Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1891-01-22
WOODBURY., N. J, THURSDAY JANUARY % 1891

The cliffs were from so to 300 feet
high, and full Of waveworn caves. War
rem 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 marrow and hurtful surroundings.
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 appeared in
the midst of sand dunes, breakers rolling
in and the steady river rolling out. Here
was the long sandbar, ten feet wide and
stretching across hardly an inch higher
than the water surface.
Warren was beginning to have some
suspicious Of Stoner, but not such as to
lead him to doubt the simple directions
ne had received. The sandbar looked
safe, but within few days the sea, as
Stoner knew, had swept it nightly,
torn out the long compacted bar and
placed instead a quivering mass of quick
sand, so treacherous that not even
light footed rabbit could cross with
out being swallowed up and dragged
bodily 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, and he galloped on. Sud
denly, in one heart breaking, breathless
descent, noiseless, but unutterably dread
full, 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 drawn
his feet from the stirrups 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 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, resistless-
ly the mighty force drew him down.
ward. The hard beach was only ten feet
distant, but practically the chasIn 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 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 his voice
in a clear, strong shout for help, again
and again repeated.
Far off along the deep ravine there
came cry in response, and a horses
hurTying 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 your
"Here, Tessa; don't come too near"
But the mountain girl knew the dam
ger. Creeping down stairs for drink
of water, she had heard her fathers
words to Warren, had thrown shawl
about her shoulders, and run to the past
ure. Then she caught her pet horse,
sprang upon his unsaddled back, seized
a riatta as she passed the stable, and gal
loped at the utmost speed down the
ravine, hoping against hope, for many
minutes 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 collar. ThA
she led him slowly away from the quick
sands, and Warren thought his arm
would break, but slowly, reluctantly,
painfully the sand gave up its prey.
''Your father told me to take this road,
Tessa," said the young sheriff
''Yes, | knew that, and | heard one of
the men tell him today that the bar was
swept out"
There was u long silence between
them.
"Tessa, go 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 said that he made the best of his
way to Mexico and finally to South
America. The world is large as yet,
and men who have money can ramble
over good deal Of it without finding a
past they wish to escape from. But
Tessa lives in her San Luis Obispo cot
tage, with orange trees over it and La
Marque roses on the porch, and she
thinks herself the happiest woman in
California. Charles Howard Shinn in
Belford's Magazine.