The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1892-06-10

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do so without resistance; and then
kneeling before my unbuttoned the
diamonds from her pocket and laid
them, in their case, upon her lap.
''Now, dear, shall put them on you,
or will you do it YOURSELF
She opened the case and the gems
flashed in the checkered sunshine that
filtered down between the leaves of the
trees. The sight seemed to reuse her
somewhat; faint spot of color showed
in either cheek, and she drew in long
breath.
'tThey are splendid" she said Il
never saw anything like them. No,
your mother would need to die before
giving up these"
''They won't look their best until you
have put them on. Comet"
"Oh, I'm afraid What if
"Afraid of what?''
''What if some one were to come and
Nonsense, my darling! There's no
one within half mile of US; and if there
were they would only see lovely girl
looking her loveliest."
''How nicely you talk to me! Well,
y
touch them myself"
The parure consisted of a necklace
and a pair of earrings. l lifted them.
| flashing, from the case; clasped the neck
lace around her throat, she sitting mo-
tionless, and hung the earrings in her
ears A light that matched their mar
velous CLEAN seemed to enter into her
eyes as did so.
'You and these diamonds were made
for each otherl" said; and bending for
ward kissed her ON the lips.
For more than minute she sat there
quite still, kneeling in front of her;
we were looking straight into each
others eyes. Then all at once trou-
bled, anxious look came into her face.
She rose with a startled gesture to her
feet.
"Hush! hush! did you hear?"
whats the natter" cried l, jumping
up in surprise.
"Hushl some one calling-calling
mer'
Again that strange fancyl What did
it mean? l could not repress certain
thrill at the heart as gazed at her. 1t
was very weird and strange.
AS l 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 fxed-immovable, as
if frozen. The lids trembled for mo-
ment, then dropped, then lifted again to
their widest extent and so 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 in 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 as if she
had been dead The diamonds that gilt
tered on her bosom were not more in
sensible than she.
must confess that l was somewhat
unnerved by the situation. Kate was
evidently in some sort of trance; but
what had put her into that state and
how was she to be got out of 1t! FoI
aught | knew it might be the prelude t.
a fit or other seizure of that nature, in
volving consequences dangerous if no
fatal In the bewildernent of the mo
nent the only remedy that could thlnl
of was cold water; to dash her will
water might be of use, and scarcely
make matters worse. About thirty pace:
from where we were standing a sinai
rill meandered among the roots of the
trees and trickled at last In tiny
cascade down the rocky side of the
gorge Toward this | ran, and. STOPPING
down attempted to scoop up some o.
the refreshing element in the crown o.
my straw hat
Rising with the dripping hat in my
hands turned to go back, but the sigh
that then met my eyes caused me tx
drop everything and spring forward will
a gasp of horror.
Moving as if in obedience to some
power external or at least foreign tc
herself as a mechanical figure might
move, steadily, deliberately and yet
blindly, 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
US, 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 on an ordinary
sidewalk, though the slightest DETECTION
from straight course would have sent
her down a hundred feet to the Jagged
powders below.
Standing on the hither verge, every
nerve so tensely strung that l seemed &c
hear the blood humming through my
brain, watched the passage of those
small feet which | had admired that
morning as they peeped coquettishly
from beneath her dress in the railway
carriage watched them pass, step
after step. along that awful beam
suppose the transit must have been ac-
complished in less than a minute, but it
seemed to me 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
full lest the beam should fail to support
our united weight. | saw her pass on,
rigid, unbending but sure of foot as a
rope dancer. and at last | saw her reach
| the opposite SUE dIhl SLstIlu OuSS ulOl . I'll
solid earth, preserved from death as it
seemed by miracle. | have no distinct
recollection of how followed; | only
know that a few seconds afterward
was standing beside 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 plot of soft turf, beneath tree
with low, spreading branches The
trance was evidently passing away; hSr
limbs no longer had that unnatt
rigidity her eyelids dropped heavily
and her jaw relaxed. A violent trem-
bling seized upon her; she sank down
on the turf as if all power of self sup
port had gone out of her. At that mo-
Inent fancied | heard a slight crackle
among the shrubbery not far off; /
looked quickly up, and SAVIOR thought
/ saw-a short ungainly figure obscure
Iy stealing away through the under
brush Almost Immediately he vanished
amid the trees. leaving me in doubt
whether my eyesight had not after all
! PLAYED me false.
As / turned again to Kate she WIS sit
ting up against the trunk of the tree, the
!