The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1909-10-29
cred ears caught the sound of her


mer of light. 1t was too large to be
q star, and it moved back and forth.
Sharply it dawned upon her that it
was at the top of the cliff which over
hung the garden and stretched away
to the sea. Some one was up there
waving a lantern. She was thinking
hard and fast, light breaking in upon
her understanding. Something like
JOY shot into her being. Who else
could it be if not Chase? He alone
would call out her name. He was
alive!
She called out his name shrilly, her
face raised eagerly to the bobbing
light Not until hours afterward was
Genevra to resent the use of her Chris
tan name by the man in the clouds.
Rushing over, she grasped the knot
ted end of the rope. A glance and
single tug were sufficient to convince
her that the other end was attached
to a support at the top of the cliff.
1t hung limp and heavy. lifeless. A
sharp tug from above caused 1t to
tremble violently In her hands. She
Again she heard the shout, and this
time she called out question.
Yes" was the answer, far above.
"Can you hear me? Greatly excited,
she called back that she could hear
and understand. 'I'm coming down
the rope. Pray for us-but don't wor-
ry! Please go inside until we land in
fhn r6n
know"
Are you quite sure-is it safe?" she
called, shuddering at the thought of
the perilous descent of nearly 300 feet
sheer through the darkness.
Its safer than stopping here. Please
go inside.''
She duly comprehended his mean
ing. He wanted to save her from see
ing his fall in the event that the worst
should come to pass. Scarcely know
ing what she did, she moved over into
the shadow near the walls and waited
breathlessly, all the time wondering
why some one did not come from the
chateau to lend assistance.
At last that portion of the rope
and writhe vigorously. She knew then
that he was coming down hand over
hand through that long. dangerous
stretch of darkness. The cliff reared
itself sheer to the height of $50 feet
directly behind the chateau. At the
summit of this great wall shelving
ledge projected over the hanging gar
y hi nIcyo
would fall into the garden not far
from the edge nearest the cliff. The
summit of the cliff could be gained
only by traversing the mountain slope
from the other side. 1t was impossible
to scale it from the floor of the valley
which it bounded.
The rope was undoubtedly attached
to the trunk Of sturdy tree at the
brow Of the cliff.
She could look no longer. 1t seemed
hours since he started from the top.
Every heart beat brought him nearer
to safety, but would he hold out? Any
instant might bring him crashing to
her feet-dead, after all that he may
have lived through during that awful
night.
At last she heard his heavy painting
grooming almost-the creaking and
straining of the rope, the scraping Of
his hands and body. She opened her
eyes and saw the bulky, swaying
shadow not, twenty feet above the
garden. Slowly it drew nearer the
grass covered floor, foot by foot
straining. struggling. gasping in the
/ final supreme effort, and then with a
sudden rush the black mass collapsed,
the taut rope sprung loose, the end
switching and leaping violently.
Genevra rushed frantically across
the garden, half fearful, half joyous.
AS she came up the mass seemed to
divide itself into two parts. One sank
Imply to the ground, the other stood
erect for a second and then dropped
beside the PROSTATE, gasping figure.
! Chase had come down the rope with
another human being clinging to his
body!
Genevra fell to her knees beside the
man who had accomplished this mir
acle She gvaspcd his hands, warm
and sticky with blood. She tried to
lift his head from the ground, moan
ing with pity all the time. uttering
words of encouragement in his ear.
Many minutes passed. At last Chase
gave over gasping and began to
breathe regularly, but heavily. The
strain had been tremendous. Only
superhuman strength and will had
carried him through the ordeal. He
groaned with pain as the two beside
him lifted him to sitting posture.
TELL Selim to come ahead"' he
gasped. his bloody hand at his throat
Were all right!'
Then, for the first time, Genevra
peered in the darkness at the figure
beside her-a slight. graceful woman
in oriental garb. The woman turned
and lifted her face to the heights from
which she had descended. In shrill
;, eager voice she called out something
in a language strange to the princess
A faint shout came from on high. anl
once more the rope began to writhe.
The princess passed her hand owe
her eyes, bewildered. The face of tn
~ tho li0bt balf ShaIpd hal