Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1891-01-29

KestraI to ss5 my friends fhsrs. It's
only Al hour's ridaH ~ seb.l usr',5 q q
q THAT settles IT, thought stonef.
''Pienty Of atout fellows to use IS sher-
ifs deputies there He has probably
stumbled on traces and Z going Tor
help" he sat aud smoked aud slipped
his hand back under his coat. Easy to
shoot the fellow" he said to himself.
"Well, good-by, etonsr, said Warren
suddenly; II suppose the beach road Is
- good as ever
Perfectly safe; only when you cross
Toro creek keep on the sandbar. It's a.
hard as iran ] crossed there today"
"Thank you. Adios.~ eF,a
| Simple, smiling speech, those words
Of Stoner's, and yet they were intended
to send Warren to hia death more surely
and safely than by bullet Of pistol or
pellet Of secret poison. q -
and went to hisr rest. Warren rode down
the rugged hill to the bottom Of the ra-
vine, then turned seAward and Ut Last
the wide gulch opened broadly TO the
shore Of the Pacific.
The cliGs were from 80 to 800 feet
high, and fun Of waveworn caves. War
rem drew rein on the beach, and for fully
ten minutes watched theoceaa sway and
rise. His thoughts throbbed with dreams
Of Tessa. he would tska her away from
her narrow snd 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. eT i
Warren was beginning to have some
suspicious Of Stoner. but not such rs to
lead him TO doubt the simple directions
he had received. The sandbar looked
safe, but within few days the sea, az
Stoner knew, had swept 1t nightly,
torn out the long coapacted bar and
placed instead quivering mass Of quick
sand, 90 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 hun.
dreds Of times. Some horses would
have been wiser, but the animal he rode
had been bred in the valley.
i The approach to the bar was hard fol
| Q few rods, and he galloped on. Sud
denly, in one heart breaking. breathlesl
descent, noiseless, hut unutterably dread
lfut,. Tom Warren's horse went down
down, and the soft, shiny sand came NJ
| to his name. He shrisked out thai
CHASTITY cry Of appeal and agony that 4
desperate, dying horse win sometimes
utter. '''
| Tom knew the peril. He had drawn
his feet from the stirrups and lifted
them mp at the hrst downward throb
but the sand began to grab ut him also
He threw himself fat ON his breast and
tore himself loose from the poor animal
over whose back the mingled sand and
y water were running, as it rolled from
side to side in Intellectual struggles tc
escape.
4 Tom spread himself out over as mucl
surface as possible, but slowly, resistless
Ily the mighty force drew him down
ward. The hard beach was only ten fee
distant, but practically the chasm wa
impossible. He felt his horse sink on
of sight; the sand gripped his own knee
and arms, his thighs and shoulders. Tw,
inches more and the end by suffocatiol
Twas inevitable. Up to this time he has
not shouted; only his horses wild dealt
scream had told Of the tragedy. Wha
twas the usea Who would be passini
along that lonely roadf Then he though
of Tessa and Of life. He raised his voic
in . clear, strong shout for help, agail
and again repeated.
II Far Of along the deep rayine ther
came cry in response, and a heFss'
hurrying feet, and hope awoke in hi
heart. The margin Of life was Eve min
utes now--not longer. Faster, faster.
fearless riderl
"Tom, where are your"
aHere, Tessa; don't come too near"
But the mountain girl knew the dar
Iger. Creeping down stairs for q drin
lof water, she had heard her father
words to Warren, had thrown shaw
Iabout her shoulders, and run to the past
lure. Then she caught her pet horse
Isprang upon his unsaddled back, seize(
q riatta as she passed the stable, and gal
Hoped at the utmost speed down tn
Iravine, hoping against hope, for man
minutes had necessarily elapsed sine
Warren started.
She sprang to the ground and tosse
the rawhide rope to the one arm he hel
above the sand. She folded her shaw
and put it over her horses shoulders an
tied the riatta round like collar. The
she led him slowly away from the quicl
sands, and Warren thought his am
would break, but slowly, reluctantly
painfully the sand gave up it's prey.
ttYour father told me to take this road
Tessa, said the young sheriff.
eyes, / knew that, and heard one (
the men tell him today that the bar wa
swept out" .8s
There was q long silence betwee
them. .,ssl Il " st
! ssTessa, go with me to San Luis ? sal
Warren. '.and let us get married"
And Tessa went.
Old Stoner heard the news few day