Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1893-10-14
TAKING TO THE NEW GIRL
"A Story Written for This Paper, by
Emma V. Sheridan.
Nor Miss Madge."

"No."
Where is she?"
"How should know"
You We're together, I thought"
"Your manner is strange, YOU are
feverish--what is it?"
Here Rosa broke down. "Oh, Ralf,
Madge has gone to haunted island. She
should have been back long ago."
A few fierce quick words and Ralf
understood. His face grew gray.
What are you going to do?" moaned
Rosa.
Make the shadows or die trying. I"
he answered through his teeth. A
moment after his horse set tho road to
echoing.
Madge rowed hard. Her hands were
blistered and her arms aching. The
moon shone brightly now. As she
slowly neared her former landing it
seemed to her that her boat was fast
ened from the run" A word about
the run" From the rough landing
place bridge of two planks was car
rled out on rickety and high frame
work to the channel. Fishermen could
thus get in at any tide. The bridge
was not two planks all the way; the
middle length of it was only one plank
wide. Tt seemed downright cruel that
her boat should thus have been
changed from the shore dmooring at
which she had left it. It was lust
about midway the center length of the
bridge, too. Madge had the choice of
rowing to the shore and from the land
ing making her way to the center of
the bridge, or OF stopping at the water
end of the bridge, leaving her borrowed
boat there, and walking the length of
the bridge to shore, taking up the boat
as she went. At least this plan involved
the least rowing.
Madge YEARLY made her way to the
ladder that hung from the end of the
planking, fastened the terrible old tub
that had brought her, and prepared to
climb the ladder. Somehow, it all
seemed dreadfully lonely and ghostly,
the rounds of the ladder were clammy
and wet, the seaweed made them slip
perry, the stiffness almost seemed to
shrek, the moonlight wavered on the
water as if alive. A long white hand
reached in front of her. She looked
up, her blood thickening little. The
face OF the old man, from whom she
had had her grudging permission to
plank above.
oh, thank you, said Madge, quaver-
lngly, Il can get up better without
help, thank you. l wish you had not
moved the boat, though, /"
| She was up now dizzily balanced on
the slender planking, and in need sad
ly of steadying hand. The old man
was gone! Gone Ahead of her
stretched the silent length of bridge.
the moonlight brought every stick and
stone into clear view along the shore.
A recent football upon the slender
boards of the bridge must have set
them to trembling. They were mo-
tionless! Only silence, de:olation and
the moonlit night were there. Yet
she had seen him. She had seen him.
his face yellow in the moonlight, his
beard streaming down the ladder, his
long dreadful hand had been within
reach. Madge turned faint. Then
she shut her teeth.
Nonsense! If he isn't here now he
wasn't here at all, of course. l have
got to get that boat. and l have no
time to faint" Madge spoke aloud,
and the sound of her own voice gave
her courage. She began the Journey
along the plank. A few feet from the
water end the whole bridge began to
swing with each step. She seemed in
mid-air; the water far below glinted
and ran with the tide. 1t seemed to
carry her with it. She thought of
turning back, but it was easier to go
on than to turn. She stood. still and
slipped off her little slippers. 1t would
be easier to keep a steady foothold
without the heels. Now the double
planks were passed, and the single one
hung before her. It's own weight
made it bend down at the middle. Her
first step set it to swaying under her
feet. She stretched her hands out on
either side for balance, and her shadow
lay upon the water, dreadful, threat
ening thing below her.
Il can't stand it anymore, she sobbed
to herself, her breath catching
She was sure some one followed her.
Who. What! What could be behind |
her? She felt the plank rise and fall |
under a step not her own. A hand |
grasped her arm. A long white hand |
the hand that had reached to her on
the ladder the hand of the old fisher
man. Ma. ge threw up her arms and
fell heavily. The dreadful yellow face
peering down at her as she struggled in
the water. She caught the CLEAN of
its dead eyes.
"Ralf! Ralf." she cried, and then
everything turned black
Meanwhile, Ralf was riding madly
through bush and over stones. There
was no sign of shallow where he
forced his horse into the water. Half
swimming, half plunging, the beast
made his way to.the island. Clear in
the moonlight cabin hut showed on
the rocky shore; over the door a name
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