The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-05-23

Softly she put back the straying hdtr.
der. 1t might be the voice of agony, but
it made an impression like nothing one
could name. 1t did not seem TO be a hu-
man cry. 1t did not seem like the utter
anCe of Il dumb animal-a sound that
was neither moan of pain nor cry OF
supplication, but akin to both.
Miss Maxey hid her face in her broth.
er's breast and tried to shut it out
''Will the doctor never Gomez
A soft ray Of light shot out from the
midst of the flush i'll the east and sent
glimmering pathway down across the
sea. They would have light enough
anon The moon was rising Then came
the sound Of voices and footsteps hurry
ing up the road, and here were DIR. La
mar and two strangers with ropes and
lanterns.
Miss Maxey stepped back several PAGES
from the little knot of men who now
gathered upon the edge of the bluff. She
saw them holding consultation and
making calculations. One of them laid
down near the treacherous, ice clad edgl
OF the bluff flat on his face, and crawled
to the very verge, so that he might look
over. A lantern on the end of rope was
then let down. After a few minutes ii
was drawn up. The man arose. Another,
the smallest of the group, now submit
ted himself TO be made securely fast to
the end of the line and was lowered over
the edge. Two of the men at the ropo
stood on the other side of the wall, with
their feet braced against it. The third
stood as near the edge of the cliff as he
dared and eascd the line over the rocks
He listened for the voice of the man at
the end Of the rope and repeated his in
structions to the men on the other side
Of the wall. -.....
"Lowerl Lower! A little more.
Steady! Hold FAST Now, pull Steadyl
Pull! Once more! Now, again! Stop!'
Breathlcss, excited, Miss Maxey start
ed forward. The man ut the verge was
already upon his breast, carefully reach
ing down to steady the delicate burden
Again that strange, weird cry, louder
and near Mt hand, flutter of garments
tossed by the wind, a final pull upon the
rope, gasp and struggle, and mo-
tionless object was laid down in the
trampled snow. Everybody was bending
over it, Miss Maxey among the first The
lanterns were held close down.
Softly she put back the siraying hair
from the face that she might look upon
it, and she saw the features Of young
woman not so old as She by several years
and dark and beautiful like herself Tho
face was very pale, and it was slightly
scratched and bruised, but there was
; no blood upon it. There was something
/ strained aud unnatural in its appearance,
but through all the harshness of the eX-
| preston, all Tho ghastliness and pallor
! the delicato charm of a classic outline,
/ the regularity Of dainty features, assert
| ed their presence still.
Miss MaXey saw all this with an add
| cd pang at her sympathetic heart Some
how the very human thought that these
things made the pity of it the greater
obtrudud itself even into Miss MaXey' S
sensible reflections. She sat gazing into
the Unconscious countenance alone, for
the others had left hcr. The attention Of
1 all the men We're taken i'll the task of
drawing up him who had gone down to
the rescue, and who had been left on the
| point of rock beneath
The long lashes rested on the white
checks of the motionloss form in Miss
Maxey's lap, but the girl seemed to be
in a stupOr rather than n faint. Perhaps
She was dying with tho cold, Sympathet-
io Miss Maxey pressed the unconscious
head against the fur lining Of her cloak
and sought to chafe the hands. She
found them enyeloped in thick gloves,
and then She noticed that the unfortu-
nate creature was we'll and warmly clad.
Her clothing was of modest and un'
pretentious character, but at the same
time il did not indicate poverty.
What a terrible thinBl" exclaimed
Miss Maxey i'll burst of sympathy.
As she spoke the long lashes lifted.
The dark eyes looked for an instant full
into her own, and then there me into
the face a vague expression, some
thing, rather, that had not enough of in
telligence in it to be called an expires
sion, as il fear had laid the mold of hi;
unsightly features against hers ant
stamped his image there forever. Anc
from the tremulous lips came forth thai
strange, low utterance that was neithol
o moan nor plea, not a human sound
exactly. mo- 'YTestivc wholly of IA duml