Southwest-sentinel. [volume] (Silver City, N.M.) 1883-189?, 1895-02-26

better como quiet, cried Hanson, grow
ing angry and making toward her.
But the girl, springing past him, rush
cd ON deck and made the night ring
with shrieks for help.
Hanson, oursing biindly, followed
her mp the ladder
"You'l never see Dick again II you
don't shut that noise Shut iti" ho
shouted, catching her frnil, soft form in
his arms ''or, by my soul. you'll never
cry againI'
They stood struggling n minute then
stumbled heavily over the hatch comb.
ings. Bella fell undormost her head
striking a ringbolt
just then tho sound Of approaching
oars fell upon the mans ears. Ho got
up listening intently. Thoy grew rap
idly nearer He stopped over the girls
prostrate form. She never moved OF
stirred.
"shc's deadi' he muttcrod- "she's
deadr'
The horror Of the thing forced itself
slowly through his dull brain. BE tried
to pick her up, but she hung so heavily
in his arms and the noise Of the row
locks became SO distinct that he hur-
riodly put her down ngain.
g 'Tain't no use. =" he moaned in an
agony Of dread. "She's dead. She's
dead, and must cut and run.
Then. with an oath. ho stumbled
across the dock, dropped swiftly into his
boat and rowed away in the darkness.
But his calculations were astray Bo-
fore no had gono 90 yards up tho flood
q thole pin broke So, after a vain at
tempt to row without It in tho dark
ness, no gave up, and putting one car
by stuck the other over the stern and
soulled shoreward.
Presently the boats nose took tho
mud. Ho planted his oar firmly aud
pushed her as far "a possible up tho
shelving mudbank. then jumped out
and fioundered toward the sea wall
From thence he could gain tho road to
tho forts and so across country, away
from tho horror Of the river.
But the night was dark, and as he
plunged ankle deep In the soft mud Lo
came to a place where vessel had re-
Gently lain. The bed she had followed
was now filled up again. But it was
soft and treacheTOus as n quicksand, go
soft that when no blundered upon it no
sank to his lSnoes Struggling desperate
ly, no plunged deeper and deeper with
every effort until he could not movo at
all Oh, tho agony Of It'll There he lay,
sucking into tho horrid slime. The mud
held him fast in death grip, creeping
} higher and higher about his sodden
limbs as he strovo in frenzicd fashion
to shake himself clear.
Tho hood-the silent, intractablo
flood--was creeping slowly toward him.
A grim, stealthy death stared him In
} tho face.
: Soon tho water had crept close. Ho
found himself counting tho minutes
/ that must elapse Gro no was drowned.
The tide swept shoreward. Now n dead
dog eddied up beside him, gurgling
and bobbing in tho tide, now this way,
now that He tried to avoid it, but the
thing struck him and swerved on again.
! Soon he would bo like that Another
} rush Of tide circled far beyond him, car-
rying tho body with ii. He was dumb
now-in lothargy-from cold and de-
J spair. Stayi Perhaps when tho water
flowed enough it would help him TO free
himself. Ho watched intently-watch.
ed and saw IL creep waist high, breast
high. then bubble about his shoulders.
But, no, it availed him nothing No
helpl No helpi
: Tho tido crept on silent as the desert,
remorseless as fate, slowly, as though
J no terror struck eyos viewed its passage
and prayed for speed; on until It passed
: over his head and his last bubbling cry
died out ON tho night; ON until it
reached the flotsam and ietsam at high
{ water mark, where ii mingled, gurgling
amid tho stones. slime and seawced,
among the tin pots and dead dogs, trnc-
} ing ont the ratholes and Shiny crannios
} that mark the extent Of tho tide flow;
D ON while tho chill wind sighed over
] the staaming marshes, while cleaning
lights hurried up tho river and mems
voices grew musical with distance. as
D though thero were no such thing as de-
5 spair or death.
But Bella was not deAd.
When Dick Hathaway returned 70
{ the Sultana, he found her sitting ON tho
matches weeping over tho dead dog
l Poor child She was nearly mad with
Joy at seeing him again md clung "a
I him, weeping Historically, SOME timc
before he could CLEAN what had gone
awry.
D And then Dick forgot himself and
swore savagely, after tho manner ol
shippers, Of certain vengeance no would
I take on Hanson when he met him IN.
Z Gil Bella interrupted softly, with hen
arms about his neck. and begged him L
: forget IL and stopped his ferco words
with kiss
30 they rested al night. taking NJ
onward steps with the next ebb. Dicl
I meanwhile reyolyed the trouble anx
iously.
q Toward o'clock next morning thl
mate spied a group Of mon standing
i over something lying on the edge Of thu
mud. Calling tho boy quietly, they row
. cd away shorewaid. Here thoy founi
= tho body Of Bill Hanson, lately frees
/. from tho mud. his limbs rigid with COLI
/ aid Death London Answers
{ A Surprise Anetion.
= At a recent progressive cuchro pavE