The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1893-04-14
"How much aboard 2"

l
miners"
"Send ii over The cliff before
morning and I'll divide up soon
But You be extra careful that new
sheriff Is a smart one.'
"All right, capl'n," and the man
went back 10 camp.
A moment later, justas Slonei
was going into the house, there
was . low lhud of horses hoois.
and Tom Warren, The young sher.
III, rode down The trail, around the
corner of the old adobe building
into the country road that led 10
the west. He had at last yielded
to Tessa'S entreaties TO go, 90
this minute, Tom.
lmpassive as SI0ner was, he felt
a little startled by the sight.
"Where in the devil did YOU
come from, sheriff. Anything up
in This part of The country ?"
"Oh, no; not particle. I've
been visiting my old school in the
mountains, and took the trail home
down Cayncus."
"This was plausible enough, for
there was a bind trail that enter.
ed the canyon just east of the an.
gle OF the house. Sloner felt a
little relieved.
"Won't you put up and STAY
with lis all night y
"No, Mr.. Sloner, | must 90 down
to see my friends there. It's only
an hours ride.n
"That settles it," thought Ston-
er. "Plenly of stout fellows there
to use as sherill's deputies. lie
has probably stumbled on traces
and is going for hep" lie sat and
smoked and slipped his hand back
/ under his coat. easy to shoot The
fellow, he said to himself
"Well, good by, Stoner," said
Warren suddenly; 81 suppose The
beach road is as good as eyer 2"
"Perlectty safe; only when you
cross Toro creek keep on the sand
bar. It's as hard as iron. | cross.
ed there to day."
"Thank you. Adios."
Simple, smiling speech, those
words of Sloner's, and yet they
were intended to his death more
surely and safely than by bullet OF
pistol or pellet of poison.
Stoner took an extra swir oI
brandy and went 20 his rest. War.
rem rode down the rugged hill 10
The bottom OF the ravine, then
turned seward and at last the
wide gulf opened broadly to The
shore of The Pacific.
The cliffs were from 50 to 800
feet high, and full of waveworn
caves. Warren drew rein on The
beach, and for fully len minutes
watched the oceau sway and rise.
His thoughts lhrobbed with
dreams ofIessa. lie would take
her away from her narrow and
hur'Inl surroundings. lie would
force Sloner's consent, marry her
and make her happy.
He rode rapidly south, and in
hail an hour The mouth of The Toro
appeared in the midst of sand
dune, breakers rolling in and the
steady river rolling out. Here
was the long sandbar, ten feel
wide and stretching across hardly
an inch higher than The water sur.
face.
Warren was beginning TO have
some suspicious Of Sl0ner, but no,
such as to lead him TO doubt the
simple directions he had received.
The sandbar looked safe, but With
in a few days The sea, as Stoner
knew, had swept it nightly, torn
out the long, compaciel bar and
placed a qucksand, so treachsrous
that not even IA light footed rabbit
could cross without being swallow.
ed up and dragged bodily down.
Warren rode swiftly forward. He
mad crossed sandbars hundreds of
times. Some horses would have
been wiser, but the animal he rode
had been bred in the valley.
The approach to the bar was
hard for few rods, and he gallop.
ed on. Suddenly in one heart.
breaking, breathless descent, noise.
less, hut unulterably dreadful.
Tom Warren's horse went down,
down, and the soft sliray sand
came up to his name. He shrek.
ed out That ghaslly cry Of appeal
and agony that desperate, dying
horse will sometimes utter.
Tom knew the peril. He had
drawn his feet from the stirrups
and lifted them up at the frs,
downward throb, but the sand be.
gan to grab at him also. He threw
himself on his breast and tore
himself loose from The poor animal
over whose back the mingled sand
and water was running,as it rolled
from side 10 side in Intellectual
struggles 10 escape.
Tom spread himself out over as
much surface as possible, but slow
y, reslstlessly the mighty force
drew him downward. The hard
beich was only ten feet distant.
but practically The chasm was i'm.
passable. He felt his horse sink
out of sight; the sand gripped hi,
own knees and arms, his thighs
and shoulders. Two inches more |
aud the end by suifocaiion was in.
eyitable. In tn This tin,a ha hud