The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1834-01-15

image still pursued me have fought
for gold, and won it, only to lay the spoil
at your feet; love you now. as ] have
loved you ever"
"And of what do you complain '"'ask-
ed the maid "have ! not always thought
of you-the instant you came i'll sight I
Have not dreamed several times, when
l had the nightmare, that you were
hound and ! a hare Have mot fled
from you again and again, land did not
you pursue Inc, not merely in idea bu! in
fact. breaking once your arm, and many
times almost your neck, in the race p
l have not fought for gold, indeed to lay
at your feet, but ! have climbed for
pheasants and thrown them at your
head. In short, love you now, just as
I loved you ever. love you as well, or
almost as well, as love that glorious
bird, who looks as it were about to
swoop down upon US. Do try if you
can hit him with a stone J" and the gay
and heartless maiden sprang with anoth-
er laugh down the cliff
Even Julie, was almost tired tow ards
the close of the day and she at length
listened to the entreaties of Antoine
and consented to return and rejoin the
party at the common rendezvous. They
were nov on part of the range of
mountains where even the foot of the
daring pheasant. seldom trod, owing 10
its difficulty of access. 1t was a tabular
rock, at a considerable elevation above
the others and the side of which ex-
cePt at one particular point, were abso-
lntely perpendicular for several hundred
feet from the top, and SD smooth as TO
present the appearance of wall of
fortress.
At the point alluded TO, a rude aud
grotesque-looking arch swept down from
near the summit. 1t was apparently
constructed of loose stones, resembling
those which lay in huge irregular masses
around the base of the tabular rock, and
had no doubt been formed accidentally,
in he fall of these fragments from the
TOP, during some convulsion of nature
The arch was SO narrow, and its surface
so pointed and irregular as to offer ac-
cess to the rock onI y when climbed up
on hands and knees and when it is
remembered that this precarious path,
in some places nearly perpendicular,
and on both sides presenting frightful
precipice. was at least six hundred feet
lorg, it will readily be imagined that the
idea either of ascending or desc ending,
but particularly the latter, must have
had something terrific even for the bold
est Imagination.
The feat had been performed on this
and some other occasions by Julie and
her lover, from simple daring without
any prospect of advantage (; for here the
curse of steriity was so complete, that
even the eagles avoided the lonely rock.
There was dreury grandeur in the
view from the summit which oppressed
the heart. The region of cliff and pre-
cipice extending as far as the eye could
reach. The only diversity in the scene
was in the form of the craggy points,
which shot up their bald heads around
and in the angle Of the abrupt and dizzy
steps which hung threateningly over
gulfs of darkness that were bottomless
to the vision. A grayish brown color,
with no variety except of shade, over
spread the picture. The silence, after
the ear had become accustomed to the
ceaseless signing Of the wind, seemed
strange and mysterious and it was OBJ
served that no one rested long upon that
solated rock, without feeling a kind of
horror creeping through his blood.
Julie aud Antoine gazed around them
for some time without speaking but at
last the latter, although with some APP
parent effort to subdue his feelings, star.
ted up. The western sky had long been
covered with thick masses of clouds,
which prevented him from ascertaining
the position Of the sun and now that