The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-07-01


A0RS YSMU1 two women were cover
OK )Y>NcSS @Ging, there came long
@sAto Own sheeted fash of daz-
OR86V zling brilliancy, inteE.
S9CNNm ming gled with, rather
. ! nRS W than followed by, 6
V&SSSNj great crash Of thunder
%% directly overhead.
TCoT This formed the seS-
STN d elation spoken Of at the
SS close of q preceding
chapter.
Miss Winford saw the landau suddenly
brought to standstill, and at the same
instant was astonished at Adele's startled
attitude, her terrified exclamation, hes
pointing hand; all this, for the fragment
Of an instant, without accounting for it:
but then, Just before the fash was swal
lowed by the darkness, she turned, and q
glance at her companions face was suth-
oient explanation Of the horrifed fasein-
stion that it was exercising upon the
woman in the carriage.
"Come!" hosrsely whispered Mrs.
Beane, clutching Miss Windford's arm,
as the lightning fash left them in the
darkness, and hurrying her up the road
side, while still keeping close against
the rocks. @Come-quick! 1t will not
do for me to devour that false fair face
again with my eyes. I should yell out my
o1rses upon her; I should fly at her
fhroat-and that would ruin all-would
put her out of my power?"
Then followed the other flashes, reveal
ing to the occupants OF the carriage moth
ing more than the bare face of the rock,
where the woman had been standing.
1svD Y,
her companions grasp, listening. me-
chanically to the words that we're being
exchanged by Adele and her brother,
Hntil the carriage was again started for
ward and driven out Of hearing.
Good heavens, Mrs. Beane!" she then
exclaimed; what frightful look was
that with which you regarded that lady.
! almost thought You suddenly trans
formed into fiend."
The old woman gave q harsh. grating
little to this impression, but that Miss
Winford had by this time recovered in a
great measure her customary self-posses-
sion.
"Ha, ha, ha! And did you mark her
quail and whiten before my look2" said
Mrs. Beane. -She did not altogether
recognize me, though, and that was we'll.
Ia! the enemy, the traitress, the wicked
pne!'
But yorr i-tred of that woman is
something awful! I know, to my bitter
cost, what it is to be 1orengeful. to cher
3sh resentment through the years, but
such scathing, fendish resentment as
Jour countenance indicated moment
ego is beyond my comprehension"
+ 1T is because You Go not know its fiery
source. But enough. Suffice it for ma
20 sey that am thus roam ng abroad in
this wild night to keep an appointment.
which had for its object the rendering Of
. service to that very woDan-to that
petted beauty of the carriage-the sight
Of whom has suddenly banished my
original intention from my mind. Hush,
hark! Did you hear nothing? Did you
zee nothing in that f .sh, then?"
No."
1T was the repetition of that same
Shout-a mans voice, and rs of one in
distress-that was listening to when you
first discovered me. Hark! there it is
Yes; I heag it now" sal Miss Win
ford, bending her ear.
But at this moment. with the thunder
and lightning constantly growing more
frequent and distinct, the great storm
wind came shrieking in from the sea, and
there was mingling roar of the elements;
70 the exclusion of every other sound.
-Comel" cried Mrs. Beane, in a mo-
mentary lull, again dragging her COM
panion out in the road. There is no
rain. as yet, and We shall not be blown
away. Harl:! that shout again! 1t may
be he-the man I seek-who is beset with
foes. He is constantly dogged and
tracked. Come! We may be in time to
save him. Come, I say!"
Though already sufficiently alarmed,
and far from desiring scene of addi-
tional violence, Miss Winford allowed
herself to be dragged along INCREASINGLY,
with no other light than that afforded bv
the ntruI nasnes, wnlcn were, neverthe-
less, frequent enough to answer for the
emergency.
The shouts and cr1es grew louder and
more distinct, whenever there was lull
IN the tempest, and the two women, with
those sounds 40 their guide, quilted the
road, and advanced stumblingly out upon
an unfenced, broken tract at the top of
the cliff, snS directly back of the inclosed
grounds Sessngiug to Jasmine Lod, g.
aGlS, ut luucV NLo CalSo oooAco To-
vealed to theDa Q fierce human struggle
thai was going On in a narrow rock -girt
depression of &e ground, but few
PAGES from the po@>t tney had reached.
Ons man. cudgel in hand, appeared to be
sustaining. With difficulty. fierce assault
Chat was being made upon him by two
men, similarly armed, and it was chiefly
from the coward!y assailants that the an
CITY shouts and curses seemed to come.
1t is he, my friend? To the rescued"
cried Mrs. Beane, in brave, man like
tones; and grssping from the ground q
fragment Of rock she dashed forward un-
hesitatingly.
OF less heroic mind, Miss Winford did
not dream of initiating her example. but
merely followed her with her eyes. as we'll
as the flashes would permit. But Mrs.
Beane had hardly quilted her side before
fhe assaulted man was seen to stumble,
and fall forward on his face. Then
there came two shots from near at hand,
and another fash showed the ass .ilants
-, fnl1 aioht ae fbou oh in snd0en DaniC.