Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1890-11-08

probably STUMBLED on traces, and Is
going for help" He sat and smok-
ed, and slipped his hand back under
his coat. easy to shoot the fellow
he said to himself.
"Well, goodbye, Stoner," said
Warren, suddenly; III suppose the
beach road is as good as ever?''
Perfectly safe, only when you
cross Toro Greek, keep on the sand
bar. It's as hard as iron. crossed
there to-day"
"Tbank you. Adois."
Simple, smiling speech, those
words of Stoner's, and yet they were
intended to send Warren to his death
more surely and safely than by bull
let of pistol or pellet of secret poison
Stoner took an extra swig of BRAN
dy ard went to his rest. Warren
rode down the rugged hill to the bot
tom of the ravine, then turned sea-
ward, and at last the wide gulch
opened broadly to the shore Of the
Pacific.
The cliffs were from fifty to three
hundred feet high, and full Of wave
worn caves. Warren drew rein ON
the beach, and for fully ten minutes
watched the ocean sway and rise.
His thoughts throbbed with dreams
of Tessa. He would take her away
from her narrow and hurtful sur
roundings. He would lift her into
happier and better circumstances.
He would force Stoner's consent,
marry her, and make her happy:
He rode rapidly south, and in half
an hour the mouth of the Toro ap.
peared, in the midst of sand dune,
breakers rolling in, and the steady
river flowing out. Here was the
long sand bar, ten feet wide. and
stretching across hardly an inch high
er than the watery surface.
Warren was beginning to have
some suspicious of Stoner, but not
such as to lead him to doubt the SIM
pie directions he had received. The
sand bar looked safe, but within
few days the sea, as Stoner knew,
had swept it nightly, torn out the
long compacted bar, and placed in
stead quivering mass of quicksand,
SO treacherous that not even a light
footed rabbit could cross without be.
ing swallowed up and dragged bodi-
ly down. Warren rode swiftly for
ward he had crossed sandbars hun
dreds of times. Some horses would
have been wiser, but the animal he
rode had been bred in the valley.
The approach to the bar was hard
for few rods as he galloped on.
Suddenly, in one heart breaking.
breathless descent, noiseless but un-
utterably dreadful, Tom Warren's
horse went down, down; and the
soft, SHINY sand came up to his name.
He shrieked out that CHASTITY cry of
appeal and agony that a desperate,
dying horse will sometimes utter.
Tom knew the peril. He had
thrown his feet from the stirrups and
drawn them up at the first downward
throb, but the sand began to grasp
him also. He threw himself fiat on
his breast and tore himself loose from
the poor animal, over whose back
the mingled sand and water were
running, as it rolled from side to side
in Intellectual struggles to escape.
Tom spread himself out over as
much surface as possible, but slowly,
resistlessly, the mighty force drew
him downward. The hard beach was
only ten feet distant, but practically
the chasm was impossible. He felt
his horse sink out of sight; the sand
gripped his own knees and arms, his
thighs and shoulders. Two inches
more and the end by suffocation was
inevitable. Up to this time he had
not shouted only his horses wild
death scream had told of the TRACE
dy. What was the use Who
would be passing along that lonely
road? Then he thought of Tessa,
and of life. He raised hit voice in
clear, strong shout for help, again
and again repeated.
Far off, along the deep ravine,
came cry in response, and horses
hurrying feet; and hope awoke in
his heart. The margin of life was
five minutes now-not longer. Fas-
ter, faster, oh, fearless rider.
"Tom, where are your
"Here, Tessa; don't come too
near"
But the mountain girl knew the
danger. Creeping down stairs for
drink of water she had heard her
fathers words to Warren, had thrown
a shawl about her shoulders and run
to the pasture. Then she caught her
pet horse, sprang upon his unsaddled
back, seized a RATA as she passed the
stable, and galloped at the utmost
speed down the ravine, hoping
against hope, for many minutes had