The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1895-11-19

Il
though hebitterly regretted itafter,
he did not take. A struggle Of con-
fiioting emotions, of past friendship
and present jealousy, of sympathy
and despair, ard in one overwhelm.
ing moment of craven oowardice he
struck a blow at the rope, now
strained to its utmost tension. One
of the strands gave way, but the
other two still held together, though
almost at the breaking point An
other blow, muttered curse and
again wild stroke, and then Law
renee was free, his safety was assur-
ed, with sickening feeling at heart
that whispered to him, Murderer "
Without venturing near to peer
over the edge of the yawning ohas1n,
he crawled on hands and knees from
the fatal spot and slowly retraced his
steps over the glacier. He had pres
ence of mind enough to fray the
ends of the telltale strands of rope
before reaching his hotel, whence q
search party was Immediately dis
patched for the recovery of the I'M
fortunate Grants body. 1t was sun
rise the next morning before they
reached the fatal spot Traces of
the tragedy were all too apparent on
the surface of the snow, hut the 10y
cavern hid all else in its depths. A
man was lowered. His face was ashy
pale when he was drawn up, and it
was some time ere he could speak.
II slipped off a ledge some 80 feet
down." at last he managed to say,
land thought my last hour had
come. Nothing below that but two
walls of ice as far as I could look.
The fall would kill him at once. /"
"Those who are living 20 years
hence will find his body at the foot
of the glacier" said old Andreas
Mettier, the guide. II remember
when boy an accident like it, and
the body was found unchanged after
all that time"
1t was some days ere Lawrence
could set off for home. There had
been heavy fall of snow, and the
roads were blocked and all travelling
by diligence stopped. His physical
condition would not have allowed
him to venture at once so long o
journey, and his overstrung nerves
had given away completely. Nor
did the manifest sympathy of all
about him help much to recover his
of spirits. His condition
was ascribed to grief for his friends
loss and in lesser degree to his own
imminent peril at the time of the
catastrophe But could the sympa-
thizers have read the secrets of his
mind they would have known that
he was prey to bitter shame and
the grief it engenders, and that now
his friend s fate and his own treach-
cry were ever before him in all the
horrors of the situation.
On the evening before his depar-
bure, however, he summoned courage
enough to press his suit with the I'M
whiting cause of his crime. T
Don't ask me now, so soon after
your friends death, was all she
said, but tone and manner made him
feel sure that his subsequent wooing
would be anything but a hopeless
Iuest.
She had promised to write to him,
/ promise that to his mind practical
y assured his position, and possibly
10 was right. No suspicion of the
'eal cause of the accident had OCCUR
ed to any one. His secret was bur-
ed in two cold bosoms-his own
md the glaciers.
Twice he had long letters from
Miss Morland, one from Chur on
heir journey to Italy, the other on
heir safe arrival at San Reno, and
hen they suddenly ceased, nor to
lis repeated inquiries was any an
iwer vouchsafed.
1t was New Years morning, and
lawrence was lingering over break
asst, the paper propped up on the TIA
lie in front of him. Lying among
lis letters was a small box with for
ign postmarks. He opened it, Won
lering who had sent it, for the writ
ng bore some semblance to hand
le used to know we'll. Wrapped in
sheet of Florence newspaper was
small piece of rope-that and moth
ng besides. One end was cut
traight across. Two strands of the
'ther also were cut through uneven
y. The third was somewhat longer
nd was not cut. 1t had evidently
,roken under heavy strain.
His body has been found" he
nuttered to himself with chattering
eeth, his face now ashen pale. And
hen his eyes caught the first column
# the newspaper as it lay on the
cast rack in front of him and me-
he read: