The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1895-02-02

Cayucos."
This was plausible enough. for there
was a blind trail that entered the can
yon just east of the angle Of the house.
Stoner felt a little relieved.
Won't you put up and stay with us
all night"
"No, Mr.. Stoncr. 1 must go down to
Kestral t see friends there. It's only an
hours ride"
''That settles it." thought Stoncr.
"Plenty of stout fellows to use as sher-
ifs deputies there. He has probably
st-~llea gu traces and is going for
help he sat and Smoked and slipped
his hand back uni!er his coat. Easy to
shoot the fellow" he said to himself.
''Well, goodby, Stoner. said Warren
suddenly. Il suppose the beach road Is
as good as ever::'
Perfectly safe, only when you cross
Toro creek keep on the sand bar. It's as
hard as iron. l crossed there today"
Thank you. Adios!'
Simple. smiling speech, these words
of Stoner's. and yet they were intended
W Sti1tk w v lil Tea 5uASAy
and safely than by bullet Of pistol Or
pellet of secret poison.
,Stoner took an extra swiS Of brandy
and went to his rest. Warren rode down
the rugged hill to the bottom of the ra-
vine, then turned seward. and at last
the wide gulch opened broadly to the
shore of the Pacific.
III, ,l,fT. x-oro f,or, 20 fa Q00 foot
high and full Of waveworn caves. War
Pen drew rein OIL the beach, and for
fully ten minutes watched the ocean
sway and rise. His thoughts throbbed
with dreams Of Tessa. He you'd take
her away from her narrow and hurtful
surroundings. He would lift her into
happier and better circumstances. He
would force 'Stoner's consent. marry her
and make her happy.
He rode rapidly south, and in half al
hour the mouth Of tho Toro appeared.
i'll the midst of sand dunes, breakers
rolling in and the steady river flowing
out. Here was the long sand bar, tel feet
wide and stretching across hardly All
inch higher than the watery surface.
Warren vas beginning to have some
suspicious of Stoner, but not such al to
lead him to doubt the simple directions
he had received. The sand bar looked
safe, hut within a few days the sea. as
Stoncr knew, had swept it nightly,
torn out the long eompacted bar and
placed instead a quivering mass Of
quiclisand, SO treacherous that not even
a light footed rabbit could cross with
out being swallowed up and dragged
bodily down. Warren rode swiftly
forward. He had crossed sand bars hun
dreds 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
a few rods as he galloped Oh. Suddenly,
in one heartbreaking. breathless de-
scent. noiseless, but unutterably dread
full, Tom Warren's horse went down.
down, and the soft, Shiny sand came up
to his name. He shrieked out that
CHASTITY cry of appeal and agony that a
desperate. dying horse will sometimes
utter. {;
Tom knew the peril. He had thrown
his feet from the stirrups and drawn
them up at the first downward throb,
but the sand began to grasp him also.
He threw himself fat N his breast and
tore himself loose from the poor animal.
over whose back the mingled sand and
water were running, as it rolled from
side to side in Intellectual struggles to
escape.
Tom spread himself out over as much
surface as possible, but slowly, resist
lessly. the mighty force drew him down
ward. The hard beach was only ten feet
! distant, but practically the chasm was
impossible. He felt the horse sink out
Of sight. The sand gripped his own knees
and arms, his thighs and shoulders.
Two inches more, and the end by suffo-
cation was inevitable. Up to this time
he had not shouted. Only his horses
wild death scream had told of the trag-
edy. What was the use? Who would be
passing along that lonely road? Then he
thought Of Tessa and of life. He raised
his voice in a clear, strong shout for
help. again and again repeated.
Far off along the deep ravine an g
cry in response and a horses hurrying
feet, and hope awoke in his heart. The
margin of life was five minutes now
not longer. Faster, faster, oh, fearless
rideri
Tom, where are you:"
Here, Tessa. Don't come too near.
But the mountain girl knew the dan
ger. Creeping down stairs for a drink of
water, she had heard her fathers words
to Warren, had thrown q shawl about
her shoulders and run to the pasture.