Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1892-09-08
A COSTLY EARTHQUAKE


the season; the low tide signal was flying
and the usual crowd of men that one al
ways sees there at the bathing hour had
ranged themselves along the edge of the
little wooden walk from the cluster of
bath houses to the waters edge to see the
fair bathers trip in.
had seen it all hundred times at
least and knew the scene by heart. The
fat woman satiated me, the thin ones re-
PEELED me, the sands of this pebbly beach
were never intended to be sat on COM
fortably, and / was about to retreat to
the shaded corridors of Frascati's we'll
known hostelry, when NJ lie DUAL, tall,
robust, well-preserved compatriot, whom
had first met at the table d'hote week
ago, approached and took a seat beside
me. He was alone and naturally re-
marked, scanning the crowd of heads
bobbing about on the waves before us:
Madame, presume, is in the bath,
monsieurl"
eyes, replied he, pointing her out to
She was standing erect now; the waves
leaving to view a charming head. A
beautiful head, / should have said-rich
transparent skin--in short, an ideal and
piquant brunette, so pretty that could
not help telling the husband of my adj
miration.
"But," said I, "she surely cannot be
French, monsieur; she looks too much
like Spanish woman"
"No, he answered, "she is neither
the one nor the other" and then,
without further preamble OF hesitation,
he began, and told me the following
story:
at was a Summer evening in the year
| 1877" said he, "and / was sitting on
the veranda of charming dwelling in
the outskirts of the city of Caracas. Be-
fore me stretched perspective of beau
tifully kept lawn and shaded walks,
while farther along, among the shady
trees, shone the silvery CLEAN of a tiny
lake, and far off in the distance the daz-
cling white of the Caracas houses against
a background of sun and sombre noun
tains.
"But it was not at Natures painting
that was gazing at that moment. / did
not need to search the landscape for
beauties to charm the eye when at my
side was seated what seemed to me then
and still-for she is now my wife, sir
the loveliest woman that l hLd ever SET
eyes on.
''To describe to you the ardor with
which regarded the lustre of the dark
hair, the gentle depths of the black eyes,
the scarlet curves of the smiling lips and
sylph-like figure is simply impossible,
Suffice it that appreciated them so thor
oughly that had just proposed to her.
though it took the courage of Napoleon
to do it-and was waiting breathlessIy
10 receive my answer.
"She liked me, knew, her father also
and had been great deal at their house
but liking is not love, and whether Nini
de Latore loved me or not the COO
fricndliness of her manner, so tantalizinl
to lover-who fears his doom ahead, ha6
hitherto prevented my finding out.
"You know of course, sir" pursued M
lie DUAL, diverging a moment from the
line of his story, show frequent earth
quakes are in that part of South Africa
especially in. summer, when they occu
almost daily. At the day / speak of
every since early morning, the groun'
had been shivering inwardly, while from
time to time low, deep rumble could b
heard, like the mutter of distant thunder
"Like every one else, however, VIII
lived in Caracas, Ihad grown accustome'
to and in a measure Indifferent to thes
constant seismic disturbances, but now
even in the absorbing interest of the sub
ject that filed my thoughts, could no
help noticing how greatly of late thes
quaking tremors had increased.
'In fact, l had hardlyfnished my low
er's plea, when huge porcelain vase a
the foot of the steps was jostled from il
pedestal and shivcred to atoms and at tn
same instant was thrown violently I
the floor of the balcony. With n hast
that great peril only inspires, | was o
my feet again and turning to seek Nina
seize her in my arms and If possible
bear her TO a place of safety. She wt
no longer beside me, and looking abo'
me, dazed though / was, l could
longer see her.
at was useless as we'll as madness
wait longer. and with difficulty keepiu
my footing on the rocking floor fe
down the staggering steps and from Il
dangerous neighborhood of the groanir
house. To 90 far, however, on the tos
ing ground was impossible; sick on
dizzy, I was forced to my knees. III
house behind me swaycd and swung fro
1T -