Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-12-16

q shout Ii at Tar. Then, TOO, she was iean-
ing upon a strong arm, and she enjoyed
the sensation of being in the midst of a
cloud as she enjoyed everything that was
new
"Why, seer she exclaimed brightly,
''it's so tn ok one can almost grasp a hand
full: Why dear mel | can see it pass be-
tween me and your hat" she laughed as
she TIN rev her head to one side and glanced
upward And see the moisture on your
coatr she went on, rubbing her hand
along his arm and Tipping the water from
her fingers.
Bob's eyes were fixed in front, and while
she was wondering why he did not answer
and seemed so quiet, a sudden gust of
wind tore her hat from her head and in an
instant whred it out of sight into the all
surrounding gray.
With short stand quite STILL please"
he hurried after it,
How odd it was to be there all alone!
There was something so solemn, so awful
in the silence the isolation and the SOM
berness of the place. To be able to see and
feel nothing save the rocks at her feet and
the noiseless mist floating by; to hear moth
ing but the moaning of the wind, to real
ize that she might be within a few feet of
precipice lnd not know it!
1t was ike standing upon impalpable
air and rasping at it helplessly with the
world slipping away into the distance!
Madge shuddered, and there must have
been something in the look that she turned
upon Bob, who had appeared out of the
gloom at her side so suddenly and noise
lessly as to almost startle her, that showed
the relief she felt in having him with her
again, for his face, that was set and seri-
Gus, softeneo into a reassuring smile, and
the swift. ea ger glance of the eyes that she
had noticed once before during the after
noon might have warned her that he, at
least, was on dangerous ground. But it
only caused a strange little fluttering Of
her heart as she replaced her hat and took
his arm with out word
In utter silence they traversed now what
seemed to Madge TO be long distance.
1t had beer but a short time since the
change had taken place, but already the
wind had risen to a gale, and the gloom
had deepened into black wall around
them, while in the distance could he heard
the roar and rattle and crash of the APP
preaching STERN, that was already heralded
by few wandering flakes of snow that
were whirled along too fast to find rest
ing place.
Their pace had unconscIously slackened,
and now they were simply cropping their
way over the logs and stumps, around the
powders and between the swaying pines
that arose one after another through the
mist like II raggling column of retreat
ing soldiers, when suddenly Bob uttered "A
surprised exclamation and stood still. Not
five feet in front of them arose a solid wall
of perpendicular rock, its boundaries lost
in the mist.
Madge's gla nee of Interrogation revealed
-11..-.
ton outlined ia Bob's face and caused her
to ask earnest $:
why. Mr. Barker have you lost your
way?''
Her only ans wer was "a jagged, quivering
glare that seemed TO envelop them from
every side, Frightening up the scarped cliff
in front and showing them upon its surface
the cold, dank tufts of dark green moss be
tween which tie moisture was slowly trick
ling - the base. The very earth under
them trembled the air recoled in terror,
and the noun tain seemed 10 split to it's
base with the almost simultaneous crash
that followed.
The storm had overtaken them
Madge tried 70 smile after she had relin-
| qushed her hystercal grasp of Bob's arm,
but there was no answering smile from
him, and vague fear swept over her.
Il don't recognize this rock" he NUT
tered in low tone Il seem to lave lost
the trail Let's work our way along the
face of this little"
| Once more the slow and hesiJating march
| was resumed.
The futterine fakes eff snow had changed
| to tiny hailstones that were rapidly whiten-
| ing the ground. The first grand rush OF
| the wind was over, and it had quoted
| down into IA sulLen moan that was merely
an undertone 20 the great orchestra OF
| heaven whose reverberating notes were
| ringing from peIk to peak and rolling ma
| jestically down The valleys.
Faster and faster beat the hail. now
rapidly changing back TO snow; colder and
| colder moaned the wind as they wearil y
and silently pic led their way along in tht
shadow of the d -eary cliff.
Madge shivered perceptibly, and Bob
turning quickly tore off his coat, and with
peremptory Put it on, please" threw i;
over her shoulders and buttoned it around
| her neck, paying no attention to her milo
| eXpostulation.
She did not pc rsist in it, for his manner
and voice allowed no refusal. She felt by
this time that Jhey were in some danger
though she could hardly tell how or why
True, it was growing very cold and wa,
1
was not new to her, although she wa.
rather lightly dressed. And what if the,
had temporarily ost their wayi The storm
would probably soon be over, even il the.
didn't find tho trail before then. Sh
might catch Il very bad cold. And tina
would have been about the extent of he
anxiety if it hao not been for her compan
ions actions.
She had never before seen him So quie
and preoccuped. Heseemed to avoid look
ing at her, which was certainly very IN
usual for him. His almost constant smil
was gone and his mouth firmly set. III
seemed to be watching and listening lik
an animal who knows there are enemie
ahead. If he would only talk to her reas
suringly it would remove this vague IN
easiness.
She could stand it no longer, and sh
asked, rather tilnidly for her, who ha
been used to the most childlike franknes
and directness with him;