The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-06-07

And if you are going to stop talking
here much longer l said, we shall
never get to MARROW. Como along, let's
be off! Come, Will
He seemed to wake out of the same
curious distracted state as he had been
in bV the river side, and, taking MY
arm, went mechanically with me to-
wards the boat.
You'd better steer, WILL said little
Jack Long. Don't look we'll, you see'
to me-'and you, Charley, row stroke;
I'll go up to bow, and then I can sec
that nobody shirks.'
| took the stroke oar. and we started,
AS we passed the end of the island,
Will looked nerVOusly across the river;
and as we left Greenlands behind and
neared Hambledon Lock. he was evil
IDENTIFY under the influence of strong
the lock to open, he shuddered, as with
| cold, and when we were in the lock, he
| looked back more than once towards
the way we had come. As we passed
| out, he gave great sigh of relief, and
as we made for Medmenham, at a good
ed to revive. By the time we reached
NARROW he was, but for his unac.
customed silence, apparently at ease,
and as the evening advanced, seemed
to recover himself completely.
1t was very warm in our room, and
| L L
wandered for some time about the pref
tY garden of the inn, and leaning pre-
seutly on the wall overlooking the
wier, filed my pipe and began to
smoke. 1t was beautiful clear moon
light night. The water at my feet DASH
| ed in mimic torrent over the Wier
with a cool and pleasant sound; in the
shade beside me the river was dark
enough, but further on and past the
| lock it ran, a stream of gllttering silver
| to the darkling hills beyond. On my
right a broad meadow stretched away
in the moonlight to the glorious Bis.
ham woods, and the smell of its now
mown hay mlngling with the pleasant
garden scents, loaded the warm air
with perfume. No sound but the rush
of the water, and now and then the
distant barking of a dog broke the
| calm silence of the night. l looked
long upon the beautiful scene, forget.
ting all but the sight before me, until
was aroused from my reverie by man
who came and lent upon the wall by
my side. 1t was Will barton. He was
calm enough now, as he gazed out into
the soft summer night, but for some
time he was still silent. At last he
spoke.
Charley, old fellow, beg your par.
don for my rudeness and ill manners
to-day. I had my reasons, believe me-
Don't say another word on the sub
iect,' I said. Il saw you were i'll, and
thought no more of it,
L was we'll enough; as we'll as am
now,' he replied; but I could not, hard
as tried, shake it off,
'It?' I asked curiously.
THE thought that He broke eff for
moment, and looked intently over the
landscape; then resumed with atouch
of the irritability l had noticed In him
in the morning, said: You heard Jack
n fai mat
ter OF apparttfons2
(which yon didn't seem to like? Yes
He said that he had never heard OF Il
ghost from the man who had seen it.
Have you ever heard OF a ghost trom
the man who had seen III? shook my
hear the story now. should not like to
tell it to those others; but can tell it
to YOu.'
was considerably startled. why,
you don't mean to tell that you ever
saw a ghost?' l cried.
THAT you shall Judge for yourself.
LISTEN
You recollect my being engaged to
make those sketches of Thames scenery
for that boating book, three years ago?
well, that was the time. had been
idling down the river for couple OF
months, working hard now and then,
and taking spells of rest as the lit took
me, and atlast hadworked my way down
as far Cs Henley. L had fancy for
being independent of railways and all
sorts of locomotion not at my control,
and had bought boat for my cruise,
roomy enough to hold all the materials
wanted, and to accommodate friend
or so now and then. Often, during the
earlier part of the voyage l had had
companions; Jack Long was with me
for two or three days, and you joined
us, if you remember, for week, idtlng
h n n
a companion too, on my way from
Mapledurham to Henley; forget who
1t was, no matter now, but he left me at
Henley, and l was alone, 1t was hne,
hot, June weather, very favorable Tor
my purpose, and I spent week about
the reaches we passed to day, hard at
work. I filled many sketch books and
might have filled many more, out my
| time was growing short, and 1t was ne.
cesSary that l should make move. All
the time had been at Henley, some
curious facination seemed to take IN
down to Regatta Island. Often when
had planed a long days work at the
| picturesque bits about Marsh Mills and
| the woods of Park place. felt an ire
| sistible impulse to turn back aud row
| down the reach. l suppose must have
| painted that horrible old temple, and q
| graceful clump of trees on Regatta Is
land n dozen times more than there was
any occasion for me 10 do. l used to
| feel Disguised with myself at the repe-
tition Of the same views over and over
again in my portfolio, but somehow or
another, could not get away from that
part of theSriver.
at last my time at Henley was so
nearly up that had made all my ar
rangements for starting next day,
when received note from DAlrymple,
an old friend and water-color painter
like myself, to say that he had taken
a little cottage opposite Hambledon
Lock, and that he was down for
months sketching. He would be at
home tomorrow night, he said, and
would I give him call before l left.
| Well, had not seen DalrymPle for
some time, and, although l felt " secret
| presentiment that it would be- well FOR
me to refuse the invitation, wrote to
say 1 would dine with him next day.
| The day after that, intended dropping
down the river to Cookham, where L
had plenty of work before me.
slept but i'll that night, harassed by
I know not what fears and vague sense
of trouble. When awoke in the early
morning there were heavy clouds about
| the sky, threatening thunder. started
in the afternoon; 1 had intended to take
all my traps and paddle on, after [ had
left Dalrymple, to NARROW, but was
| Obliged to abandon that intention and
to arrange to return TO Henley that
night.
The thunder-clouds hung heavily
| about the hills when started, and the
river had that dull, lead colored hue. SO
ominous of bad weather. As rowed
past the Poplars, a few heavy drops
fell spattering about me, and almost
decided on turning back. But 1t was
| NV onlu cha1ca for some time of see.