Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1895-07-18
A MODERN LOVE.

height, had feet that required broad sevens
to shod them, moved the atmosphere like a
hurricane as she swept out of the drawing
room of the old country house at Henley
and had voice that could not whisper
words of love-it was a loud, powerful
voice, like ali auctioneer's.
"She's fine woman, isn't she?" re-
marked her husband, lighting cigar be-
tween the assertion and the question, and
then putting contentedly, as he gazed in
new tangled tiled hearth into the fire.
eyes, ye-s-s! She is q fine woman"
answered. scarcely able to reprcss laugh.
She was altogether too fine for me, and 1
was amazed that Frank, who was pretty
man, fair, petite, with an aristocratic face
and a languid manner, should ally himself
for life to such a looking woman.
"She's taken complete possession of
me-" murmured Frank. "I'm like good
boy-I never go anywhere without her
and like the bondage" he added tender
ly, "because love her,"
"Where did you meet her?" asked,
noting the touch Of real feeling in his
voice. Il had been away ranching in Amer
lea for couple of years and did not know
the story Of his courtship)
ooh, in the most ordinary way" he
said, deity making smoke ring over the
end of his nose. 81 was paired to play
with her in a golf match on the Peak
Links. She was quite stranger-visitor
at Buxton All knew about her was that
her people were from Manchester; her ia
Their was in calico prints. She strobe and
drove like All amazon. She alternately
terrified and amused me. The caddies,
when we stood at the tee, could not keep
their impudent faces straight at our dis
proportion. Martha-or, as I addressed
her at the time Miss Sprigg-has sense
of the grotesque, too, and as struggled
over tho rough ground and fooled the
drive at the third hole she gave sonorous
chuckle indicative Of suppressed amuse-
ment, and hated her.
"Whatp' calculated in surprise.
II detested her." he continued "Her
skill with the driver, her towering form,
deep voice and superiority of manner made
me feel SO mean and small. Little did l
think that was destined to worship her. +"
sit must have been sharp conversion, F"
hazarded.
SIT was," he replied, ga sharp and
dramatic conversion. The ground, as you
know, is strangely riven in the Peak.
Near the far hole the golf course was bro
ken by stream. A bridge had been flung
across the brook for the use of the players,
but unfortunately my cleek stroke did not
clear it. The ball fell short and rolled into
the water. 1t was picturesque river,
flowing through the limestone formation,
and 1t was made up of such swift cratic
currents that to recover the ball needed
sharp work Of eye and hand. was savage
and reckless, and in rashly endeavoring to
net the ball oyerbalanced and plunged
with sharp cry into the current.
s,E's trlmbled IT mine run, shouted
the caddie in dismay and whirled his arms
about like maniac.
Meanwhile, struggle as might, the
brook, which appeared insignificant when
viewed from the bank, carried me rapidly
away from help. The limestone banks
grew higher. l saw the golfers gesticulat-
Ing above me, but they were unable to
give me succor The water was icy, and I
no longer wondered how it was possible to
petrify. was becoming petrified myself,
except in mind My brain was in tu-
multi of fear, for now the stream, bearing
me on its dark bosom, had entered a
strange subterranean gulf, the walls Of
which were here black AS Erebus there
dazzling with spar or cleaning with lead
vein. The air was clamny and yet sitting
A fetid mist lowered on the breast of the
underground stream, and beyond in the
recesscs Of the cave was the surge and roar
of water US If it was descending into some
abyss"
"You're romancing a bit, aren't you?'
I asked incredulously.
"No," he gravely asserted, shuddering
at the remembrance of his peril. "The
caves there yet; 30 Is the insidious brook.
In the interior Of tho cavern tho stream
grew in volume and power, and it whirled
me onward in its arctic grasp to what
seemed speedy death. The darkness was
for few moments chaotic. Then l no.
ticed to the left a shaft Of light and gray
crag standing, like the King rock at Flam-
bro, out of the foam and spray the rushing
torrent made.
"You caught hold of the stone pinnacle
and were rescued, blurtcd out, rudcly
anticipating the climax.
VI, ny, 10 eeAiu' nonl'i'ou "'',t
cold, ! failed to grasp 1t, ana then l
swooned.'
my stars, this is getting exciting" I
burst out. How ever did you escape?"
II could not cape-Martha saved me, =
ne said gently
NeyerFS retor.ctl, In amazement:
"Oh, yes, she did--and that's why l
married her ne continued, after a rev
tantallzlng puf1s as q lesson In patience.
But, how ever did she manage ito
rescue you, not to marry your
"Oh, with comparative ease, and yet
with splendid daring. She knew the coun-
try and the curve OF the stream. When
she heard the caddie's cry, she crossed the
links swiftly, seized Q coll Of rope at the
lead miners nut ana climbed down the
chasm till she reached the surface OF the
brook. AT this point the stream had
emerged from the cave ana was flowing