The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1873-06-26

lady pupil of hers, who wrote out an
account of it for Mrs. Morgan, who in
serted it in her "Tour to Milford
Haven" How much the story gained
on its travels, like the Three Black
Crows, or the parlor game of Russian
Scandal, we are left to find out for our-
selves; but its ultimate form was nearly
as follows: One morning, just outside
the cliff, Reynolds saw what seemed to
him to be person bathing in the sea,
with the upper part of the body out h
the water. On nearer view, it looked
like the upper part of person in n tub,
youth, say, sixteen or eighteen years
of age, with nice white skin; n sort of
brownish body and tail woro under
the water The head and body were
human in form, but the arms and hands
thick in proportion to length, while the
nose, running up high between the
eyes, terminated rather sharply. The
mysterious being looked attentively at
Reynolds, and at the cliffs, and at tho
birds flying in the air, with wild gaze;
but uttered no cry. Reynolds went to
bring some companions to see the mer-
man or mermaid but when he return
ed it had disappeared. If we like to
suppose that Reynolds had seen some
kind of seal, and that the narration had
grown to something else by repetition
from mouth to mouth. perhaps we shall
not be very far wrong.
The present century, like its predeces-
sors, has had its crop of mermaid
tories,~rcappearing from time to time.
In 1909, one of these strange beings
made its appearance off the coast Of
Caithncss, in Scotland. The particulars
we have not at hand but it happens to
be on record by what channels the mar
rative reached the public. Two servant
girls and boy saw something in the
water which they decided must be a
mermaid they mentioned it to Miss
Mackey, who wrote of it to Mrs. Jones,
who showed tho letter to Sir John Sin
clair, who showed it to gentleman,
who caused the statement to be inserted |
in newspaper. The Philosophical So
ciety brought these facts to light
Even SO grave a publication rs " Rees's
CyclopNdia," in 1919, said "Wc have
n well-attested account of norman
near the great rock called Diamond, on
the coast of Martinique. The persons
who saw it gave in a precise description
of it before notary. They affirm that
they saw it wipe it's hands over its face,
and even heard it blow its nose. :"
Some naturalsts have pointed out
in marine animals which
afford a very probable groundwork for
many of the current mermaid-stOries.
Witness Sir J. Il. Tennent's account of
the dugong: "The rude approach to
the humane outline, observed in the
shape of the head of the creature, and
the attitude of the mother while suck
ling her young, holding it to her breast
with one hipper, while swimming with
5he other, holding the heads of both
,bove water and, when disturbed, sud
ienIy diving and displaying A9r fish
ike tail, these, together with her habit
1al demonstrations of strong maternal
probably gave rise to the fable
of the mermaid" Woman or fish,
normal or abnormal, the mermaid has
aiken good hold of poets and com
Dosers, interlude writer's and farce
writer's and the mermaid in Fleet
Street was one of the famous old taverns
If past days. The orthodox mermaid
las, of course, a comely maiden's face,
With beautiful hair, which she is comb
ng with one hand, while in the other
she holds Il looking-glass.