The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1915-07-24

happened to her. He then picked out
the fisherman from the rest and put a
question to him, turning about again
toward the sea. Tell me this" he
said. could a BOAT have taken her of
from that ledge Of rock where her foot
marks stop?"
The fisherman pointed to the rollers
tumbling in on the sand bank and to
the great waves leaping up in clouds
OF foam against the headlands on ell
Their side Of us.
"No boat that was ever built" he
answered. "could have got to her
through that"
Sergeant Cuff looked for the last
time at the footmarks on the sand
which the rain was now fast blurring
out.
There" he said, "is the evidence
that she can't have left this place by
land. And here" he went on, looking
at the fisherman, as the evidence that
she can't have got away by sea-" He
stopped and considered for a minute.
"She was seen running toward this
place half an hour before l got here
from the house." he said to Yolland.
Some time has passed since then.
Call 1t altogether an hour g How
high would the water be at that time
on this side of the rocks?' He point
ed to the south side-otherwise, the
side which was not filed up by the
q~uicksand.
"As the tide makes today" said the
fisherman, "there wouldn't have been
water enough to drown a kitten on
that side Of the spit an hour since"
Sergeant Cuff turned about north
ward toward the quicksand.
How much on this side?" he asked.
LESS STILL" answered Yolland. "The
Shivering Sand would have been just
awash, and no more"
The sergeant turned to me and said
that the accident must have happen
ed on the side of the q~uicksand. My
tongue was loosened at that. mo ac-
cidentr' 1 told him. when she came
to this place she came. weary OF her
life, to end 1t here"
He started back from me. SHow do
you known he asked. The rest Of
them crowded round. The sergeant re-
covered himself instantly. He put
; them back from me. He said I was
{ an old man. He said the discovery had
shaken me. He said, "Let him alone
a little" Then he turned to Yolland
/ and asked, as there any chance of
finding her when the tide GIBBS again?'
And Yolland answered, None. What
the sand gets the sand keeps forever"
Having said that the fisherman came
a step nearer and addressed himself
to me.
"Mr. Betteredge," he said, II have a
word to say to you about the young
woman's death. Four foot out, broad
wise, along the side of the Spit, there's
!, a shelf of rock about half a fathom
down under the sand. My question is,
Why didn't she strike that? If she
slipped by accident from of the Spit
she fell in, where there's foothold at
the bottom, at a depth that would
barely cover her to the waist. She
must have waded out, or jumped out
into the deeps beyond or she wouldn't
be missing now. No accident, sir! The
deeps of the quicksand have got her.
And they have got her by her own
act"
After that testimony from a man
whose knowledge was to be relied on
the sergeant was silent. With one &C
cord we all turned back up the slope Of
the beach.
At the sand hillocks we were met by
the bridegroom running to us from
the house. He handed me a little note,
with a decent sorrow In his face. Pc
nelope sent mt with this, Mr.. Better
edge" he said. "She found it in Ro-
sanna's ROOM"
old man who had done his best-thank
God, always done his best-to befriend
her.
"You often forgave me, Mr.. Bet
teredge, in past times. When you next
see the Shivering Sand try to forgive
me once more. / have found my grave
where my grave was waiting for me.
1 have lived and died, sir, grateful for
your kindness"
There was no more than that. Little
as 1t was, I hadn't manhood enough to
hold up against it. Your tears come
easy, when you're young and beginning
the world.
Sergeant Cuff took a step nearer to
me, meaning kindly, l don't doubt.
Don't touch me-" l said. Its the
dread of you that has driven her to T."
"You are wrong, Mr.. Betteredge," he
answered quietly. But there will be
time enough to speak of 1t when we
are all indoors again."
Ito be c~ontinued.1