Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1898-03-12

gulQe, sue would 01sIn0unt ana Walk
awhile. Mr.. Hurst dismouEted also
and the two scrambled over the
rocks, gathering unique MOSES, and
burdening themselves with bits Of
stones as souvenirs.
Hurst.soon became fatigued, and
returned to bis horse, but Constance
begged to go on foot little longer,
il was such a relief from the I'M
steady seat on her pony.
How it happened she hardly knew.
She had only stepped aside over the
rocks for moment to gather clus'
ter of scarlet berries that hung from
the cleft side of a huge boulder, and
when she had looked about her the
entire party was out of sight.
She was alone. She started at a
swift pace to follow them, as she
thought; but it was growing strange
ly dark around her, and there was a
cold mist over everything, like that
which sur es up at random from the
heart of the ocean.
The golden rift of sunshine that a
moment before had illuminated the
granite forehead of Mount Franklin
was struck out, and only dense
white yapor remained in its place.
A terrible sense of desolation
swept over her, as she hurried
through the binding fog, stumbling
over sharp stones, and bruising her
flesh against unseen masses of rocks.
A sudden turn brought her face
to face with some dark object and
before she had uttered the scream
which rose to her lips Mr.. Ridge
wood addressed her.
"Pardon me if I frightened yon. l
knew the danger you Incurred in
turning aside from the beaten path
for one moment, and / took the re-
sponsibility of following you. Let
US go back"
She yielded her trembling hand
readily-it was SO pleasant to Lave
his companionship in this dreary
gloom On they went always as.
cending, across rocks so sharp that
they tore the tender feet Of the lady,
and over chasms SO wide that she
had only to submit passively while
this stranger lifted her across.
For an hour they proceeded thus,
but no trace of the bride path ap-
peared. All was whiriing mist and
gaunt, black, shapeless rocks-noth-
ing to tell that ever the foot of man
had passed that way.
Slowly the conviction forced itself
upon the mind of Mr.. Ridge wood
that 1t was useless to go on-they
were lostl He stopped under the
shelter of a great cliff, and put his
travelling shawl over the shoulders
of his companion.
"Miss Leech," he said, al think
you have brave heart. Can you
bear to know that we are lost?'
II have known it all along" she
said quietly. "What shall we do p
II judge it best to remain here
until the fog lifts. A single misstep
in this uncertain light might send
us 10 destruction. See |"
Even as be spoke the spray mo-
mentsrily lifted, and showed them,
lying at their very feet, the black,
fathomless abyss Of vast ravine
filled with vast clouds of seething
vapor. Constance shuddered and
drew back.
Men Lave persisted on these
mountains before now" she said, re-
fectingly. II wonder if their fate
will be ours.''
Il trust rot. This is The forerun-
ner of a mountain storm, perhaps /;
and at this season of the year such
visitations are brief, I think. We
shall have the sun out soon. We
must be patient and wait.
Constance leaned back against the
rock-Mr. Ridgewood stood back
with folded arms. The wild desc.
lation of the situation was terribly
sublime.
Below them, hundreds of fathoms
away, they could hear the sullen cry
of mountain stream. All around
them sounded the hollow wall of the
wind in the stout trees, and afar off
over all, arose the ominous peal of
thunder.
Then there fell soundless calm.
The very silence smote on the ear
ten times more dreadful than the
fiercest tempest. There was blind
ing flash of lightning from the cloudy
gulf below, accompanied by burst
of thunder almost deafening, echoed
from cliff to cliff till the whole place
seemed alive with the roar, and then
the thick cloud swooped down and
the rain fell in torrents.
Ridgewood sheltered Constance
the best he could, but both were
drenched. The shower lasted only
few moments, then rolled away in
regal state, with its awe.inspiriDg
panoply of Lightning and thunder,
to invest some other towering cliff.
But the air did rot clear. 1t was
still vapory snd indistiret, and the
darkness grew slowly but surely,