The Dickinson press., 1893-06-10
CHAPTER vi.

sllu.
They had just passed. the somber-
faced man and his girlish companion
struggling through the snow, and, sup
posing they were bent down the river
shore instead of across the unsafe
bridge, had passed on without uttering
warning.
Now coming to the river path beyond
clump Of trees, that wild cry had
reached the ears Of the younger Of the
twain.
Help! help"
Looking quickly back and down the
stream. he caught a glimpse of form
struggling in the wild waters Of the
torrent.
"They were strangers! he calculated.
"The bridge! They've tried to cross it,
and have fallen through"
1t took them ten minutes fully to re-
trace their steps. running around the
bluffy timber stretch. They reached
the bridge. Horror-eyed. appalled,. they
stared blankly at the trodden snow and
the gaping hole. through which the
darliling waters showed twenty feet
below.
"He went down. saw him in the
water" muttered one of the men.
But the other!'
"What other?"
1.-The girl
"Ah, yes! 1 forgot. There was
girl with him. Jem, they're gone! Man
and woman both, sure as fate!"
| They glanced far down the river
banks. They even lined the stream for
| some distance, but found no trace Of
the supposed victims of a terrible mis-
take.
Thus it was that rumor, speculation
and horror were rife ut the little rail
road settlement that evening when the
| two men returned thither and told
their tragic story.
This man remembered seeing the two
arrive on the late afternoon train-tlat
one described the gaunt, solemn-faccd
stranger seeking a conveyance to take
them across country. a party was
made up to make search for some trace
of the bodies of the unfortunates, but,
after lining the bleak shores of the river
for hours, they returned bootless from
their task at midnight, the swirling
waters and increasing storm bidding
fair to sweep away or cover up for
evermore the identity of the man and
the girl who mad seemingly met death
at the bridge.
AS the reader knows. Edna Deane's
guide alone had sunk through the bro
ken plank. Edna herself. frozen
with horror. had remained for Il mo-
ment chilled to helplessness by the sud-
den disaster. Then, frantic with ter
ror. vaguely hoping to reach some hab-
itation and summon its denizens to at
tempt the rescue of her guide, she
dashed blindly from the Scene.
Through the heavy snow she ran, the
darkening landscape showing distant
light. Towards it she bent her steps,
! lost it as copse interviewed, struggled
on again, crossed gully, reached q
, rise in the ground, and then leaned
. against a tree, painting for breath, and
about her.
Her bedraggled dress, soaked Shoes
? chilled frame and anguished heart
2 drove every sense to vivid suffering
= With Il moan of distress she realized
that her companion was past earthly
+ help, that the river had swept him
away. The instinct of self-orcserva
q ton, the fright of the moment dulled
her memory of that terrible scene Al
l. tho bridge; for utter loneliness and
desolation spread before her; not Il hab
itatiOn. human being or light showed
She might have been Il thousand mile.
s from civilization for all its evidence!
a that existed in her immediate proXim
v ity.
B. "Oh! where shall l go-which way
t, shall turn! am LOST"
1, Her tones were hollow, 'he utter
It ance despairins. affrighted. Nurturet
amid delicate care, scarcely clothed Il
It endure the rigorS of such exposure
II she felt that her strength and her will
1t we're fast deserving her.
She tried to summon all her fOrtitud
,? and calmness She decided that tn
N town they had left an hour previou
le must lie beyond a level waste bounde,
v on its farther edge by Il ridge of tree
N and bushes In that direction she start
ar ed.
Id knee-decp in a drift, swayiug lik
y reed i'll the wind. she wavered. fairl
in the center of the vast meadow.
Y, Snow was all about her-Garth IN
lg air seemed full of it, 1t ,lazzled he
" vision. it penetrated sleeve and hoot
k, it choked and blinded her
"A fearful night, truly! The noise 9
a the rising tempest rang out like tn
d, waves of angry sea. The storm ha
cr tapped out the baleful light of moo
ut and stars. In the strength Of q might
6, 2lec, the wind r:lved and roared, SWEEP
ing the drifting SNOW about her lik
IN a shroud.
"I-can-.o-no-furt
With moan that was a prayer, th
a, delicate girl sank down. Her strengt
had given out completely. The sno,
to came thicker, the wind blew faste
e, the CHASTITY white stretch before he
OF began to be f1ecked with fire, as he
r, overstrained nerves drove the feve
blood from heart to brain.
re oh! the rest-the quiet" she mu
ut INJURED, as she closed her eyes in tbs
ep fatal delight which cold and eNhau
er ton bring, to lure the tleluded victil
n to the last long sleep. ']taymond-
No Beatrice - father! goodnight, goo
night
no A rare. ecstatic smile stole over ht
ne face. The suffering of life was lner
ng ing into the delirium of dreamlan,
She had lain down to die-so youn
m so fair, so little realizing how ne:
ISL death grazed her bonny heart!
ny ''Oh! let me rest; am 30 weary
~, A rough contact, blast Of war
breath sweeping her face reused Il
=. benumbed girl to look up.
" ~ Then. with a frantic scream. 81
at struggled to her feet and stood tler
va bhngly staring at an intruder, The sho,
no happily dissipated the lethargy III
. benumbed her senses, and bringing b
ho realization anew Of the perils til
menaced her.
The hideous form that her uncerta