The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1895-04-17

AT last the wide gulch opened broadly
TO the shore of the Pacific.
The cliffs were from 80 to 300 feet
high and fGll of waveworn caves.
Warren drew rein on the beach, and
for fully ten minutes watched the ocean
sway and rise. His thoughts throbbed
with dreams of Tessa. He would take
her away from her narrow and hurtful
surroundings. He would lift her
into happier and better circum-
stances. He would force StOner's
consent, marry her and make her hap
py.
He rode rapidly south, and in half
an hour the mouth of the Toro appear
ed, in the midst of sand dunes, break
ers rolling in and the steady river flow
ing out. Here was the long sand bar,
ten feet wide and stretching across
hardly an inch higher than the wat
cry surface.
Warren was beginning to have some
suspicion Of Stoner, but not such a 10
lead him to doubt the simple directions
he had received. The sand bar looked
safe, but within few days the sea, as
Stoner knew, had swept it nightly,
torn out the long eompacted bar and
placed instead Il quivering mass OF
quicksand, 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
hundreds 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 rs he galloped on. Sudden
ly, in one heart breaking, breathless
descent, noiseless, but uhutterably
dreadful, Tom Warren's horse went
down, down, and the soft, Shiny sand
came up to his name. He shrieked out
that ghastly 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 1T the first downward throb,
but the sand began 10 grasp him also.
He threw himself fiat on his breast and
tore himself loose from the poor ami
NAL, over whose back the mingled sand
and water were running, as it rolled
from side 10 side in Intellectual strug-
giles to escape.
Tom spread himself out over as much
surface as possible, but slowly resist
lessly, the mighty force drew him
downward. The hard beach was only
ten feet distant, but practically the
chasm was impossible. He felt the
horse sink out Of sight. The sand grip
ped his own knees and arms, his thighs
and shoulders. Up to this time he had
not shouted. What was the euse? Vino
would be passing along that lonely
road? Then he thought of Tessa ana
of life. He raised his voice in clear
strong shout for help.
Far off along the deep ravine came q
cry in response and 4 horses hurrying
feet.
tom, where are you?"
Here Tess. Don't come too near.
But the mountain girl knew the
danger. Creeping down stairs for a
drink of water, she had heard heI
fathers words to Warren, and run
ming TO the pasture, caught her pet
horse, sprang upon his unsaddied back
seized a riata as she passed the stable
and gallopei at the utmost speed down
the ravine.
She sprang to the ground and tossed
the rawhide rope to the one arm he
held above the sand. Warren thought
his arm would break, but slowly, re-
luetantly, painfully, the sand gave up
it, prey.
"Iour father told me to take this
road, Tessa," said the young sheriff.
''Yes, l know that, and l heard one
Of the men tell him to-day that bar
was swept out"
There was a long silence between
them.
''Tessa 20 with me to San Luis" said
Warren, .'and let Us be married"
And Tessa went.
Old Stoner heard the news few
days later. Within an hour he had
retired from business" The camp
was broken up, the hunters disappear
ed, mysterious lights flashed a: inter-
ais all night from the points of the
cliff, and the next day old Stoner HIM
self disappeared leaving his family, the
ranch and the live stock.
1t was said that he made the hes. of
the way TO Mexico, and finally to south
America. The world is large rs yet,
and men who have money can ramble
over 4 good deal OF il without finding 4
past they wish TO escape from. But
Tessa lives in her San Luis Obispo
cottage, with orange trees over it, and
La Marque roses on the porch, ana she
thinks herselfthe happiest woman in