The Van Buren press., 1896-12-05
4 RIVALS LOVE.

ION, Tor had not only entered into pos
session of decent little legacy left me
by my uncle, but l had also won the
hand and heart of Ada Miller, the pref
test and most charming young lady
in the whole country.
People said her father was immensely
rich, and that she would cone in for a
handsome fortune at his death: but
what cared l about that? For had |
not sufficient for us both, even if she
were penniless? And did | not love her
with the whole strength of pure and
disinterested love2 l cannot begin to
describe her TO you, for the task is
quite beyond me. Suffice it to say that
she WIS admired by all who knew her.
and loved by not few
The latter circumstances ceased to
disturb me when once l became her ae.
eepted lover, though before that time 1t
oceasioned me a great deal of anxiety,
and caused me to spend many a restless
night.
OF one lover in particular had | been
| jealous, for to my excited and fear
] -tANA4 ma AA4EAlOil llt SCLllgd " 1pe>G,a
everything that q young lady could de-
sire. 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 madly in love with Ada. bur
conducted his wooing in a way with
which not even his closest rival could
find fault. Kind, considerable and gem
tlemanly, never obtruding his presence
unnecessarily, he yet managed to pay
! her considerable attention, and many
an anxious time did I spend, fearing
that his superior attractions 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 most engaging
manner that she had never loved anyone
else. You may be sure that [ was in
ecstasies, and scarcely knew for the
next few months whether walked upon
air or upon solid ground.
Our engagement was to last a year,
at the end of which time our marriage
was to take place.
The time had almost elapsed, and
nothing had occurred to mar the har-
mony of the scene, when, quite uney-
pectedly, something happened which
filed me with the deepest horror, and
which causes me to shudder even now
MS I recall it.
It has partly to do with my rival,
| Horace Rishton, whose existence for
the time had almost forgotten
He had received the news of our en-
gagement in an apparently calm and
quiet manner, and his subsequent be-
havior had not led us to regard him as
being more than ordinarily affected by
It, bu6 in the event am about to de-
| scribe [ was enabled to see how deep
and tragic the effect upon him really
was.
The revelation came in this wise:
1t wanted but two days to our we'd
ding, and [ had occasion to go on
| little business connected with it to
neighbori1g town, a place some four
4 miles distant from my home. Having
accomplished my errand and finding
that I had considerable time to wait for
a train, 1 resolved to walk back so,
striking out, 1 soon left the town be-
/ hind me-
1t was a fine moonlight night, and, as
| 1t promised to continue so, I deter
mined to take % short cut across the
country, which I reckoned would save
a quarter of an hour at the least. The
road would be very lonely, for it was
path that was seldom used, but that
/ troubled me little, for my thoughts
were company enough that night
| l had gone somewhere about two
( miles when the moon suddenly clouded
/ over and I was left in compare tive dark
ness.
ASH knew the way, however, I thought
nothing of it, but trudged cheerfully
along, thinking only of Ada and our
/ approaching union. Suddenly and
without a moments warming the
/ ground gave way from under my feet,
and l felt myself falling headlong down,
| down into the depths of the earth. How
far I fell I knew not at the time-I
I learned afterward that it was about 30
/ feet-but I expected instant death
when I reached the bottom, and with
out doubt that would have been my fate
had not the bottom of the hole been
filed with water to a considerable
depth. This broke my fall, and also
/ by its GOODNESS restored me to my
senses.
l struck out on coming to the surface
and swan around to find something to
which l could hold on. After a consid-
cradle time spent in searching, during
which the full horror of the situation
began to dawn upon me, at last dis
covered q piece of woodwork fixed in
the side of the pit.
This I eagerly grasped, and, resting
partially on it with half my body in
the water, 1 began 10 consider my po-
sition.
I knew at once the place into which ]
had fallen, and as the knowledge flashed
across my mind 1 cursed myself for hav-
ne been 50 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 exist
erce. for it was in wild and solitary
spot scarcely ever visited by anyone. l..
however. had seen IL several times in
my moorlaud wanderings, and had al
ways regarded il as q dangerous place.
] - - .-.-.a.ll.- - - LIZ I