Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1901-04-08
Kestra, to see my friends there. It
only an hours ride"

help" He SAT ana sIlohco az" 0..PP0
his hand back under hiA coat. EASY
to shoot the fellow" he said to himself
"Well, goodby, Stoner," said Warren
suddenly. Il suppose the beacn Foau
is as good as everY'
Perfectly safe, only when you cross
Toro. creek keep on the sand bar. Its
as hard as iron. crossed there To-Day
THANK you. Adios."
Simple. smiling speech, those words
of Stoner, and yet they were intenaed
to send Warren to his death more sure
ly and safely than by bullet of pistol OF
pellet of secret poison.
Stoner took an extra swig OF Drahoy
and went to his rest. Warren rooe
down the rugged hill to the bottom OF
the ravine, then turned seward, ana
at last the wide gulch opened broadly
to the shore of the Pacific.
The cliffs were from 80 to 800 feet
high and full of wave worn caves. war
rem drew. rein on the beach and fOr
fully ten minutes watched the ocean
sway and rise. His thoughts throbDed
with dreams of Tessa. He would take
her away from her narrow and hurtful
surroundings. He would force Stoner's
consent, marry her and make her happy
He rode rapidly south, and in half an
hour the mouth of the TOro appeared In
the midst of sand dunes, breakers roll
ing in and the steady river rolling out.
Here was the long sand bar, ten feet
wide and stretching across hardly an
inch higher than the water surface.
Warren was beginning to have some
suspicious of Stoner, but not such as to
lead him to doubt the simple directions
he had received. The sand bar looked
safe, but within few days the sea, as
St0ner knew, had swept 1t nightly,
torn out the long compacted bar and
placed instead quivering mass or
quicksand SO treacherOus that not even
a light footed rabbit could cross with
out being swallowed up and dragged
bodily down. Warren rode swiftly for
ward. He had crossed sand bars hun
dreds of times. Some horses would
have been wiser, but the animal he
rode had been bred in the valley.
The approach to the bar was hard for
a few rods, and he galloped on. Sud-
denly, in one heartbreaking. GREATNESS
descent noiseless but unutterably
dreadful Tom Warren's horse went
down, down. and the soft, Shiny sand
came up 10 his name. He shrieked out
that CHASTITY cry Of appeal and agony
that a desperate, dying horse will some
times utter.
Tom knew the peril. Ee had drawn
his feet from the stirrups and lifted
them up at the first downward throb,
but the sand began to grab at him also.
He threw himself fiat on his breast and
tore himself loose from the poor ami
NAL, over whose back the mingled sand
and water were running. as 1t rolled
from side to side in Intellectual strug-
giles to escape.
Tom spread himself out over as much
surface as possible. but slowly, resist
lessly, the mighty force drew him down.
ward. The hard beach was only ten
feet distant, but practically the chasm
was impossible. He felt his horse
sink out of sight. The sand gripped his
own knees and arms, his thighs and
shoulders. Two inches more. and the
end by suffocation was inevitable Up
to this time he had not shouted; only
his horses wild death scream had told
Of the tragedy. What was the use?
Who would he passing along that lone.
~ road? Then he thought of Tessa
and of life. He raised his voice in a
clear. strong shout for help, again and
again repeated.
Far off along the deep ravine there
came cry in response and horses
hurrying feet, and hope awoke in his
heart. The margin of life was FIVE
minutes now-not longer. Faster, fast
er. oh. fearless rider!
'"Tom. where are YOU"
"Here. Tessa. Don't come too near"
But the mountain girl knew the dan.
ger. Creeping down stairs for a drink
Of water, she had heard her fathers
words to Warren. had thrown shawl
about her shoulders and run to the
pasture. There she caught her pet
horse, sprang upon his unsaddled back.
seized RATA AS she passed the stable
md galloped at the utmost speed
Town the ravine, hoping against hope,
or many minutes had necessarily
elapsed since Warren started.
She sprang to the ground and tossed
he rawhide rope to the one arm he
leld above the sand. She folded her
shawl and put it over her horses
shoulders and tied the RATA round
ike collar. Then she led him slowly
WAY from the quicksands, and War.
EN- thought his arm would break, but |
lowly, reluctantly, painfully, the sand |
rave up its prey.
"Your father told me to take this
DAD. Tessa," said the young sheriff.
"Yes. know that. and heard one
II the men tell him today that the bar
vas swept out"
There was long silence between
hem.
"Iessa, go with me to San Luis"
aid Warren. land let US get married."
And Tessa went.
Old Stoner heard the news a few
avs later. Within an hour he had
retired from business" The camp
'as broken up. the hunters disappear.
q, mysterious lights flashed at inter.
aus all night from the points Of the
IN. and the next day old Stoner him.
cir disappeared. leaving his family.
ne ranch and the live stock. It was
a'd that he made the best of his way
} Mexico and finally 70 South |