The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1890-09-05

Blind, dumb, and paralyzed. but all
too conscious, l awaited my doom.
Thoughts flashed with lightning rapid
ity through my brain. Would the ex-
plosion l momentarily expected to
hear wreck the balloon, and in all
probability destroy the murderous
coward, while it forestalled in me the
fatal climax toward which asphyxia
was slowly but surely stealing? Or
would he see and avert the disaster in
time to save his own vile life-though
not mine. In such case, with what
plausible tale would he return; of how
we had been perforce carried into
regions so high that 1 had succumbed
to asphyXia, while he, being more ac-
customed to the rarified air, had been
able to Withstand its deadly effects.
Doubtless he thought she would believe
such tales. But felt sure that in her
heart she would loathe him as my
murderer. My last thought was, how
would my poor darling bear the shock
that was awaiting her?
| l must have been in an unconscious
state for some minutes. My first sem
sation on sensibility returning was that
of somebody gripping hold of me, and
my first thought was as an echo of some
former one-''he was trying to throw
you out" In a moment l was all con-
seriousness as to the meaning of that
straining grip, and of my own uter
powerlessness to make even an attenH
at resistance. l was still( blind s
dumb, but could hear a loud hissilss
that told me the surplus of gas had
made itself some vent, from which it
was now rushing. So 1 concluded we
were fast descending, and that, fearing
l was not irrecoverably asphyxiated,
he was endeavoring to throw me over
board, thus settling my fate, and aiding
his own chance of escape by tightening
the balloon. Then like an incarnation
of this devilish purpose, there CLEANED
upon me set, white fsce-my sight
had returned.
As his eyes met mine, there leapt
into them look of deadlest malignity,
and he redoubled his efforts to hoist me
out of the car. But, thank Heavens,
my desperate endeavors to break the
spell-like bonds that he'd me resulted
in partial return of the use of my
| limbs and I was enabled to resist his
violent attempts. AS We struggled to-
gether, noticed the extraordinary mo-
] ton of the balloon. Some invisible
power would send her whirling up
wards, then spurn her aside, only to
clutch at her as she fell Keeling and
| hn1 bull hon o1pftt In
short a repetition of gyrations, attend
ed by strong sulphwous smell and
confused bowling.
While the Stella struggled with the
| prince of the powers of the air, as it
seemed-literally, the vortex of the
thunder-cloud into which she had been
drawn-we two enraged adversaries
struggled together for life.
Another minute and the balloon es-
capped from the vortex, and sunk heavily
downwards. Torn open, and almost ex-
hausted of gas by the buffeting she had
undergone, the precipitance of our de-
scent was fearful. Making one more
superhuman effort, Walford suddenly
seized me by the legs, and all but sue
ceeded in casting me, somersault fash
ion, from the car. But although too
faint and giddy to longer conten4 ( 81
him, l instinctively clutched hold OF
the ropes suspending the car to the
hoop. At that critical moment the car
came in contact with tree. In an in
slant it was overturned, and my as
sailant thrown out, and but for my
grasp on the ropes l must have followed
him. In a succession of jerks the car de-
scended through mass of green foliage;
then came sudden cessation of motion.
The hoop had become firmly entangled
in the interlaced branches of the trees,
and 1 found myself dangling, half in
and half out of the car, some thirty feet
from the ground.
Realizing how precarious was my sit
uation, lost no time in scrambling up
on branch close at hand. Looking
down, l saw Walford lying prone and
motionless on the grass below. Won
dering whether he was dead or alive,
managed to possess myself of the guide
rope, which 1 proceeded 80 secure to the
branch in order to let myself down.
While thus engaged | heard shouts, and
looking away | saw two men dashing
across the green sward. Then there
caught my eye in the distance mag
niticent pile that recognized as Kenil-
worth Castle.
In a few minutes the men reached the
foot of the tree. While one looked up,
with eyes and mouth agape, at the shat
tered balloon, the other gave his atten-
ton to Walford.
AS my feet touched the ground the
man looked up and said, bluntly:
I'm afraid it's all over with him,
sir.
Yes, all plotting and scheming, all
hatred and love-all were over for
Cecil Walford! There he lay, his neck
broken, and in his eyes the blank stare
of death.
AS l knelt by his side the lighSnEg
flashed from the lurid cloud overhead
scene of our desperate struggle-and
falling full glare on his face, made still
more awful it's death-blanched ghastli-
ness.-H. Park Bawden, in n. Y. Trib-
une.
Natural Gentlemanliness.
Kindly feelings, quick sympathies
and gentle manners, joined with true