The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-12
THE MORNING NEWS: SUNDAY JANUARY IL. 1896

Ana deeply novel az the recollection
the man sat breathing heavily ana star
ing out into the night while the nrelight
hlckered around his white face and winter
effect.
I, too was stirred. Under the spell Of
the hour and OF his voice / pictured the
whole scene wildly. and in Imagination
followed the other % his doom, all the
more terrible from the darkness that had
shrouded II. BY comparison easy per
maps 10 die In the open and in fair tight
but 70 pass away In silence from the one
great horror TO the still greater one OF
sueh death was too dreadful to realize
calmly and In cold blood. and 1 shuddered
-nVoiuntarily while again he seemed to
READ my thoughts. for
Yes" he murmurcd 1T was an awful
tning 10 nerve ones self 10 do, even with
me promise of safety, and with Paul
az hand 10 give one heart. I was long
time before / could bring myself TO do the
same"
l stared, as well ! might while he
i've often thought it over since. and
you see there was nothing. absolutely. 10
keep one 10 the mark. When the Roman
leAoW leaped into the gulf he had the
sustaining cOnsciousucss that the eyes OF
all ms people were upon him. and Of what
a me thing he was doing; but Paul-so
Tar as ne could tell-nO one would ever
and
But how did you escape?" I cut in,
! ANXIOUS 10 hear the end.
How, indeed? for that is the stransest
or aU When knew anything again there
was Paul rubbing my hands and drip
ping ali over me from his soaking clothes
/ and calling to me that IL was all right
ana TO come on, for VIC should soon see
safety and the blue Of heaven once more"
And-but of course you did-but hOw2'
Simply enough If only We had known.
But d. took a resolution such as PGErs
10 hnd II out. After a zeal Of persua-
slon-for IN that fearful gloom. darker
than the darkest nght-spite Of Paurs
assurance and the knowledge that he
was safe, had to screw up my courage
before ] dare follow him. But follow at
last / did. Clinging 10 the plank ne had
brought, slipped into the headlong
stream. and then-let so"
/ And aftcr2''
"Ail was chaos and mad confusion.
/ Limp and helpless as straw, was raced
along, my nose just grazing the arch-
/ way as | passed; there was moment Of
| horrible suspensc while ] fought as one
! possessed for brea Tn while / went down
/ with the torrent-not into the bowels of
| the earth, as we had supposed, but down
/ about ten or dozen feet of as lively
! fall as | ever wish 10 avoid being plunged
| in again. Tossed and buffeted about I
/ was aforementioned into the bargain.
/ whcn-oh blissful moment OF release, my
/ eyes opened. and there was Paul-always
/ Paul-dragging me to shore in the blessed
Yes" he went on, presently. at sounds
/ simple enough now, ! dare say, to hear II
/ told and know that both escaped to veri-
/ ~ the tale But II took weeks long
| drawn agony of suspense, and then tast-
| ing to the fun of the true bitterness Of
death. to bring It all about
/ And Paul?'
Was never quite the same. Never the
] old. strong, self-reliant man again 1t had
| taken more out of him than ever any
/ body knew 1t was as though he had
| passed the hidden boundary between this
world and the next, and he never quite
| came back. He was absent, and at times
would sit with his eyes Fixed on vacancy
and listening can say what to? But
he was intent, abSorbed-watching other
D 10
men men either hear or see while he lost
| interest in all he had cared for most be-
"And EHen?"
"EIlen with the rest. He never cared to
go back, but told me to take whatever
! would of our Joint stock and try my
"And YOU did?''
Eyes. did. Spite of what ! had learned
from Paul how she had held out much
the same encouragement to hiu1-full of
| hope l went" He laughed with mirthless
mockery as he explained;
| oh! she was all right. She had not
| wasted time or opportunities waiting long.
Before three months had passed she had
married both wisely and well-the other
| fellow, who was steady and stay-at-home,
and above all. well-to-do. instead of a
rowing wastrel such as Paul or me. If we
! had come back in time, either of US, and
with the means, it might have made a
| difference. For. as she told me gravely
| and in all good faith, she mad always had
a very great regard for both-especially
very comfortable and happy as she was,
! of course. Stiu she really had been fond
| of Paul and-yes, after him, of me. But
| perhaps after what had told her it was
! better as it was. He must have turned
out rather odd, and would be a most un-
comfortable man TO live with didn't l
"But I left her. l had got all l wanted
| in England-and more so came back
| here. to find Paul-dead, and buried
there" And he pointed to the mound in
front But what was that about having
! an Ellen of your own? | am an old man,
with all the romance knocked out of me.
He listened quietly to my parallel story.
then sighed again.
"Ahi we'll if you care, and have faith,
and think it is worth while, /! don't
| know, ! am sure But see herer'
And taking up a half-burnt stick, he led
| me to where not so many yards away
| but hidden by the rocks, lay a sight that
set my eyes dancing with disbelief. Was
l awake or dreaming? There on the bed
| of a small tributary stream, lay just such
another FL Dorado as he had described,
| while reading my doubts.
"Oh! it's all right!' he cried; take it
| all if YOU think it worth while. and it will
| enough and more. l shall never leave
| here again, ="
But the improvised torch had burnt out,
and by the time 1 had lit another he was
! gone.
| have never seen him since. though I
have secured the neighborhood far and
no fairy fraud to change into crumbling
leaves before dawn. but solid and endur-
ing gold, wherewith l returned to Eng
land and my wife.
Sometimes l have wondered whether it
was all a dream; some strange coinci-
dence due to my having camped on the
scene of some forgotten tragedy, or even
something stranger still. All l know is
that month later, before I left for home
with my new-found wealth. I came across
the cave. and in it all bleached and bare
lay the skeleton of a man.
! Whether the cave had been recently
used or how many years the bones might
have lain there undisturbed, in that elm
ate and with all that insect life no one
will ever know. With all the rest it is a
mystery. as to which Ellen and / in the
long nights-and especially after a storm
| often speculate; but to whom, or what
our gratitude is due we can never quite
decide-though we are truly grateful after
that.
CThe End.)
MRS. CLEVELAND is ATHLETIC.
She Took n Walk Recently Which