The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-07-04
CHAPTER XXXII.
THE TWELFTH OF OCTOBER, 1892.

THE TWELFTH OF OCTOBER, 1892.
Dolores and Moray had almost
reached the group of sycamores when
the first earthquake shock was felt.
They had loitered, with the indif-
ference of lovers as to the flight Of
time, on their slow and winding walk;
and it was the purple dusk of the
California twilight, soon to be pierced
by the silvery splendor of an early
rising moon. But as yet no moon
was visible; there was a strange, still
oppressiveness in the air; the dusky
twilight seemed to deepen and thicken,
and Dolores suddenly stopped and
clung to the arm on which she had
been leaning, while slight shudder,
as of some impending calamity, shook
her from head to foot.
"What curious night There is
something vaguely threatening and
awful in this atmosphere. The moon
is surely very late in showing her
fair, bright face tonight"
" "She is always kind to lovers"
said Moray, laughingly, and STOPPING
to press his lips on the ripping,
siiken hair that was being blown
against his face. A slight breeze had
risen suddenly, but it was not cool;
it seemed, indeed, hot and laden with
a sulphurous odor.
"What is that sound?" asked
Dolores. "Do you hear it, Harold?
It is like some heavy weight pounding
the ground"
eyes, it is. Perhaps the ghost
walks tonight. This is her anniver-
sary," he answered lightly. "But
she can hardly be digging a grave.
Ghosts are more inclined to get out of
them. That is surely the sound OF a
pick-a1e.
"Oh, Harold! Haroldl"
Dolores gave quick, sharp cry OF
sudden irrepressible terror, and her
lovers arms closed around her with
the instinct Of protection; and then,
for what might have been minute or
an hour, they stood olinging to each
other, while the ground seemed no
longer solid earth, but quaking bog.
It shook, it rocked, it trembled-and
then slowly it settled into quiet and
was still-awfully still, leaving on
the minds of those who had felt the
shock provoking impr ession of hav-
ing suffered from some huge, practical
joke.
"I suppose this is what you coll an
earthquake, in this astonishing coun-
try" said Lord Harold, presently.
Eyes" said Dolores rather tremu-
lously; IT don't think it is over; it
will come again" ..
The words had scarcely passed her
lips when a second shock almost
flung them off the ground. 1t was
much more violent than the first.
There was Wild confusion in the air;
spots of light seemed to dart like
electric flashes, to and fro; great
cracks and assures opened in the
ground; there was the crash as of
trees uprooted. And through all this
noisy outbreak of natures hidden
passions came the sound of wild, ex-
cited, human voices, and one pro-
longed thrilling shrek.
After that, another long silence.
Dolores did not speak for many min
utes, nor did her companion; but he
held her, calmly, closely, strongly to
his breast, and though she trembled
it was only q nervous tremor. He
knew that she was not afraid.
Suddenly the air cleared, as if
some great wing had cleft it asunder,
and the moons splendor burst forth
with a light almost as brilliant as that
of day.
'sIt is over now" said Dolores.
'Let us 90. on. Harold. Oh, look
there! Tho sycamores have been torn
up by the roots, and the trunks lie
strewed upon the ground!"
TO BE CONTINUED.