Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1866-06-30
DAILY COMMERCIAL.
BALTIMORE, IND.
Second Thoughts.
From London Society,"

TAILS OF a trip together to the Continent
Yes, certainly, it was the perfection of COM
fort, We had on dry fannels, and were
stretched, with good stiff glasses of grog within
easy reach on the floor, each on thick rug
doubled over a couple of seaman's chests
showed up against the wall on opposite sides
of the little pilots hut which stands among the
sandhils at the entrance of Rakeston harbor
fire of drift coal burnt cheerfully in a small
cruclble-shaped iron stove between US. There
was Just light enough to glance on Nick's red
| Worsted stockings, and to show dimly the
ghostIy line of the six dashed hammocks which
hung side by side from the ceiling in the
smoke, which every now and then pulled out
and collected in blue haze among the rafters,
| as some more violent gust than usual threatened
to carry the hut bodily away.
We had arranged plan some little time be-
| tore Tor long nights duck shooting by moon
| hight on the harbor; and, though the weather
| looked ugly and uncertain, we determined not
to be BEATEN and drove eff in the rain eight
miles to our starting place. The tide was un-
| accountably slow that day, and it was an hour
or more later than we had calculated before
| there was enough for Us to row down to the
| yachts mOorings, so we had plenty of time to
! uctual the garrison, and by the time we had
disposed Of three eggs apiece, with correspond
| my bacon, III Iue Sdnu6u pdrlOr OF the lOSpl-
| table Lobster" we felt less irritated with
| the universe, and had the satisfaction of find
| ing that the rain had stopped, and the bitches,
| which rose and fell with the tide, were full.
The sun came out, and the clouds rolled
| away before stifening breeze, as we tackled
| down the Channel with the ebb at a spanking
| pace. few seas over US only added to the
| charms Of a glorious sail, and my spirits, at
| least, were at their highest as we cast anchor
l doc, II l. Al
| both OF US (htte thinking of the evils IN store
| for u.s. in opposite directions, to stalk lot of
| curlews which we had marked down on q
| mud-bank a quarter of q mile away. When
| we got back again the sun was sinking, sullen
and red, behind forests and mountains of
| dark purple cloud away over the harbor, and
we had not made any of our arrangements for
| the night. The yacht was unlocked. The
| ingenious shelter which we had planned of
| sails stretched over the boom and dashed down
! to the bulwarks, existed as yet only in our
own imaginations, and few ominous splashes
| Of rain did not add to the pleasantness of the
| prospect Of a night in the open air. The first
| thing to be done was to look after our supper,
and almost before our potatoes were boiled it
| was pitch dark, drenching with rain, and blow
| ing gale. No lights are allowed on the point
| after dark under heavy penalties, so we ate q
| miserable meal of cold mutton and bread,
| damp, sulky and silent, in the lee of the life
| boat house, shivering, respondent and wretch
| ed. There was something wrong with Nick,
! too. Generally he was the most lively, good
natured fellow in the world, ready to make
| the best of everything, but all to-day he had
| been irritable and unpleasant. He ran us
| aground like q great lubber three times on the
| way down, by hauling on the jib sheet when
| he should have let draw; missed an easy shot
at the curlews, and swore at me for it and as
| | shiyered in the bitter northeast wind which
| grew wilder and louder every moment, | could
not forget that if he had put the helm up in
stead Of down, once in the race Just outside
| the point, | should not have had big wave
| down the back of my neck. Moreover he had
| 'souwester," and an oily coat right down
| to his heels, and | had only a stupid wide
| awake and peajacllet. This last offence could
not be forgiven. My mind was made up hat
he might look out for another travelling COM
panion for the trip to Switzerland next week.
| would go to Normandy alone.
Oh, the luxury Of those dry hannels and the
| charming warmth and comfort of that exquisite
pilot-house! Harry, our boatman has found
the key and lit the fire. We had boiled the
| kettle, had got up our dry things from the
yacht, and now, as | said before, we lay on
our rugs in the perfection of comfort. What's
pleasure it was to listen to the shrek and rattle
| of the storm outside, and then to put ones
| hand down and find real warm dry legs, and to
take up a sip of the luscious grog.
My heart was full, and yearned towards
Nick as he smoked away, gloomy and silent,
emptying his tumbler and filing it up again
terribly stiff We had none of US spoken for
some time, when Harry got stretched him
self, and threw on u lump of coal. The fire
bazed up brightly. Nick's face was towards
me, and he turned it away sharply, He was
| crying.
II doubt Id better just 60 down to the
yacht, sir, and see she rides all right That's
a uukind night. Lawk! there's a rare bob
berry out o. the Channel. The lights O. that
vessel out O. the middle's jumping about, most
as though she was out o. the open. | never
seed bigger sight O. sa. That make mortal
yelling"
The door opened and flew back with q bang
| like a cannon. The rain drove up the hut,
and the fire poured out a stream of smoke
which eddied round and round, and ended by
| trying to make It's escape up my nose.
| "Nick, | said, as soon as the sneezing fit
was over and we were alone, mick, old fellow,
tell me what the row? There have l been
thinking you sulky and all sorts of things =
tell me" and got up and put my hand
on his shoulder. "Poor old boy what is ?"
ooh! leave me alone. There's nothing the
matter: only I'm fool. Well, if you must
|
| got that this morning read it! It's my own
| fault | know I'm an ASST
| took the letter he held out and he twisted
| up his mouth and tried to whistle, Pm
afoat;' but it was a failure, and he added, in
| a lower tone:
Zone can't pull up ten years fancy of
| that sort, Jack, without shaking the soil bit.
| Thank you for making me let the cat out; IN
all the better for it. Good nightn'
| / pOu1d
| for him. He was the oldest friend had got.
| We had slept in the same chamber at Winches
| ter, and rOwed in the same boats at Oxford,
and ! could not bear to see him so cut up.
could have done almost anything for him
anything-but-but wish him any other an
swer than the one | read by the freight now.
| 1t was this:
| ''My dear Barnard: You must not think
more Of the subject mentioned in your letter.
do not speak offhand or unadyisedly; but [
do speak decidedly, wishing to aid you in
determining to turn your mind from subject
which (you must believe me- will only bring
you pain
That you may be more satisfied of this, 1 en-
| close a letter from my daughter Minnie, who
is much distressed at being obliged to give you
pain. Believe me, yours sincere y =,
l could not bring myself to read Minnie
| letter, so L IOlueu MI. DdIley up again; anu
gave them both back.
''Poor old Nick! I'm very sorry for you.
l hadn't a notion you really cared for her.
Good night, old boy!' and l squeezed his
hand, feeling half hypocrite all the time, and
lay down to think till [ fell asleep.
| think that any one who is rash enough to
attempt to describe even an ordinarily pretty
girl is sure to make failure; so all l shall
venture to say of Minnie barley is, that she
was slight and very pretty indeed. Possibly
some critics might object that her lips were
rather too thin. Perhaps, too, that her deli
cately- chiseled features were, at times, almost
so colorless as to be almost more suggestive OF
marble than soft flesh and blood but in a
moment blush or a smile could warm the
beautiful statue into charming English girl (;
and any one must have been something al
together less than honest who could watch her,
flushed and animated, in the momentary pause
in a valse or gallop, without acknowledging
Enthusiastically speaking at Ieast-she was
lovely. Her father, who was a rich lawyer,
owned country house not far from Barnard
Hall, fine old Elizabethan house belonging
to Gen. Barnard, distant cousin of Nick S,
J with whom at one time his father had spent a
| I'll ar two repularly every wear Mr.