The Progress. (Shreveport, La.) 1892-1900, 1892-07-16

i
Again that strange fancy! What did
it mean? | could not repress certain
thrill at the heart as | gazed at her. 1t
was very weird and strange.
As | gazed a singular change crept
over her Her face was now quite color
less, and its pallor was intensified by the
blackness of her mystical eyes. Those
eyes slowly grew tixed-immoyable. as
if frozen. The lids trembled for Il mo-
ment. then dropped, then lifted again to
their widest extent and 50 remained
Her lips, slightly parted, showed the
white teeth set edge to edge behind
them. The rigidity descended through
her whole body; she was like marble
statue She breathed low and deeply
as one who is in profound slumber.
Kate, what has happened to you! !
cried i'll alarm. putting my hand on her
shoulder. Her arm was fixed like iron.
she seemed to hear nothing. feel moth
ing She was as much beyond any
power of mine to influence her rs If she
had been dead The diamonds that gilt
tered on her bosom were not more in
sensible than she.
must confess that | was somewhat
unnerved by the situation. Kate was
evidently i'll some sort OF trance; but
what had pat her into that state, and
how was she to be got out Of it, For
aught | knew it might be the prelude to
n fit or other seizure of that nature, IN
volving consequences dangerous II not
fatal. In the bewilderinent Of the mo
ment the only remedy that could think
of WAS cold water: to dash her with
water might be of use. and scarcely
make matters worse. About thirty PAGES
from where we were standing small
rill meandered among the roots OF the
trees and trickied at last in tiny
cascade down the rocky side Of the
gorge Toward this | ran. and. STOPPING
down attempted to scoop up some OF
the refreshing element i'll the crown of
my straw hat
Rising with the dripping hat in my
hands turned to go back, but the sight
that then met my eyes caused me to
drop everything and spring forward with
a gasp of horror.
Moving as If in obedience to some
power external or at least foreign to
herself rs n mechanical figure might
move, steadily. deliberately and yet
bindly. Kate had advanced directly to-
ward the narrow chasm, and when !
first beheld her she already seemed bal
ancing on the brink. Before | could
cover half the distance that separated
rs, she had set foot on the long beam
which spanned the abyss, and had be-
gun to walk along it. BY the time had
reached the hIther end she was half way
over. stepping as composedly and Sc
curely as if she were OH an ordinary
sidewalk. though the slightest DETECTION
from "a straight course would have sent
her down hundred feet to the Jagged
powders below
Standing OH the hither verge, every
nerve SO tensely strung that seemed to
hear the BLOND huuining through my
brain. | watched the passage Of those
small feet which l had admired that
morning rs they peeped cOquettishly
from beneath her dress in the railway
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after step along that awful beam.
suppose the transit must have been &C.
complished In less than minute. but it
seemed to Inc that was watching it for
hours uttered no sound lest it might
rouse her from her trance and insure the
catastrophe that else she might escape;
did not attempt to overtake her. fear
ful lest the tN.lin should fail to support
our united weight | saw her pass on,
rlgid unbenisug. but sure of foot ~ Il
rope dancer: AMI 1T last l saw her reach
the opposite side and stand once more on
solid earth. preserved from death IN it
Seemed ny miracle. | have no distinct
recollection Ut how followed: | only
know that few seconds aftcrward |
was standing Deside her with my arm
around her waist.
led her forward few PAGES out Of
sight of the ravine. the mere thought Of
which now turned me sick, and brought
her to a plot Of soft turf. beneath tree
with low. spreading branches. The
trance was evidently passing away: her
huDs no longer had that unnatural
rigidIty her eyelids dropped heavily
and her jaw relaxed. A violent trem-
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