Evening journal., 1891-02-05

help. lie sat and smoked and slippe
his hand back under his coat. EASY t
shoot the fellow, he said TO himself.
We'll, good-by. Stoner, said Warrsl
suddenly; Il suppose the beach road i
as good as evers'
Perfectly safe; only when you eros
Toro creek keep on the sandbar It's ii
hard as iron. | crossed there today
THANK you. Adios
Simple, smiling speech those word
Of Stoner's, and yet they were iatende,
TO send Warren to his death more sarsl'
and safely than by bullet Of pistol d
pellet of secret poison.
StoneP took IN extra swig Of braadY
and went to his rest. Warren rode dowi
the rugged hill to the bottom Of the ra
vine, then turned seaward and at last
the wide gulch opened broadly to ths
shore Of the Pacific
The cliffs were from 30 to eco feet
high, and full Of wayewogn caves. War
ren drew rein on the beach, and for fully
ten minutes watched the ccean SWAY and
rise. His thoughts throbbea wifli dream
Of Tessa. He would take her away from
her narrow and hurtfal surroundings.
He would force Stoner's consent, marry
her and make her happy.
lie rode rapidly south. and ia Ialf ar
hour the mouth Of the Toro appeared Fl
the midst If sand dunes. breakers relliro
in and the steady river rolling ont. Here
was the long sandbaI, ten feet wide ana
stretching across hardly an inch hi4sher
than the water surface.
Warren was beginning to have some
suspicious Of Stoner, hut not such as 10
lead him to doubt the simple directions
nc had received. The sandbar looked
safe, but within u few days the Sea, AZ
Stoner knew, had swept it nightly.
torn out the long compacted bar aud
placed instead q quivering mass of Quick
sand, so treacherous that not even a
light footed rabbit could cross with
out being swallowed up and dragged
bodily down. Warren rode swiftly for
ward. He had crossed sandbars bun-
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
a few rods, and he galloped on. sud
denly, in one heart breaking. breathiess
descent, noiseless, but unutterably dread
tul, Tom WarTen's horse Went down.
down, and the soft, Shiny sand came M
to his name. He shrieked ont that
CHASTITY cry Of appeal and agony that n
desperate, dying horse viii sometimes
utter.
Tom knew the peril. lie had drawn
his feet from the stirlups and lifted
them up at the first downward throb.
but the sand began to grab at him also
He threw himself fiat on his breast and
tore himself loose from the poor animal
over whose back the mingled sand ana
water We're running, as it rolled from
side to side in Intellectual struggles to
escape.
Tom spread himself ont over as nnuch
surface IS possible, but slowly, resistless-
" the mighty force drew him down
ward. The hard beach was only ten feet
distant. but practically the chGs1n was
impossible. He felt his horse sink out
Of sight; the sand gripped his own knees
and arms, his thighs and shoulders. Twv
inches more and the end by sufocation
was inevitable. Up to this time he had
not shouted; only his horses wild death
scream had told Of the tragedy. What
was the use? Who would be passing
along that lonely road? Then he thought
Of Tessa and Of life. He raised bis voice
in clear, strong shout for help, again
and again repeated.
Far off along the deep ravine there
came a cry in response. and q horses
hurrying feet, and hope awoke in his
heart. The margin Of life was five min
utes now-not longer. Faster, faster. O
fearless riderl
Tom, where are you?"
Here, Tessa; don't come too near
But the mountain girl knew the dan
ger. 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 past
ure. Then she caught her pet horse,
sprang upon his unsaddled back. seized
a RATA as she passed the stable. and gal
loped at the utmost speed down the
ravine, hoping against hope, for many
had necessarily elapsed since
Warren started.
She sprang to the ground and tossed
the rawhide rope to the one arm he held
above the sand She folded her shawl
and put it over her horses shoulders and
tied the riatta round like a collar. Then
she led him slowly away from the quick
sands, and Warren thought his arm
would break, but slowly, reluctantly
painfully tine sand gave up its prey.
tENCr4r Fas ba,. 4-4T 80, -, - H.
Tessa," said the Young sheriff.
"Yes, | knew that, and heard one of
the men ten him today that the bar was
swept out
There was a long silence between
them.
"Tessa, 70 with me to san Luis" said
Warren, "and let us get married
And Tessa went.
Old Stoner heard the news a few days
later. Within an hour he had retired
from business. The camp was broken
up, the hunters disappeared, mysterious
lights flashed at intervals all night from
the points Of the cliff, and the next day
old Stoner himself disappeared, leaving
his family, the ranch and the live stock.
1t was sa!d that he made the best Of his
way to Mexico and finally to South
America. The world is large Is yst,
and men who have money Can ramble
over q good deal Of it without finding a
past they wish to escape from. Bat
Tessa lives in her san Luis Ohispa cot
tage, with orange trees over 1t and La
Marque roses on the porch, and she
thinks herself the hsppiest woman in
4 I..He . H..