Year: 1878

moment MS DOuy WIS DdldHCcu upOh
the very verge of the precipice, then
the loose earth crumbled beneath his
weight and he fell downtown.


That report and wild cry Of pain
reached the ears of the young woman,
and swiftly wheeling, Samantha Brown
beheld a man fall backward, then roll
over the back of the cliff. Her face
grew white as she expected to see him
meet frightful death upon the, jagged
rocks nearly hundred feet beneath,
but she was spared this.


The falling body crashed into a mass
of young vines, thirty feet below the
embankment, and then settled down
upon slight, narrow projection.-it
could hardly be called ledge--a few
feet below, and there remained station
ary.


She urged her pony towards the foot
Of the cliff, with the wild purpose of
breaking the unfortunate mans fall,
but common sense quickly told her that
such an idea was worse than folly, and
she changed her course, lashing the
pony fiercely and taking the shortest
practicable course by which the top of
the cliff could be gained.


Seth Thomas had not entirely lost
his consciousness, even while falling
swiftly down to what seemed certain
death, and as he struck the cIump of
wild grape-vines, he instinctiyely
grasped at them with his left hand his
right was completely disabled. But a
single one of the tender shoots remained
firm and unbroken; that only held him
ton upon which he partially lay.
though wide enough for sure-fOOted
person in an upright position, was too
narrow to hold recumbent body.
Even should the vine hold firm, the
end must soon come. He was bleeding
prOfusely; he felt that he was growing
fainter with each passing moment;
five minutes more-then death


AS in dream, he saw the pale, yet
not terrified face of woman above
him-heard an anxious voice calling to
him; he answered, what, he never
knew. But it was sufficient. Samantha
saw that he was alive, and she believed
she could save him.


Quickly removing the long and stout
trail rope from the neck Of her pony,
she formed moose and lowered it to
the wounded man. The prospect of
rescue cleared his brain and restored
his cool senses. He saw that if he re-
leased his grasp upon the vine to pass
the moose around his body, he would
fall from his slight support, and so he
told her, begging her to hasten for aid.


But Samantha could see that she
could not 60 and return in time. He
would weaken and fall, even if he did
not bleed to death.


She hurriedly drew up the rope and
nOosed it around the trunk of the
stunted tree beside which Seth had
stood when he shot himself, then, coil
ing the rest over her arm, she slid over
the escarpment and lowered herself to
the ledge where he was lying.


Seth was in an agony of apprehension
not for himself, but to see her hang
ing to that apparently frail rOpe-and
vet she succeeded, thanks to the free,
wild life tnat had strengthened her
muscles and trained her brain.


Cautiously STOPPING, she passed the
rope twice around his chest then
knotted it firmly. Should the vine give
way now he could only fall few
yards.


Bidding him be of good cheer the
brave girl carefully picked her way up
dozen feet beyond, supported by the
faithful rope, and then began her diff
cult ascent, taking advantage of each
little point of rock or creyice, working
with both feet and arms, far enough
from Seth to prevent the dislodged
stones from disturbing him, and reach
ing the top in safety.


Barely pausing to take few breaths,
Samaetha called up her pony and fas-
tened the trail rope around its neck.
Bidding Seth prepare she gave the
word, and the well-trained creature
moved slowly away, inch by inch. She
crouched upon the brink in breathless
suspense, regulating the movements of
the mustang by an occasional word.


Seth was still able to help himself
slightly, and with his feet and sound
arm, keep clear of the projecting poinst
and bushes. AS he came within reach,
Samantha bent over and grasping the
moose, lifted him over the edge, and
never released her grasp until he fell
senseless at the foot of the tree.


Samantha was faint and trembling
from her terrible eXertions, but she did
not falter until the wounded man was
rudely but efficiently bound up. Then
she secured the rope to the tree, so that
Seth could not possibly fall over the
cliff, then mounted the pony and
dashed away at breakneck speed for as
sistance.


A wagon was brought, and Seth was
conveyed to the nearest house-which
chanced to be the Brown farmhouse.
A doctor was sent for, and his arm at
tended to. Fortunately no bones were
broken, the charge of shot passing
through the fleshy part Of his forearm,
and after two weeks of bed, Seth was
able to move about the house.


But that short time was long enough