The Union. [volume] (Georgetown, Del.) 1863-1866, 1864-04-01
A CRY IN THE DARK.

1t was on Wlndermere, one sunny even |
inc last autumn but one, that the follow
ing adventure was told me by kindly
middle-aged gentleman, whose pleasant
acquaintance had made at the hotel where
was staying. We had come out with
the intent Of fishing, and were anchored
about twenty yards off shore on the furth
er side of the lake; but finding the perch
in no humor to bite while the sun was SO
high, We sat chatting and smoking, and
watching the purple shadows steal slowly
up the sides Of the great hills that guard
the head Of the lake, bidipg our time pa
tenty till the fish should be hungry
enough to be tempted by our bait. | had
been taking walking tour through Lake
land, and my companion had made the
ascent of Fairfield on the previous day;
50 that our conversation, working gradu-
ally round from divergent points, at length
fell naturally upon pedestrionism, and the
amount of health aud pleasure 10 he de-
rived from travelling through q country
on foot; and it was upon this hint chat
my companion spakc Us follows;
Whom [ was young fellow (said ho)
that l. 70 say, more taap thirty aummors
ago ! vas az fond Of walking tours az any
hplY. llse fgst j! cyof teok sas through
Cornwall, wAen WGs but a lad. OF seven
teen OF which ocelaisn / net VitA-z l;tsse
ye'l slsse. .gssS iiasi,s'sssj
vsil i aeannsa g ! haze
Cd sH6thei cigar 49,
With six week j holiday in view be-
fore returning to the drudgery Of M
fathers office and purse not Badly sup
plicd. [ set out on my tour, dcterinlned Il
onio5 mvsef alter my own free and inde-
uendent fashion and to thoroughly ex
More the romantic country | had chosen
AS the scene of my wanderings, which was
at that time little better than terra incog
aiia to the ordinary run Of tourists whC
firmly Believed they had seen everything
that was worth seeing after staying for !
few hours in each of the principal towns
and viewing the intermediate countr.
from the top Of u coach, or the window
vi q poat-chaise. For my part, dlsdain
ed all guide-books and road maps AM
never knew, when | set out iii the morn
ing, what sp,t would be my resting plac
at night. delighted in crossroads, am
country lanes, and sheep tracks among tn
hills any footpath or bye-way that le
from the dusty prosaic high-road had al
lurements for me that / could rarely resis
| had been leading this pleasant sort c
life for about fortnight, gradually work
ing my way southwestward towards til
sea, when late one afternoon-a gloom
overcast afternoon, as | well remember
overlook pedlar among the hills, Gel
man jew fellow, with a box hanging froI
"a strap over his shoulder; and as the roa
was very lonely, and we both happened |
be going the same way, we naturally fe
into conversation for in those days ! ws
always ready to make the acquaintance
anybody The road we were travellin
was little more than bride path amen
the hills, which / had taken by chanc
neither knowing nor caring whittier
might lead me and it was to such effe
that | answered my companion, when
asked me for what place | was bound
He greeted my answer with smile. al
little shrug of the shoulders, which mig
he either one Of pity at the idea of al
rational being finding pleasure or profit
such aimless wanderings, or one Of dish
lief at what he perhaps considered Il
transparent attempt to impose upon b
credulity. After trudging along in silen
for shor. time, he remarked that he W
bound for certain town which he name
some dozen miles away that he had taxi
the road through the hills, hoping to fl
it a near cut that he had never been tn
way before; and that he heard there W
a roadside inn some mile OF two furth
on, where we could probably obtain .
commodation for the night, as it would
dark in less than on hour, and to attenl
to find ones way across the moors aft
dark would be the height of folly.
concluded by asking me if I did not wa
aspiendid gold watch, or chain, or rir
or a breastpin, or set of studs-any
all Of which he would let me have a
ridieulouslg low figure! Finding all his
forts 30 trade oflno oiavail, he shrugged
sscalaera aeain, pullatl up his box a ii
higher on his back, and, becomiae i
cQmqrodc on the instant, offered me
box full of choice foreign tobacco, d
suggested friendly pipe as the best al
Walton of the tolls Of the way props
ton to which / readily agreed, for you
IS was, I had learnt the art Of smokir