Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-08-08

awakening was worst ] sank back
with strangling sob. and but that the
skif was already beating upon the
shore had sunk with no rising. As IL
was, my feet just touched on the
shelving bottom. and struggling for
ward stumbled upon the bank and lay
unconscious
The sun grew hot on my cheek; its
fire balls CLEANED beneath my eyelids.
l reused. and sat upright. The knotted
cord lay under me; the skiff was still
grinding on the beach. lnstinctively l
sought to draw it toward me. but the
rope. dashed in the ring with but a sim
gle turn and already pulled almost to
the end, at the first wrench slipped
from its fastening. The cord hung in
my hand. My knot had loosened, hers
held firm; but she who had tied it,
raised my eyes. Its sunlit column
wreathed in weaving lacework of filmy
foam, Shannore stood resplendent
What vision sends my blood in fierce,
hot pulses? What wild hope drives me
with blind leaps toward the cliff? Only
q speck of gray, dim in the rainbow
mists above the pail; but it is Madge.
The ascent was rugged. Breathless /
mounted the summit In the midst Of
the fall rocky islet rose like pier
Beyond poured the main torrent, but
the channel next me was comparatively
shallow. brawling among great bowl
ders Leaping, wading in deadly peril
for three unsteady steps Ipressed across.
And therein the main channel, almost
at the verge Of sheer descent, on low
ledge over which the surges ever broke,
with feet braced in a crevice and strains
ing arms flung round horn Of rock,
paid and spent, but breathing and not
quite beyond the hope Of rescue, chung
my Madge-my beautiful, brave Madge!
crept to the waters edge. She was
hardly six feet away. but through the
deep sluice between a black tide raced
and swirled, and its swell Tapped at my
feet as I reached toward her. Surely
she could clasp my hand; oh, how l
longed to feel that touch! But she met
my look with eyes distressed and down
cast. Was she blinded with spray?
Was she dazed with fear? Could she
not understand? Alas, she only was
sane. had offered her but the clasp
of death. Even while persisted my
treacherous painting failed; terror
writhed on her face, but staggered
backward What, what could do? -
How dull is terror! Absorbed in 3
single thought, mad with dread, it was
only now, as ! clenched my hands in
impatience. that needed the knotted
cord still in my grasp. BE it Provi-
dence, instinct, chance-utterly with
out thought, had borne it through all
this fevered haste that else had been
In vain. and by it she, too. should be
saved. Taking firmer stand i cast
the end close by where she lay. But
again she dropped her eyes and chung
the tighter. saw that she dared not
slackeu her fast failing clutch. Or was
IL rather that she saw too well that my
plan was suicide instead of rescue; that
had she complied the resistless draught
Of the torrent would have swept me
like pebble from the slippery shale?
Full well knew its potency; l was in
despair
What tribes turn our fates to life or
death! There arose in my mind a
memory of childhood--of sailing
single boats in rapid creek. With a
long line attached l would toss them
out In the stream, and I recalled my
vexation because, as / held the Irvine
on the bank. my ships would not stand
on and doat free, but constantly lowed
70 shore. And now--if only could
fssten . rope somewhere abovel In
the very spot grew scrubby beech
with clsw-like roots protruding, but
the cord was short Then a ragged
branch stretching over the water
caught my sight.
o Madge, was IL not weary waiting?
climbed far out on the bough. and
"a IL bent, reaching still further for
ward, made fast the rope. This time
il shall hold l thought grimly, and
swung myself down in the seething
food until il drew me close beside my
beloved. At last. at last, her dear arms
were locked about me. and all the dash
ing turmoil of Shannore could not
drown my gladncss.
Under the double strain the tough
bough sprung like an anglers rod. but
II was sitter than had thought; we
swayed out TO where the fiumelike rush
WA fiercest and there hung. How long
could weary arms endure? There was but
one remedy; the stress must be made yet
sharper. IL was NO time for hesitation.
plunged my head beneath the drift Of
foam aud brought to bear the full hrunt
Of the hurting current The waters
ruared and rugged With every nerve
and sineu I resisted. Sweet Madge,
borne under unwsrned. deemed that the
end had come hut the great linn b cracked
and writhed and yielded; and as we
lifted mp cur faces we were swept IN
against The shor~. SIN. FOR one
qszkin9 instant. ell lag ~ haxarsi: then
The solid rvsck was under us. We we're
xsrra
Happy We eer~ - weak ~ is a new
hsrn hate, hnt cur 10y was Ike The Joy
81 tho mother who has t~srne it- joy
that shey euty may kpcw who after
stark a~ssh ARMY are trosshs back 10
The ssr<~s - 1--we.
ssAans Ksrsns eAfxss