Year: 1867

which no shadow has ever fitted, and at which one
needs but glance to assure himself of the retiring
modesty of her nature and the immaculate purity
of her thoughts. Gentle and yielding as is her ma
ture, glance into her clear sparkling blue eyes and
learn with what depth Of womanly intellect, she
is endowed Gently, and in pearly tints, must the
painter who would copy her features, lay in the
shadows around her smiling lips, and her full but
delicate chin. Her brow and nose, with its high
swelling nostrils, are such as we but seldom meet
with. save in the masterpieces Of Grecian genius
and her full bust and Juno-like arms-what raw
ishing picture of perfect beaunty they present!


''Helen," said a matronly lady, who was seated
but few feet distant upon picnic stool, conve-
niently placed against cottonwood tree, against
which she was reclining, II fear the canoe will
leave the bank with you. 1t seems to me quite
insecure"


''I have no fears, mother" said the young lady
in the boat "Itseems lodged quite securely against
the bank; but to relieve your apprehensions, will
take seat by you on the bank"


As the young lady spoke, she rose to her feet but
the movement caused the light canoe, which was
only retained in its place by the weight Of the PROV
upon the bank, to lose its hold upon the land, and
in a moment it was fairly afoat! Helen Rothsay,
for she it was with suppressed exclamation of a.
larm made one or two steps forward, but this only
communicated an additional impulse to the canoe,
and sent it still farther from the shore.


She stopped, and bit her lip with modification
at her unpleasant situation, and while flush pass
ed over her fair face, spoke in low and hurried
cents to her fair companions entreating them as
promptly as possible, to procure long pole to draw
her to the shore Two of them sprank quickly a.
way to fulfil her request, and speedily returned with
a fisherman long cane, but the canoe had by this
time foated beyond its reach. There was little
laughter and some apprehension, and no little hustle
and confusion among the bevy of fair maidens on
the bank, but they anticipated, with the sanguine
feelings of youth, that after little fright, all would
soon be well again. They were too inexperienced
to estimate the danger. The current ran scarcely
thirty feet distant from the bank and when once the


light canoe had Aoated within reach of its influence,
it was obvious that it would be borne onward with
arrowy speed


The eye of the alarmed and terror-s stricken moth
er, who had already sprang to her feet at the first
alarm, estimated the danger at glance. Uttering
a wild cry of agony she sprang forward, and would
have rushed into the swollen stream, but for the in
terposition of those who stood by, spectators like
herself, of the dreadful calamity they had no power
to avert or control. Her agonized cry was heard
for many rods around, and the scattered groups hu
ried forward to the spot, under painful apprehen-
sion that some overwhelming misfortune had taken
place.


The canoe had already been drawn into the cur
rent, and when Helen Rothsay turned her pale and
terror-stricken face towards the shore, she saw a
throng whose faces were not less expressive of hor
ror than her own and then, for the first time, she
felt the full extent of her danger, and realized the
helplessness and almost hopeessness other situation
She had to this time continued standing, but she
now gathered her garments more closely around
her, and kneeling down in the canoe, bowed her
head in prayer. Wild trees. uprooted from the
swamp, eddied and danced around her. tossed on
the resistless current, their huge arms revolving
and lashng the waterlike the wheels of an immense
futter-wheel. She needed not the danger, for her
head was bowed and hereyes closed prayer. She
was just disappearing around a bend of the river
some three hundred yards below, when the sound
of horses hoofs was heard Gathering along the
road, and in moment Robert Guiscard refined in
his horse on the very verge of the bank.
A glance of the eye told him that some great ca.
lamity had occurred. The handso of many, appraised
in excitement; the horror written upon the pale
faces of ALL and the locks of agitation and alarm
that were turned towards him as he rened up his
horse on the bank spoke to him in startling Ian
guage His quick eye, in it's rapid glance, rested
upon the form of Mrs. Rothsay who had fallen
fainting into the arms of her friends, and Helen
Rothsay-where wasshe? VAST presentiment,
or was it an intuition that told him some dreadful
evil had befallen her?


"Oh! Mr. Guiscard," skrieked young lady,
springing forward to his horses bride, almost at
the moment when he reached the spot, ''Helen
Rothsay save poor Helen?'


"What is the matter?" exclaimed Guiscard,
springing to the ground, "what has happened to
Helen-to Miss Rothsay?"


Abashed at the consequences of her mpulsive-
ness, the fair speaker shrank from the eager and
fearful glance of enquiry which was fixed upon her.
but dozen arms were extended, pointing down the
river where the canoe had disappeared, and a half
score voices told him of the misfortune and peril of
the maiden.


There waslittle time for reflection none for delay.
Moments were precious. There was no boat at
hand, and it would have been folly for Guiscard, al
though he was an expert and enduring swimmer, to
endeavor to overtake the canoe in its swift flight by
striking out into the current in pursuit Below, a
tangled swamp, miry and impossible, and now cov-
cred by the waters of the feshet cut off all access
to the river for the distance of nearly five miles; at
this point again, tongue of the highlands, like a
promontory, penetrated the swamp and came bluff
up to the river This was the only point, for dis


ance Of fifteen or twenty miles, at which the river
was accessible, and here alone was there prospect
of ntercepting the canoe with its precious freight
as it was swept on by the swollen current frail and
unsteady thing, each moment in imminent peril Of
being overwhelmed by floating trees, or engulphed
by the violence of the swollen stream.


There was not an instant Of delay. Guiscard
sprang into his saddle, and in quiet and subdued
tones gave orders that carriage should immediate
ly follow him to thelower bluff, tocay Helen Roth
say home, if he should be sofortunate as to rescue
her from her peril This brief and necessary order
given, he was off like bolt from the cross-bow.-
The distance by the route he must take, was neces-
sarily greater than than over which the canoe must