Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1893-02-09
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dashed face looked up into her own, il
| lumined now with smile so proud, so
happy, that Flora Merwyn thrilled wildly.
Their eyes met. No need tor the for
| lorn fugitive to plead for a knowledge of
| her feelings toward him now! Anxiety,
apprehension, love beamed forth. Soul
to soul, they stood rehabilltated!
| 81 will save him, would swim through
sea of molten fire to know what your
dear eyes tell mer' he cried, his voice
ringing with JOY. ooh! my love. my
| love, if death meets me yonder, remem-
| Der am innocent, but strong the current
| that drags me away from such a love as
yours"
She held her breath as he struck out
for the opposite shore. Palpitating,
wavering she watched him. Could he
gain the banks? Would it be in time to
overtake her imperiled father, would
stern, self-reiant Abel Merwyn listen to
his warning, heed it, owe his safety to
the man he had sent to the felon's dock?
| A cry of anxiety was wrung from
| Flora's lips as, gaining the strong CEN
| trail current, she saw Paul Dalton
waver and struggle. The river was
treacherous at midstream, being strewn
with rocks, which at one point formed
an island.
Against one of these she saw him sud-
denly hurled by rushing vortex of the
| foam-crest waters. A faint cry of
| pain reached her.
What had happened? Her rising fears
answered the query promptly. He was
swimming with one hand now. The
| other, MANNED or benumbed by the bio"
| he had received by coming in contac'
with a sharp-pointed rock, hung helpless
at his side He reached great boulder
projecting above the surface of the
water, and threw himself across it's face,
to rest. recuperate, and regain his
strength
! Painting, exhausted, he smiled across
| the bleak void at the woman whose eyes
were stars of hope to his hungry soul.
| Only for a moment he chung there. Then
he slipped into the water again. and
struck out manfully for the near shore.
"Help"
| A shrek of agony, the cry was uttered
by Flora Merwyn a minute later. Run
ming frantically up and down the bank,
wringing her hands, almost bent on
springing into the stream after him, she
scanned the rock-strewn center stream
appalled,.
"Help-oh! who will save him? Ray,
my lovei my lovei come back! Oh, l
have sent him to his DEATH
She paused fascinated paralyzed. A
wild swirl of waters had shot him with the
force Of a catapult against a great jag
ged rock. He caught at projection,
his head sank on his breast. and then,
just as his feeble clutch was torn loose,
the appraised arm was in full view, and
through the rent sleeve Of the outer coat,
there showed an undergarment, striped,
| hideous-the shameful garb of the STATE
convict!
Dead-drowned! With choking gasp,
Flora Merwyn sank helpless to the vel
vet sward, praying to die, for the cruel
rock seemed to have awarded Ray Web
ster his death blow, and the heartIess
waters swept him from view. She
watched the extreme end of the rocky
island, but he did not reappear In re-
union, death had stepped in with merci-
less tread-love revived had been dealt IL
last crushing blow.
Lost, in tho hour Of finding-doomed,
at the threshold of hopei and that too,
in behalf Of the man who had innocently
wronged him
And what of that father? Her senses
Keeling, Flora Merwvn's heart and soul
seemed crushed anew as, from the dis
tant village, an ominous, an unusual
sound beat out upon the still morning air.
A bella bell noisy with dissonant
clangor; the bell she had once heard in
fancy pealing, sweetly her own wedding
chimes!
| 1t was ringing no hour now, no call to
church, or school, or council, clang-
clang! throbbing hand swung the
ponderous iron tongue the hoarse throat
vibrating, told of excitement, haste and
| peril.
Clang-clang! the unfamiliar al arm
bore an accent Of sombre warning-fre,
riot, bloodshed!
A call to arms-tO rescue, she read in
every blaZen note the integrity of
great bank at stake, the safety of its
pilot hanging on D mere q uivering
thread.
Alas! far more sen timent was the peal
ing significance. 1t was something else
beside a clang of disorder. That ring
ing babel of discord was requiem of
sorrow. it announced to the world that
Flora Merwyn had lost a father as we'll
as lover in one tell, fatal hour-that she
was homeless, at the mercy of harsh,
cruel world-an orphan.
For the mob had risen, and ''the
worst" had come!
CHAPTER Nv.
TOO LATE.