as, holding Molly's bride, held out my hand
to the dear maid who with me had shared so
many peril
rs there any more to Gomez" she asked.
'No." said !, and God knows my heart was
heavy: nothing to come but FAREWELL"
She laid her small hand in my big palm,
and, glancing up, said very pretty and de-
mure:
And shall leave my bestl Wilt not
come too. dear JackY'
"Delam | stammeTed. What Is this? l
thought you loved me not"
And so did /, Jack and, thinking so, !
found | loved thee better than ever. File on
thee, nowl May not a maid change her mind
without being forced TO such unseemly, bra
zen words91 And she heaved a mock sigh.
But as I stood and held that little hand, |
seemed across the very mist of happiness to
read sentence written, and spoke it, per
force and slow as with another mans mouth:
Della. YOU only have ! loved, and will
love! Birhe would ] be 70 live with you, and
TO serve YOU would blithely die. In sorrow,
then, call for me, or in trust abide me But
go with You now | may not
She lifted her eyes. and looking flu into
mine, repeated slowly the verse we had read
at our first meeting:
In vife's lap IS in q grave,
Mans airy notions mix with earth.
Thou hast found it, sweetheart-thou hast
found the Splendid Spur
She broke of. and clapped her hands to-
gether very merrily; and then, Is tear
started:
But thou'lt come for me ere long, Jacki
Else am sure TO blame some other woman
STAY
she drew of her ring, and slipped it on my
little finger.
There's nv token, Now give me one 10
weep and be glad over
Having no triukeJs l gave my glove, and
she kissed il twice and put II IN her bosom.
Il have 10 need Of this ring, said I, ''for
looE,' and ! drew forth the lock ! had cut