The Forrest City times., 1891-12-18
Dark OarreII's Bride.
CHAPTER vn.-coNrrNuEp.

' - shrobbsd % quickly as he rode over the mooriand by Ilma's side; and the strange old German legend came back to him of the terrible ride of Lenore and her lover through the forest, away, to unknown re. gicns. lima was too fair, too pure for so black fate; his love should not destroy. but save her. Death could not wrest he from such great love as his. Never was love more true and faithful, never deyo- ton more perfect; his every thought was hers--his first love; for, though he had tasted deep of life's pleasures, he had nev. CT loved till now; and now he laid down bis life at the feet of . go.den-haired girl. Would she spurn the treasure, or would che fear him? On, on they sped through the summer sunshine, away from the fate. ful river
 "Let the dead past bury its dead"
 .-ou to the distant land of light and love. Was the VOW quite forgotteni His hand was on his companion's bridlc, but, even [. her questioning eyes were raised to his face, his eyes were turned from her, and . mighty and terrible change had gone over her features It was we'll perhaps that she did not meet his eyes just then, for surely she must have read there. in hts whole heart. But why did his looks change, and his cheeks grow liyid, and his hand drop from Zuleiknss rein, and why did he check with an iron.hand his own horses onward courses Because of the sound that came swce ping on the wind 1.-the sound of many waters," the sullen roar of Glpsy's Weir; and the awful words flashed across his mind "Hvsr Darrsils love shall prove, Woe and death 10 both who love" The fierce revulsion was terrible, he al. most reeled in the saddle; he scarcely saw for one bewildered moment that lima, un. able at once to check her horse, had turned now and was riding back to him. But, when the mist had rolled away from his eyes, and he saw her, his love, so young, co woudrous fair, he felt the bitterest an. guish of self-rcproach. Death to her, for whom he would shed his blood drop by drop smiling fin the suffering borne for her sakef Had he been mad, mad indeed!-- but was 1t too late to save her--to bear the curse alone.
 His strong will rose to meet the great need of the moment, to hide the truth from lima. Yet even the quick command Of feature which had become second na- ture to him could not, in the few seconds that elapsed, smooth away all signs of deep emotion; and Ilma's keen glance was keencr now, too, to read hls face.
 "What is iti" she said hnrriedly, paus- ing and leaning forward, with her large clear eyes full of trouble. "Is it. An, forgive me"
 She raised her head and followed his glance, which seemed to answer her, to- wards the river. For n few seconds she sat quite silent, listening to the roar of the weir, her ey'- dim with binding tears; but her ia quite turned from her com panion, so that he could not see it.
 "Don't trouble your bonnie head, lima dear," he said half lightly, half caressing- ly, as one might speak to q child. I am % gricved that caused you even pass. ing troub But the sound came on me suddenly and unneryed me; for was for. getting the shadows in the sunshine, and needed a reminder, l suppose. Hark- there is Hollands shout. Shall we make detour round the bracken yonder and join thcmi"
 lima made no answer, but silently loosed her bridle and rode of again, Sir Philip by her side. She could not have spoken one word. She stili kept her face away from him, though now there was an added pain that yet helped her to gain self-con- trol. She was child to him then--oniy a child! Well, and did not she behave like . child! What else could he think herf She was not seventeen yet, not for another week; so it was only kindness when he said that nothing was trouble that was done for her. He only wanted to tease her, when he mocked her about the now- CTS; and-why, of course he would not have given her Zuleika, if he had thought che was more than cnildl Well, here were the othersi and now vexed Roland was looking, though ho laughed and called out "Truantsp Then the girls came up, and there was good deal Of laughter and bsnterj and lima laughed as much as any one; but che was conscious all tue time that Roland was anything but pleased.- She did not care in the least about that, and was e far as ever from imagining why he should be vexed, except that he had not wanted her to leap the ditch. She let him keep her by his side however, aud talked and laughed, and seemed in fine spirits.
 Roland proposed crossing the Coalmere, and returning home by the Mill; aud as no one objected to the idea, they made for . narrow bridge, that spanned the river three or four miles above Scarth Abbott Only two horses abreast could cross this bridge, and here 1t happened that Sir Phil. tp Darrell aud lima were side by side again.
 "Whst . rapid current the river has :" said the girl, afraid that he should think she had been annoyed when he had last spoken to her.
 "Ay," he answered, glancing over the low psrspet, with . strange thought of what that swift stream might be bearing away before many days were past; "snd it will be running six miles an hour or more before long,"
 Ilma's words were hardly relevant to this remark.
 "Sir Philip, is 1t all true-reslly truei" che said In low tone.
 "Sceptical still, young America--after what showed you the other day too, and the dreadful stories l told your"
 lima did not know that his testing tone was . refuge for himself; in her tones there was not doubt, but an ineffable | dread, . yearning after possibility, the wild effort to grasp at some means of es- cape, but the feeling thus unconscously expressed might not really have taken a hold on the girls inner life. She could not be indifferent to his fate; but it need not influence her whole existence. "Don't laugh at me, please" said lima, trembling; 1t is not only-only the curse mean, but the other--what they say about tho floods this year."
 .sThat the rains will come early have no doubt, lima; but as to the rest, it may or may not be; indeed, the 'needful sacri- hcing' must be brought about quickly, or another victim must be found, for shall not be here to give up my life for some one