The mountain Democrat., 1864-11-12
T& Coast Gsaitalsama...Ta Taa..
Good evening, sir., =
Good avan;nS. A lElAL ~ ,


Tor 10 We G5rk have more of them
The scene wasfon the south coast OF
Cornwall, where I had retired few days
before the commencement Of the long va
: cation, to seek short repUse from the
turmoil and worry Of the law leaving be-
hind me the old time. worn buildings Of
{ LIncoln's Inn, where the old sundial, with
It's quaint motto, seldom looked ut, and
, still schooner Needed, is perpetually re-.
Z minding US Of the frail tenure by which
; We hold our lives; leaving the barristers,
in their gowns and wigs, hurriedly pass
ing from courts to consultations Tor, in
other words, from fee to fee); the lawyers
in their black dress, and with their ban
dies Of papers under their arms and the
otice'boys, with big bags, stuffed full of
what 1t would be hard to enumerate-
briefs, cases, opinions, and all the other
multifarious paraphernalia Of the profes-
sion, evidently looking upon themselves
as no mean part of their respective estab-
lishments; leaving all this busy scene
(and only too glad to do SOY, to seek it,
tie rest and quiet in about the quietest
part of England. had taken rooms in a
little village about mile from the sea !;
and the short walks gradually extended,
tGe regular hours and the quietness Of
ever ything internally and externally was
as.. bringing me round again, when the
circu,. .1staHc l Am about to relate took
place. r
stood gazing cut q! my window at few
strangers still pAssing up and down the
village street, when sudden wish came
into nv head to take a walk along the
cliffs by moonlight. had often thought
of doing this wondering what sort OF lie
the coas. ..guardsmen had of it those men
by whom every inch Of England, 50 they
say, is walked round every night, as they
pace up and down., night after night, aud
year after year ana SO | resolved, at last,
to put my long-fancied scheme into exc
cution.
had been sauntering along for about
half mile, looking at the blue waves,
reaching far, far out irto the distance, anu
chequered here and there by the distant
sail Of some fishing. boat cleaning silver
in the moonlight, and at the long golden
track, reaching from far away up to the
base Of the cliffs-the footpath Of the f.
ries, as | have been told long ago--and
peopIing it, in my fancy, with the light
spirits Of the air, tripping along in many
q fantastic maze, on the glittering surface,
and calling to their spirits in the water
below, when l was startled by an ap-
preaching fOotstep, and, looking up, saw
man close to me, while the inviting
smell from short pipe quickly recalled
me from my fancies to sense of ordinary
existence.
All that noticed Of his dress was that
, he had on a rough pilot-coat, with low
hat, while thick walking. stick formed
his only apparent weapon Of. otfense and
defense. In short, it was with him that
the sentences first above written were
exchanged.
soon found that my new acquaintance
was one Of that very body of men that |
had so often pondered about and so, hav-
ing fallen into conversation, | walked on
bit with him.
Il suppose you don't have much to do
now besides walking up and down, do
you"
'Why, no, sir. There's not so much
doing as there used to be, once on q time,
though | have seen some goings on in my
time. Mind where you are treading, sir =
he exclaimed. The cliff is not very safe
along the edge, and if it gave way you
would be smashed on the rocks below,
like poor fellow | knew was some time
ago God rest his soul y
what OF him 2 said. Did any one
fall over heret'
why, no, sir. He didn't exactly fall
over, and it wasn't over this cliff, neither,
but the one we shall come to next. NY
beat ends there, and, as I am bit before
my time, expect my mate won't be up
for ten minutes or so and, if you like to
hear the tale though it's not so much after
all, will tell you on the spot where it
all happened. Indeed. to say the truth, |
shall be very glad of your company, for
its whisht spot, and, often as | have
waited there, I am always glad to turn
my back on it again.
We soon reached the bay by the light
of the moon. After looking along the
cliff, to see if there were any signs of his
companion, and, not finding any, he sat
down on a stone, and lighted a cigar,
and, taking my place beside him, he be-
gan:
1t is not so many years ago, sir, eight
or nine, maybe, when young gentleman
. came down here, as it might be you, to
, spend month or so-our town being a
quiet sort Of place. like. He wasn't a
} bad-looking sort of fellow, and had small
white hands. Indeed, most people would
have called him handsome, though there
was always kind of look about bis mouth
| didn't like to see. He was staying up
at the Miners Arms, and there soon got
tales about the town. of the way in which
he and two or three other wild young fel.
lows about here, as there are everywhere,
used to go on; the sitting up at nights
the drinking and card playing, and the
. wild freaks they used to be at. But as he
always had plenty of money, and paid
his bill every week Gt was his own wish.
: Polmarthen, the landlord, sir, never carec
to say anything to him. lie was clos'
man, was Polmarthen, and no doubt h'
0 made plenty of money out Of his custom
D er but it would have been better for him
il he had never let Mr.. Hendon under his
roof. His daughter, pretty Kate POlmar
then as she was always called, was the
prettiest girl for miles about Il see you
= guess what's coming), and many was th'
n glass that had been emptied in her honor
!. !. a and many young man would have Civ
d en- much to have stood well in her goot
g graces; but, though she was bit OF I
flirt, there was none that had ever fOunC
= favor in her eyes but Ralph Tregrava-'
likely young fellow as ever was SEEM
Folks often wondered how it was that ol'
POlmarthen ever allowed his daughter t
!. enna a. haraelf tn uonnn TrepraYA. VIII