Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1870-11-19
EVENING STAR.
UNDER THE SEA.

sousin; last OF all. Esther Nane-alone. II
seemed TO her morbid fancy right that il should
be So HeneefOrth she must be alone-always.
The little guide trotted on in advance-his
round ten year old fence wearing the vacant
look 50 strangely common t. that part of the
Maine coast with its glorious scenery. There
the ocean is considered simply vast depot of
AeITings and "porgy on, - and the mountains as
untou ard obstacles in the way OF primitiye
hu.bandry. " Blast 'em, wish they was Hat,'
the natives say, as their IlOw encounters the
hopldeTs al the base, and II they look aloit at ALL
10 is to calculate the perches OF "metiiar land
vhiehsmient be made TO occupy the same area,
II they were out of the way
The party felt on the eve OF great things. Hav-
ing arrived only the day before. Mount New
Port with its wonderful reach Of sapphire sea.
The bluffs, the lakes in their setting OF dark
blue BILL were still 10 them the images OF things
not seem This their first excursion, they had
dedicated To the -" Grotto,' or " Devils Oven,"
n the coast people term it-a sort Of subj marine
cave, unveiled and accessible at low tide only,
and great wonder in its way.
The path grew sleeper. Carefully they fol-
lowed its windings, step by step, sure-fOOted
Nate accepting the help she didn't need, fer
hat pleasure in being guided and watched.
TreckIed fore-fnger points round projection OF
ROCKS. All crowd TO the spot. All. there il is
The cave Of the mermaids- shrek of mingled
party at the sight.
Beneath the lOw-browneS arch the rocky floor
uses, terrace after terrace, till in its hi CHEST
cess II meets the roof above. A floor for the
meTmaidS 10 dance upon; floor of pink caro-
line. cleaning here and there through pools of
emerald water left by the retreating tide. Aud
each of these tiny iakelets seemed trimming
With howers-the flowers of ocean-green whOrts
hike chestnut flowers; anemones with their dah-
liza bloom, brown and rosy NOSES, among whose
tendrils bright fish darted and played and snails
Of vivid orange clustered; broad leaves OF bril-
liant dye swaying and undulating with the mo
every iridescent hue. No earthly garden
ever 50 gorgeous The rocky shelves were
aimpied with hollOws-sOftiy, exq uisitely curved.
No fancy of the old classic DAYS seemed too fan
tastic or too fair for the spot. The Imagination
insfinetiyely killed into pictures, AMI saw the
sea ny mphs sporting in the foam; bold tritons
winding their she'll, mermaids playing at hide
and seek; mixes and hooking water spirits peep
ing from the basins-all dream land and wonder
Hand opening and the common earth put aside
With cries of delight the party male their
way down, and scattered through the cave.
There room for an army. 1t was hard to
realize that with the returning tide the space
must tn, the gateway close, and leave no rest
You said the tide was going down, didn't
ysus little bOy?"
you're suTs:'
SNe-ah."
That's nice" cried Isabel. Then we can
stay as long as We like. oh. do somebody come
here and see this"
She WAS lying with her fsee almost touching
the anemOnes- Nobody responded 10 her call
each had found some other point OF interest.
Yom had nshed up a sea urchin and was exhibi-
ting il Nate and their captain, in a niche Of
sorbed in each other. Esther had climbed 20
abe top-most ledge. and was sitting there alone
EoF the first time In sIX weary months a sensa
tion OF pleasure had come 20 her, and she was
conscious of but one longing-that they would
al 20 away and leave her 70 realize II. With
some vague hope she got out color box portfolio,
and began 70 sketch At least il kept people
on, and furnished an excuse for silence.
heard, as in dream, the Chatter 81 the o,hers'
their questions TO the little guide, his short,
jeIky replies. The pools were all explored; the
aEehins and anemOnes had been tickled with
paEasOls, and made 70 shut and open and shut
agaip; the young people began 10 sigh for further
worlds to conquer, and Mrs. Gray TO consider il
very damp.
Little boy, isn't there something else near
BY which We should like to see?''
wei, what is it? Tell US please"
There's the Heads, guess"
"Obi how far OF is that? mile did you
place called the Heads, only a mile away, and
We want to 20 and see it, Can't We 90? You
know the way don't you, little bOy?''
81 think this place is very Damp sighed
Mr.. Gray - 1 should really be glad TO 20
somewhere and see the SUNSHINE again. L be-
GIN TO have the creeping chiIIs suppose We let
he boy show Us the way to this other place,
VERY well Get your things together. girls.
Come. Esther were going"
Esther reused herself as from dream.
30, Mr.. Gray, must go? I'm in the middle
ola sketch, you see. Couldn't you leave me
here quietly, and pick me up a YOU come back?
should like IL 20 MUCH
WE'LL don't know. The tide Is going out
the boy says; there won't be any trouble of that
Kind Are you sure you won't be chilled or
loDely?-
30, quite sure"
Promise me that If you are, you will 20 to
the cottage at the bend and warm Yourself, or
slt on the rocks in the sun. Well look for you
IN one place or the other, Good bye, my dear"
land o, Esther. You must have some lunch.
lou Will be starved before We come back"
So she and Com and the basket made their
way upward, and a deposit of sandwiches and
port wine was LEFT in a convenient crevice with
Good bye. Ihope the sketch will be lovely"
And they were gone-up the chm side-Mrs.
Gray last, leaning upon her husbands arm.
Poor child,' she SAID, cit makes my heart
ache 10 see her look sad. Didn't YOU notice
how she was longing for US to go, and to be
And the very worst thing for her. She
needs Toasing, and all this morbid thinking
The voices died away. Esther caught the
words. and she smiled at them-a little smile
That what all of them said since her
trouble came She must be rOused-am lsed-
and they had crowded business and pleasure
spon her until she sometimes felt that she could
bear II no longer. This was the irst time in
mary weeks that She had felt really free-free
10 be silent, TO look sad. TO cry, IL she wished
What a luxury 4 was' NOanxiOus-eyed mother
these cOmparltlye strangers withdrawn-this
cool daTklisg silence-it was delicious! There
was something in the very nature OF her trial,
which made ~ necessary TO veil her grief with
reserve "A black dress she might wear-Paul
was a cousin, and some show of mourning is al
lowed for second cOusinhOOd even, and for init
mate friendship such theirs had been. But
NO one knew of the unayowed engagement
which had bound them since that hurried fare-
well letter IN which his love found utterance
and which only reached her after he sailed-the
sailing from which there was to be no return
No one knew, a they talked compassionately of
her having had dreadful shock, poor girl-her
own cousin you know, and such a nne young fell
low, that her heart Was wearing widows
weeds and mourning its dead aSthe great loss of
hfe- IL wouldn't bear talking about She had
kept silence, and tried 20 wear q brave face.
Atnrst there had been a little hope a. rumors
came Of one boat load escaping from the mid
night collision; but that was over now and the
terrible suspense OF hope was over, and every
thing had faded into q sort OF gray acoeptanc,
Of sorrow. The light had gone out
Left alone, she found with some surprise that
abe didn't want to CRY. All the morning she
had felt that 70 creep away somewhere and weep
and weep her heart out would be 80 good; but
tears are contrary things. She sat dogZed with
a calm that was almost like content She was