Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1870-06-08
) Selelte0 mistelIanu.
UNDER THE SEA.


invalid wife; Helen, Tom, and their mid
ihipman cousin; last of all, Esther Vane
alone. It seemed to her morbid fancy that
it should be So Henceforward she must
be alOne-always.
The party felt on the=eve of great things.
Having arrived only the day before, Mount
Newport, with it's wonderful reach Of sap
phire sea, the bluffs, the lakes IN their set,
tings of dark-blue hill, were still to them
the images of things not seen. This, Their
first excursion they had dedicated TO the
<'Grotto," or Devils as the coast people
term it-1a sort of submarine cave, unveil-
ed and accessible at low tide only, and a
great wonder in It's way.
The patiR grew sleeper. Carefully tiley
followed its windings, step by step, sure
footed Kate accepting the help she didn't
need, for that pleasure in being guided and
watched. And now the little guide pauses,
and with frecklea forefnger points round
a projection of rock. All crowd to the
spot All! there it Isl The cave of the
mermaids! A shrek of mingled surprise
and enchantment bursts from the party at
the right.
With cries of delight the party made their
way down, and scattered through the cave.
There WIS room for an army It was hard
to realize that with the returning tide the
space must fill, the gateway close, and
leave no resting place for human foot.
s'Fou said the tide was going down,
didn't you, little boy?"
stYe-ah.
fYou're snre27 5 .eze.E rrsl
s'Ye-ah" rrEg7.zgsE Ser. e-1
'fThafs NICE" cried Isabel. s.Then we
can stay as long as we like. Oh! do some
body come here and see this"
She was lying with her face almost touch
ing the anemones. Nobody responded to
sleF call-each had found some other other
point of interest Tom had fshed mp a
sea-urehfn and was exhibiting t. Kate
and the Captain, in niche of their own,
at safe whispering distance were absorbed
in each other. Esther had climbed to the
top1nost ledge, and was sitting there alone.
Fer the first time in six weary months, a
sengatio of pleasure had come to her, and
she Was conscious of but one longing-that
they would all go away and leave her to
realize it. WITH some vague hope, she got
out coIor-box and portfolio, and began to
sketch. At least it kept people off and fur
nished an eEcnse for silence.
And so an hour or more passed by. She
heard as in dream, the chatter of the
others, their questions to the little guide,
his short, jerky replies. The pools we're
all explored; the urehins and anemones
had been tickled with parasols, and made
TO SAINT and open and shut tagain; the young
peopAs began to sigh for further worlds to
conquer, and Mrs. Gray to consider it very
damp.
''Little boy, isn't there something else
near by which we should like to see?"
"Iuess so.
f'Weil, what is it? Tell us, please
"fheres the Heads I guess
f.Oh! how far off is that? A mile, did
yeu say2 That's not far Papa, the boy
says there's place called The Heads only
mile away, and we want to go and see it.
Can't we go2 You know the way; don't
you, little boy?'
yeah
81 think this place is very damp" sigh
sd Mrs. Gray. 81 should really be glad to
go somewhere and feed the sunshine again
l begin to have creeping chills. Suppose
we let the boy show us the way to this 9th
er place., father"
''Very well. Get your things together,
girls Come, Esther. we're going"
Esther reused herself as from dream.
80 Mr. Gray must I go? I'm in the mid
die of a sketch, you see. Couldn't you
leave me here quietly, and pick me up as
you come back? / should like it SO much. "
''Well-I don't know. The tide is going
out the boy says; there won't be any trou-
BILE of that kind. Are you sure you won t
be chilled or lonely?"
'tOh! quite sure"
Promise me that if you are, you viii go
To the cottage at the bend and warm your
self, or sit on the rocks in the sun. Wen
look for you in one place or the other
Good-by, my dear. =
''Good-by sir.
''And o Estherl you must have some
lunch. You'll be starved before we come
back" cried careful Helen.
SO she and Tom and a basket made their
way upward, and 8 deposit of sandwiches
and port-wine was left in a convenient Gre
vice within reach.
''GoOd-by, dear. l hope the sketch will
be lovely" And they were gone-up the
elif-side : Mrs Gray last leaning upon her
husbands arm. ...s
poor child" she said sit makes my
heart ache to see her look so sad. Didn't
you notice how she was longing to have us
go, and 60 be alone?"
''And the very worst thing for her She
needs rousing, and all this morbid think
ing does her harm"
The voices died away. Esther caught
the words, and she smiled at them--a bit
ter little smile. That was what all ofthem
had said since her trouble came. Shemust
be 1oused-amused and they had crowd
ed business and pleasure upon her until
she sometimes felt that she could bear it
nc longer This was the frs time in many
weeks that she lad felt really free-free to
be silent, to look sad, TO cry if she wished
What q luxury 1t was? No anxious-eyed
mother to watch her-these comparative
strangers withdrawn-this cool, darkling
4 oil IoIN
thing in the very nature of her trial which
made it necessary 10 veil hsr grief with re-
serve. A black dress she might wear -
Paul was cousin, and some sho,r of
mourning Is allowed for second cousinhood
even, and fer intimate friendship such as
theirs had been But no one knew of the
unavowed engagement which bound them
since that hurried farewell letter IL which
his love found uttefance, and which only
reached her after he sailed the sailing
from which there was to be noreturn. No
one knew, us they talked .compassionately
of her having had a dreadful shock poor
poor girl her own cousin, you know. and
such fine young fellow that her heart
was wearing widows weeds, aud mourning
its dead as the great loss of life 1t wouldnt t
bear talking about. She had kept silence
and tried to wear brave face.
At first there had been a little hope as
rumors came of one boat-load escaping
from the midnight collision; but that Was
over now, and the terrible suspense ofhope
was over, and every thinE had faded into a
sort of gray acceptance otsorrow. The
light had gone out.
Left alone, she found with some surprise
that she didn't want TO cry. All the morn
ing she had felt that to creep away some
] a ha1 hal out
would be so good; bat tears are contrary
things She sat there dogged, with a calm
hat was almost like content. She was
linking OF the time when Paul had visited
te ishlnd AID climbed about that very
e1e. On the very bookshelf where sat he
u ut perhaps haverested. She liked to
thsh So. 1t brought him nearer.
put her sketch away little later,
anu eip ept down to broad ledge, where,
tnlouR ulns the arch, the exquisite skyline
va "5'A ~ The surf tumbled, and CHM