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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 16, 1889)
WEST SHORE. there would be no falls any more, only the great Niag ara river flowing along its leveled bed to the lake and the sea. But that, the veteran added with a chuckle, would certainly not come in his time; no, nor even in the time of the young man with whom he was talking. They talked a good while, and at length it became necessary that the museum should be closed and the old man get to bed. They were early to go to bed and get up there. Hugh bade him a kindly farewell, as he was pushing on to Quebec with tho early morning. The house- was closed nearly all the houses were closed. The place was quiet, except for tho eternal thunder of the falls, and that sound seemed somehow to make the silence elsewhere more deep. It was a night of autumn. Hugh began to meditate over tho continual chango in the shape of the falls, over the frequent landslips and the crash of Table rock, and all the other phe nomena of which the old man had told him. His mind tried to form a picturo of the scene, when, after the lapse of many generations, there wero to ho no more falls, and of the various changes in the landscape which would have to be gono through first. The sub ject had a sort of strange fascination for him. It en tranced him; it appalled him. He Hung himself on the ground, near enough to the edge to have a good view, hut not near enough to be in any apparent dan ger. The air was soft and warm, and ho Wamo drowsy. Delightful visions of his engaged wife came floating before him. He had been traveling for some little time, had been seeing sights with pleased and busy, but now rather tired, eyes, and the thought of his coming happiness helped to waft him still further into dreamland, and ho fell asleep. Not for long, certainly, but it was a sl.rp, and he was traveling in his dream; and he was aroused, he thought, by tho rushing motion of the railway car in hone sleeping berth he had fancied himself imliedded. He opened his eyes, grumbling, rather, and looked heavily up, and he almost smiled at the notion when he saw the moon still shining on tho falls and the rapids. Hut that Bound so near at hand, close under him it seemed, that was not the thunder of the falls. That sudden, strange motion, as if an earthquake were leaving under him, what could that lie ? He jumH to his feet, but only to stagger and tumble alsiiit, and the terrible truth was borne in iixn him some of the earth on which he was resting had given way. a new landslip was taking place and was bearing him along with it down, down, down to the headlong rush of the arrowy rapids Mow the falls, where the life of the strongest swimmer that ever breasted river or sea would not hold its own for one poor second of time. Yes, he was borne down and down, with a sickening Herniation caused by the mere slipping of the earth neath him, and which was distinctly present and repug nant tohis senses even at that moment of utter Hril and agony. Tho reeling, sinking earth was sliding from beneath him, but was carrying him too, only too sure ly, in its descent. He turned on his face and tried to clutch at anything that might stay him, even for a moment, in his downward rush. Happily for him, the hank just there was very sloping and not at all pre cipitateif it had boon precipitate, poor Hugh's ca reer would have lieen finished in about live seconds. Hut the bank sloped considerably, and Hugh's descent " lit TI SNII) (IN III MI'S ASI) TMISO TO CU'TCII AT AMVrHINtl THAT MIOIIT STAY II IM IVKN COS A SHlMKNT " was for a while so smooth and easy that he had time to pull himself together and call his wits iilsnit him. the situation n led all the wits of tho l-st-wlttcd man. Hugh knew well that he was rushing downward to a certain death if nothing should interoso to stay his descent. He dug his kern Into the reddish earth of the bank ami strove to strike his feet Into the soil, ns a man about to take a desrate jump In a strep!'" chase tries to dig his fn-t well into the stirrups. Even with his back turned to the light-what light there was he could sec that the moon still shone. He clutched at projecting stumps of trees and tufts of hushes and brambles, but these all gave way Is-nenth him, ami the downward rush of the moving mass be gan to grow quicker and quicker. Yet a second or two and he felt that all must bo over with him. But he would not give up ho would not die. lie thought of his love, be thought of Marie, and lie would not die. lie