Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1896-12-11
A RIVALS LOVE.

neHrI Oh Aua Mlller, Jne prettlest ana
most charming young lady in the whole
county.
People said her father was immensely
rich and that she would come in for a
handsome fortune at his death, but what
cared about that? For had | not suffi-
cient for us both, even if she were penni-
less? And did l not love her with the
whole strength of pure and disinterested
love? l cannot begin to describe her to
you, for the task is quite beyond me. Suf-
flee it to say that she was admired by all
who knew her and loved by not u few.
The latter circumstance ceased to dis
turb me when once l became her accepted
lover, though before that time it ooca-
stoned me great deal of anxiety and
caused me to spend many restless night
OF one lover in particular had | been
jealous, for to my excited and fear laden
imagination he seemed to possess every
thing that "a young lady could desire. He
was tall broad shouldered, handsome, with
pleasing manner and faultless dress, and
in addition to all this he was endowed
with more than an average share of this
worlds goods.
He was n.adly in love with Ada but
conducted his wooing in way with which
not even his closest rival could find fault
Kind, considerate and gentlemanly, never
obtruding his presence unnecessarily he
yet managed to pay her considerable atten-
ton, and many an anxious time did l
spend, fearing that his superior attrac-
tions would put me in the shade
Fate, however, decided otherwise for
when | summoned up courage to put my
fortunes to the test Ada shyly accepted
me, informing me in a most engaging
manner that she had never loved any one
else. You may be sure that was in &C.
stasies and scarcely knew for the next few
months whether l walked upon air or up
on solid ground
Our engagement was to last year, at
the end of which time our marriage was to
take place.
The time had almost elapsed, and moth
ing had occurred to mar the harmony of
the scene, when, quite unexpectedly, some
thing happened which filled me with the
deepest horror, and which causes me to
shudder even now as l recall it,
1t has partly to do with my rival, Horace
Rishton, whose existence for the time
had almost forgotten.
lie had receive the news of our engage
ment in an apparently calm and quiet
manner, and his subsequent behavior had
not led us to regard him as being more
than ordinarily affected by it, but in the
event am about 10 describe l was enabled
to see how deep and tragic the effect upon
him really was.
The revelation came in this wise:
Itwanted but two days to our wedding.
and had occasion to 20 on little bust
ness connected with it to a neighboring
town, place some four miles distant from
home ILL
rand, and finding that l had some consid
cradle time to wait for train resolved
to walk back. So, striking out, 1 soon left
the town behind me-
1t was fine moonlight night, and as it
promised to continue so l determined to
take short cut across the country, which
reckoned would save quarter of an hour
at the least. The road would be very lone
~, for 1t was path that was seldom used;
but that troubled me little, for my thoughts
were company enough that night
had gone somewhere about two miles |
when tho moon suddenly clouded over and |.
L was left in comparative darkness.
AS knew the way, however. | thought
nothing Of it, but trudged cheerfully along.
only Of Ada and our approaching |
union. suddenly, and without "A moments |
warming, the ground gave way from under |
my feet, and felt myself falling headong |
down, down into the depths of the earth, |
How far fell ! knew not at the time-I
learned afterward that it was about 80 feet |
but l expected instant death when I
reached the bottom, and without doubt |
that would have been my fate had not the
bottom of the hole been filed with water
to considerable depth This broke INV |
fall, and also by its GOODNESS restored me to |
my senses
struck out on coming to the surface.
and swan around TO find something To
which | could hold on. After IA consider /
able time spent in searching, during which .
the full horror Of the situation began to
dawn upon Inc, at last discovered a piece :
CT woodwork fixed in the side of the pit
This l eagerly grasped, and resting par
italy on 1t with half my body in the wa
ter began to consider my position.
knew at once the place into which I
had fallen, and as the knowledge flashed
across my mind cursed myself for having
been so careless as to stumble into It, 1t
was an old, disused shaft which had been
there for generations. Not many people
were aware of its existence, for it was i'm n
wild and solitary spot scarcely ever visited
by any one. l, however, had seen it sew
eral times, in my moorland wanderings.
and had always regarded it as a dangerous
place 1t was partially fenced round, but
must have wandered in through one of
the gaps
There was no footpath anywhere near
It, so must in the darkness have lost nv
way. However, here l was, and the ques-
ton confronted mellow was 20 get outg
tried to discover if it was possible to
climb out, but the sides of the pit offered
no hold of any kind so | had to abandon
that idea.
l next shouted in the hope that some
solitary wanderer might hear my cries
but NJ answering voice was heard, until
after had shouted myself hoarse | was
obliged to sink back in silence and despair.
My heart sickened as | thought of the
loneliness of the place, and how days and
sven weeks, might elapse before any one
passed that way.
l struck out frantically round the pit to
seek again for some means of escape, but