Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-05-15

| distant city, held up to their steady gait by tight rein in the doctors guiding hand and encouraged by an occasional stimulating cry. The ocean, stretching out from the base of the cliff into the darkness upon the right, grew more inky l from moment to moment, and the fading white landscape upon the left became exceedingly sketchy and incomplete.
 Still the four spouting clouds of steam and still the merry jingling of bells upon the frosty air.
 All at once there is a break in the rhythm of the hoof beats. From steady, onward, arrowlike flight the sleigh sud denly moves laterally and almost stops i with terrific abruptness, narrowly es- capes overturning, trembles, jerks, snaps 1 in every joint and moves ahead again. 'Hi! whoa, there! What the deuce''- Dr. Lamar was on his feet, and his strong arms were refining in the fright ened horses. In another minute he was out in the snow, running beside them, clinging to the bridle. A plunge, snort, shiver, a great jingling of the bells, and the sleigh had come to a standstill
 "Whoa, Polly! Gently, Dolly!" said the doctor, persuasively stroking the noses of the trembling and greatly frightened animals, while his two com- panions, who had jumped into snow bank, struggled out into the road and be- gan to put themselves to rights.
 ''Now, what the deuce do you suppose made those horses shy so?''
 ''There is something back there on the road, am very positive" " said Maxey.
 And IT thought I saw somebody jump over the fence and run across the field" added his sister.
 'What you saw on the road were the old settees on the edge of the cliff prob ably" said Dr. Lamar ''You know the Somerset summer hotel is just back of us here, and in the warm weather there is TOW of seats just above the bath houses by the roadside I noticed what I took to be the gangway leading down to the beach just before the horses jumped ''
 "No, no. What saw was ill the mid dle of the road,' insisted the artist. But it's only minutes work to find out. D He turned back.
 The doctor calculated: "Pshaw, what does it matter? We're wasting timer'
 "No; am sure there's something wrong!" exclaimed Miss Maxey.
 "1Trong" echoed the physician. "What all idea! You surprise me, Miss Maxey. Ididn't know you were so cas- fly alarmed ''
 'I was right" called the voice of Maxey little tremulously. 'See this '
 They dinly saw him standing in the road outlined against the sky, holding up a shapeless something to their view.
 'What is it?'
 "A woman's shawl
 Miss Maxey cried out ill alarm: We must go back at once. know something is wrong. Ifelt it before we reached it. "
 "Absurdl" exclaimed the doctor
 But Miss MaXey did not wait to hear the comment She had already rejoined her brother The doctor saw them ap- parently kneeling in the snow, as though examining the surface. Then they sepa- rated. One went toward the fence which divided the road from the adjoining field, the other ill the direction of the low wall which disjoined it from the narrow strip of ground between it and the edge of the cliff.
 'Dr Lamar! Dr. L;,nlar!"
 There was no mistaking the tenor of this cry or it's imperative nature. For the first time the physician felt vague sensation of dread. He hastily made the horses fast to the fenc" and went back up the road He saw l;.t both figures had come together nCH, Oil the other side of the wall near the edge of the bluff. He came up with quick steps.
 Whats the matter? What is it?''
 "Listenr'
 The waves washed lonesomely on the rocks below The night wind sighed ill its dismal rounds. The breath of the lis teners came quickly and audibly, There were TO other sounds.
 ''I hear nothing, said the physician, "but the wash of the sea.
 Hist! Whats that?'
 A faint cry, rising on the wind, mys- terious, indescribable!
 "A childn' cried the doctor, ''or dog!''
 Whatever it be, it has fallen over the cliff, " said Maxey.
 His sister shuddcred, but her voice was very calm You forget the foot steps and the man I saw jump over the fence and run away. The snow is trod- den and trampled all about us. There has been struggle here where we are standing. am afraid for what you will find down there. Stay with me, Julian, and let the doctor go down. "
 The doctor went down, and in Q little while he came back again.
 trTbora is SoOnthin0 raUcht 0n a point of rock between here and the beach," he said hurriedly. T could, by looking up, just see it between me and the something which fiutters in the wind. Maxey, you had better take Miss Ellen back to the sleigh. We need a rope and lantern at once. Twill run to the house we just passed I shall re- turn immediately.
 No doubt of that, if he maintained the pace at which he set off.
 Miss Maxey declined to go back to the sleigh.
 q. am not a cowardP' she said. Something is suffering. Until it can be relieved, my duty is here. Hark, Ju- lian! hear it again. :"
 Yes, again and again and again ere the good doctor reappeared It rose and fell like the pulsations on the beach be- low as the wind carried it, sometimes dying away into silence, sometimes yelling up into loudness-a strange, forlorn sound to be listening to ill 8 lonely place after dark. There was something unfamiliar-almost unearth- ly-about it that made its hearers shud-
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