The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1910-02-16

I am one of those rare creatures
who are given to early rising
mean abnormally early rising-and
especially does this trait in my char
acter assert itself when am holiday
making. | love to be up and out
while there is still a crispness in the
air and flower and leaf are bespangled
with dew. Many are the strange
sights and sensations that | have seen
and experienced in these early morn
ing hours, when all creation wakes
with hum and song.
One little incident into which this
"getting up with the lark" led me is
worth the telling.
1t happened during a holiday ]
spent at Eastbourne several years
ego. I was staying in a boarding
house on the Parade. 1t was a large
establishment, of good class, and
would have been very comfortable II
the custom of the place had not re-
ouired one to dress for dinner-an
absurd regulation at holiday times,
when people generally are inclined to
fling formality to the winds. But,
after all, it was very jolly there.
Well, as every one knows, one of
the features of Eastbourne is Beachy
Head, and many mornings did l walk
along the deserted red-brick sea-wall
and scramble up just before reach
ing what was then the picturesque
little village of Hollywell-now, |
believe, merely L waterworks-and
over the green slopes to the summit
of the headland.
1t happened that one beautiful
August morning l was standing at a
little distance from the coastguards'
houses, looking out towards the haze
hidden sea, and thinking how still
and peaceful it all was, when there
seemed to come rolling up the hill the
sounds of a clock striking in the
town, and turned, wondering that
should hear it.
The next instant started violently
and faced round, for woman's shrill,
penetrating voice, coming from dis
tance, had called:
Murder! Murder! Murder! Oh,
he is going to kill mel"
Out to sea and over The hills in
land the white mists lay, but straight
before me l could see the lighthouse
and the grassy undulat!on5 that
stretched to it along the top Of the
cliffs.
For a moment, a. looked eagerly
frantically around, could see no liv-
ing thing except a solitary gull wheel
ing here and there and some indis.
tinct figures on the Seaford road, but
then my eyes fell on sight that
made my heart leap with fear and
horror.
On one of the grassy knolls-the
most distant but one, it seemed
were a man and woman. They were
both dressed in dark clothes and were
far from distinct, although the white
washed walls of the lighthouse
formed background; but / could see
that one was a woman, the other 6
man. They were now about a YARD
apart, and the woman's arms were
raised in tragic gesture. Then I saw
the man slowly raise his right hand
Something that he held in it glitteret
in the slanting sun-rays. The mex
instant he bad stepped up to the
woman and-how distinctly seem tC
have seen it all!-had plunged wha
was evidently weapon into hel
breast.
She sank instantly to the ground
Great heavens! Had she been mur
dered before my eyes?
Until now | had stood horror
stricken, rooted to the spot; but al
the woman dropped and the man alst
sank down-probably gloting over hi
victim-I suddenly awoke to the full
consciousness of wthat / had seen
l could hardly see the two now
they only made blur in the rounde,
curve of the. knoll; but, without tn
least thought of what l intended t
do, I tore madly down the slope.
On / raced, gasping from my ei
forts to maintain my speed up tn
short but stiff ascents, for am not a
athlete, and run of two miles or S
over such ground was no light matte
to me.
/ had but one idea in my mind
to reach the spot where the woma
lay, perhaps already dead, perhap
dying for want of aid
And yet l remember distinct
thinking once how madly the lark
were singing, how peaceful 1t a
seemed, and what a blot vile ma
made upon the sweetness and serer
fly.
But I raced on, and each time
breasted a knill strained my eye
eagerly for a sight of the two peopI
in the terrible tragedy. Aud eac