Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1905-06-29
his heart as he behsfd the unexpected

hi his heart as he betsid the unexpected
catastrophe.
Great heavens! the moose has be-
headed him!" he gasped; and as he
the ledge, a shout of terror and dis
.rasy ringing in his ears from the Cliff
above ringing in his ears.
But that shout was not because Of
the Osreds horror at Bashfort's fate,
for the Osreds knew not what had
CHANGED to their henchman, nor from
their position could they see his fall.
Ttie shout of horror and tiisInay was
from the lips of Lord Genlis. and for
the following reason: The sudden and
tremendous, though scarcely even mo-
mentary tightening of the rope by
Bashfort's weight and thirty-feet fall
jerked Capt. Osred over the brink of
the cliff
He had made double coil of the
slack of the rope around his right arm,
and at the instant he heard the sup
posed signal shout of Bashfort, the
doomed young man had grasped the
rope firmly with both hands.
A dreadful fate to him was the re-
suit. He was jerked violently forward
over the cliff, fell sheer downward,
whirling over and over in the air. till
his body struck, with a terrific thud,
the ledge just over the mouth of the
cave, and there remained, fast and
dead, between two jaws of the cleft
rock.
Clarence heard the thud, and saw a
shower of dislodged fragments of rock
scatter from the ledge down before
the mouth Of his lurking place. He
had heard, too, Lord Genlis cry of dis
may the instant before he heard the
thud, and he knew at once that some
one had fallen fro mabove.
But he knew not whether that
wretched one was Lord Genlis, or
Capt. Osred, or Martha-for he sup
posed that the wife of Bashfort might
have been with the others at the rope.
He soon knew what had fallen, for
scarcely had the shower of dislodged
stones vanished from his sight, when
he heard and recognized the voice of
Lord Genlis shouting:
"Wilford MILFORD! If you live,
move your hand!"
eff he lives!' thought Clarence,
shuddering. mo man could fall so
far and live!"
And as he raised his eyes to the
edge of the ledge over his head, drops
of blood began to trickle from the
rock, and to fall before the mouth of
the cave to the lower ledge, upon the
very brink from which he had thrust
the ruffian, Bashfort.
Lord Genlis himself had narrow
escape from sharing the fate of his
son. The sudden and tremendous
check Of the rope had hurled him for
ward upon his knees-so far forward
that his head and shoulders were for
a moment over the brink Of the cliff
and he witnessed the fall of his son
ed to his knees.
His first cry of dismay filled the air
as he saved himself from Wilfred Os-
reds fate.
''Wilford! MILFORD! If you live,
move your hand" he shouted, as pros
trate on his breast, he beheld the mo-
tionless body Of his son, lodged, face
upward, on the ledge, nearly a hun
dred feet below him.
He received no answer to his words.
"Bashfort!- accursed Bash
fort!" he shouted, unaware of his
henchman's fate, and supposing the
dead man was somewhere below, and
near the ledge-"Bashfort!"
But no reply from dead Neil Bash
fort could reach Lord Genlis.
The rope and the moose that had be-
headed the ruf1ian, and jerked MILFORD
Osred over the cliff, swung far down
from where its upper end was fasten-
ed, slack and oscilating in the rising
! wind.
"a curse upon the scoundrel!" NUT
tered Lord Genlis; why does he not
answer? MILFORD! All, fear my son
is dead! II could see his face more
distinctly All! think Bashfort has
a spy-glass in his chest! l will get
| that!"
He sprang to his feet, cursing the
mishaps which had befallen his plans,
| and hurried to the kitchen.
ITO Pc ConfinuadA