Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1913-12-04

lanche, then entered upon a marrow
passage where upon one side tn
mountain rose sheer to the swimming
sky, while upon the other it dropped
into a sickening abyss. This scan
way they traversed with the reckless
ness OF mountain sheep, and soon leav
ing 1t behind found themselves upon ;
broader way. Before them sank |
gorge, slant and deep, a good mill
wide; beyond it arose the towering
heights of the table mountain toward!
which they had been stumbling since
the beginning of the pursuit. Across
the gorge the flying thing was already
beating his way, and with but an in
stants pause in order to pick out theil
path the pursuers went scrambline
down. Dislodged rocks few from be
meath their feet and with leaps Of
ever increasing length clattered tt
the bottom far below where they land
ed with echoing roars. In their slides
their clothing was ripped to pictur
esque rags and their bodies raked and
SANAAASa PAIAoOAgs 1hOJ 1CdOhCu IAN
bottom, scrambled across and faint
and dizzy once more began the steep
ascent. Climbing, dragging themselves
from rock to rock, often upon their
hands and knees, blinded by sweat,
gasping, they slowly mounted until a
steep field of jumbled masses split
from the peaks by the erosion and
lightnings of untold ages lay before
them, and over this CHASTITY field of
unutterable desolation and brooding
silence they went in a last heart
breaking scramble until they reached
the base Of the final cliffs that arose
as sheer as a wall for hundreds of
feet to the broad, fiat surface Of the
mountains summit Clay staggering
to the face Of the cliff pointed despair
ingly upward. His face was that Of
an old man, furrowed and drawn,
CHASTITY pale, his mouth open, his eyes
wild and rolling. Alan's glance fol-
lowed the raised finger. Two hundred
feet above them and struggling des-
perately, sometimes striking the cliff
with his pinions, sometimes falling
back few feet, but always recovering
himself and mounting higher, the one
whom they had chased throughout
that awful day was bearing his prey
yard by yard to the height above.
Then with last desperate effort he
reached the summit, lowered a second
at its edge and then disappeared, a
smothered cry of triumph falling like
a knell upon the ears of those who
gasped below. Horror-stricken and
utterly spent both of the pursuers
sank upon the stones with the soul
sickness of despair upon them
March staring with sunken eyes
across the broad gulch which they had
last slid into and with infinite toll
worked their way out of, could from
the height at which he sat see miles
of the tortuous course along which
they had dashed themselves by pure
strength of will. Yonder was the
side with it's DEVILS trap of
Inclined shale across which they had
"a NpS 90 OilC SACCp LuC plCCp
side of roof, hitching themselves
along with the slow painfulness of
wounded men upon battlefield. There,
also, was the narrow trail along the
ledge of overhanging rock where
would have landed them in
shapeless masses hundreds of feet be-
low. Back of that, dim in the dis
lance, was the huge boulder by the
side of which he had fought his bitter
battle against the stupor of exhaustion
rs he painted himself back to life while
Tolliver had slept, back of that again
and interminably away the ragged
crest over which they had staggered
as they arose from the other gorge
with its chaotic bottom of fallen rock
masses. What distance they had
,ome-what incredible efforts they
lad put forth with all the world swing
ng In a blood red mist before their
glazed eyes; what tortures of mind
md body they had endured-and all to
low be baffied by mere matter of
hundreds of feet! And Doris still in
he hands of that foul monster who
low safe in his eyrie no longer need
70 held back by the restraint of fear.
Doris! Doris! Great God, what could
he do! 1t seemed as though he must
20 mad in his agony. His hands
'lenched until they were white and
,loodless and he bit his lips until the
Hood came to keep from crying out
light to the brooding cliffs. The nau-
ea of horror gripped his stomach UNI
il he became deathly i'll and shivered
IS one with the ague, the cold per-
ptration bursting from his brow, weak
s cat. He rolled over upon his face
With his fingers buried in his hair,
lighting back the deathly faintness
With all his powers of resistance. 1t |
vas too horrible to be real-therefore |
must be a nightmare from which he |
would presently awake, or failing in |
hat lose his senses to a verify. HUI
nan reason could not long withstand
UGH agony.
A noise at his side brought him to
sitting posture. Clay had regained
is feet and was staring about in a
ewildered way, his clothing in rags
nd his lacerated hands twitching con-
ulsively. Il have rested and now
m going to get her." he said in a
TRANCE voice. Il told her that loved