The mountain Democrat., 1864-08-20
THE sKIPPER's WIFE.
FOUNDED ON FACT.

ges on the Suffolk coast, nothing particu
larly s;Ti&iag - Ssf1:-T- ss:>c -. -. ~: ~:
1lfgTc on the wafer are more varied than
in many places, and when the sun sets in
the sultry summer evenings, there GER
tainly is a particularly bright line Of dan
cling light from the horizon, ending where
the waves ripple in at the base of the
cliff.
say cliff, for there is only one at El-
ruin, jutting out some forty yards farther
than the rest of the mainland, that forms
almost a straight line from the harbor, a
mile to the east Of the village, to the re-
mains of the old castle, hundred yards
to the west Of the cliff.
The Sharks tooth cliff, as it is called,
rises about sixty feet above the sea il
used to be much higher once, but every
year, as the tides run high, portion gives
way.
One Of the fishermen has often told me
that he could remember well, as child
its being a perfect hill, and that he and
the other lads used TO amuSe themselves
by sliding down the slippery turf facing
! the sea, and gathering the mushrooms for
which the hill used TO be so celebrated.
The sea encroaches very fast. though
not so rapidly as it did before they put up
the breakwatcr.
At certain times, when the tides are
very low, youcan see rock crvered with
long matted sea weeds; this the fishermen
! call the Bclfrey rock, and it is where the
old parish church used to stand.
Three years ago, when the tides were
/ very low, hired boat, and was row ed
out to the Befry. The waters were as
still and clear as crystal, and, gazing over
the sides of the crab boat. | could dis
timely make out in places where the
Foundation must have stood. | tad been
reading the account Of the Old church in
the couuty history, and it seemed to NE
50 >,rargc to be floating over the iounda-
ton uf those Norman arches which had
oLce been so much admired.
A. gazed down saw the red lines If
sea weed la2ily moving at the bottom,
where the shri'nps were dartng about,
ahd the iiillr ccs showing their pointed
heads from the crevireS Of what might
have been Oh building stones.
1t was an important village once, Ell
ruin, and tn" church $50 said nv county
history was the pride Of the n,ighbor
hood.
The noble family of Bai> for many a
hundred years uHned the e:,tile parish,
and, amoug other STANCE things, | read
how, up u 1900, they used to enforce u
toll on every boat in the village, as it re-
turned from the herring or nackcrcl bar.
vest; aud how 10 boats wtrr pcrmttrd j
/ to put ont on the day that body was
bornv from IT, caste to the family vault,
long, long si!cr ti..l with sand and sea
: Wat1r -- ............ ..-
, The G.lcrmcr'> wives, ever 20 the pres
cut day, ii-it-' 'hir Loi>r c'IittrCninto
silence by threat mn. t. hand them over
10 the Ea.k Earl.
' Who tins Back Erri Aas, could never
quite satisfactorily discover: but traition
sal that anowncr ni the place, som, Ian
dtc]S Of wears ago, Had finished iiie OF
+ uncNamr,cl WirNrlhl>> by spIinging otf
+ the Gill into the sea; and this know,
that even 10 t'iS time, before a storm, the
fishermen will tell vou that the form ct
/ the Back Earl is to be seen hoveri ing over
where the chanccl of the church stood.
aud where his body, if it could have been
, found, would have been buried
Cant see much OF the ruin, young gen
+ tlemap,' sand the old fisherman who had
rowrd mr. out, and who had been watch
ing with evident satisfaction the interest |
took in surveying the site Of the church.
which he, in common with all the other
+ Villagers, took great L>light in pointing
out.
Very little | said, waking from my
revcli- about the old Norman church, ST.
Matthias, its vaults filled with sand and
sea weed, and all those bodies resting
round it. where the once grassy church.
yard stretched, waiting till the sea shall
give up its dead
had been thinking and dreaming. till
! | could almost fancy that the low rolling
Of the sea was the sound Of the organ,
and that once more Eruin church stood
/ before me, with its lofty spire and deep.
cut windows, and that could See the sim.
pie fishing folk bowling before the old
Earl's pew, who, with his wife aud daugh.
/ tcrS, SAT-. in rutfied state, surrounded ty
the quantity carved monuments of sleep.
Ing anceS'o
Did you ever see the Back Earl 2 !
said,raising my eyes from gazing over the
boat seeing that my companion expected
unc to talk
Thank the Lord, never he answered,
reflling his pipe; my mother did, how
ever, afore that great storm which blew
SO uncommon hard, fifty six years ago. -
One day she comes in and says: say.
! Bill, | was a-comIng back along the cliff
Just now. when | seed black shallow,
like man, floating round the Bclfry
Rock
'Mayhap it was a cloud or a porrois".
said |, seeing she looked very much
frightened about it,
"Twan't a cloud, boy she said, nor
porpoiSe either; twas the Black Earl :;
but don't talk nn more about it. | should
not have minded so much.it your dad had
not gone out a.h>hing, aud the clouds
looked very unkrd.
Sure enough, there was such gale
that night as never heard aforc or since.
| was a-Seeping in the same room with
mother, when | wakes up, hearing pow
erful noise of wind against the window,
, starts W, and sees mother kneeling by
her bed. What's the matter, motherY
says |. Bill, she says, rising from her
knees and catching hold of my hand, I've
been piayi'g g for your father. knew it
was the Black Earl seed. Lord, have
mercy on US both know my dear man
be a dead corpse And so he was, sure
enough. lie and his two mates were
picked up, three days after, at the foot of
yonder building
That's the coast.guard station, is it
not?' | said, looking at the building he
pointed out to me, and wishing to change