Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-11-05
A RIVALS LOVE.
From Household Words.

a decent little legacy left me by my uncle,
but I had also won the hand and heart of
Ada Miller the prettiest and most charm
ing lady in the whole country.
People said her father was immensely
rich and that she would come in for for
tune at his death, but what cared 1 about
that? For had I not sufficient for us
both, even if she were penniless? And
did not love her with the whole strength
of a pure and disinterested love?. I can
not begin to describe her to you. for that
task is quite beyond me- Suffice it to say
that she was admired by all who knew her
and loved by not few.
The latter circumstances ceased to dis
turb me when once became her accepted
lover, though before that time. 1t occa-
stoned me a great deal OF anxiety and
caused me TO spend many a restless night.
OF one lover in particular 1 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 a 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 madly in love with Ada. but
conducted his wooing i'm a 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 at
tention. 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 anyone
else. You may be sure that ! was I'm &c
stacies. and scarcely knew for the next
few months whether I walked upon air or
upon solid ground.
our engagement was to last n 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,
something happened which filed me with
the deepest horror. and which causes me
to shudder even now when 1 think of IT,
1t has partly to do with my rival, Hor-
ace Rishton, whose existence for the time
l had almost forgotten.
He had received the news OF our en-
gegement 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 I am now about to describe I was
enabled 10 see how deep and tragic the ef-
feet upon him really was.
The revelation came in this wise:
It wanted but two days of our wedding.
and had occasion TO go on a little bust
ness connected with it to a neighboring
town. a place some four miles distant
from my home Having accomplished my
errand and finding that ] had some con-
siderable TIME to wait for n train, re.
solved to walk back. so, striking out,
soon left the town behind me.
It was fine moonlight night and as it
promised TO continue so l decided to take
a short cut across the country. which, I
reckoned, would save a quarter Of an hour
at least. The road would be very lonely.
for it was a 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 the moon suddenly clouded over and
I was left in comparative darkness.
As | knew the way however ] thought
nothing of it. but trudged cheerfully
along thinking only of Ada and our ap-
preaching union. Suddenly and without
n moments warning the ground gave
way under my feet, and l felt myself fall
ing headlong down, down into the depths
of the earth. How far l fell I knew not
at the time-T learned afterward that it
was about thirty feet-but l expected in
slant death when l reached the bottom.
and without doubt that would have been
my fate had not the bottom of the hole
been filled with water TO a considerable
depth. This broke my 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 I could hold on. After n consider
able time spent i'm searching, during which
the full horror Of the situation began to
dawn upon me. l at last discovered
piece of woodwork fixed in the side of the
pit
This I eagerly grasped and resting par
tally on it 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
acros my smind / cursed myself for hay
ing been so careless as to stumble into
IT, 1t was nm old. disused shaft. which
had been there for generations. Not
many Nople were aware Of its existence.
for it was in n wild and solitary spot
across my mind I cursed myself for hav-
ever. had seen It several times, in my
moorland wanderings. and had always re-
garded It as a dangerous place. 1t was
fenced round. but I must have wandered
I'm through one Of the gaps.
There was no footpath anywhere near
It. so I must in the darkness, have lost
nv way. However. here ! was, and the
question confronted me, how was to get
out?
I tried to discover If II were possible to
climb out. but the sides Of the pit offered
no hold Of any kind. so ! had to abandon
the idea.
I next shouted, in The hope that some
solitary wandcrer might hear my cries.
but no answering voice was heard, until,
after I had shouted myself hoarse, / was
obliged to sink back in silence and des-
pair.
NV heart sickcned as ! thought Of the
loneliness Of the place and how many
DAYS and even weeks. might elapse be-
fore any one passed that way.
I struck out frantcally round the pit to
seek again for some means Of escape, but
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