The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1875-03-25
From the Galaxy.
A Rainy Evening at Mount Desert

The lurid, deceptive CLEANS of the set
ting sun faded away; the gray log slowly
drifted back again, and soon settled into
a pitiless drizzle, worse even than any
thing that had come before.
For whole week seven days and
nights we at Bar Harbor had watched
the sky; at least we had watched 1T
whenever the shifting fogs permitted US a
glimpse Of the heavens above.
The weatherwise now shook their heads,
and Captain Rodick himself no longer ven
tured to enliven us with cheerful promises
of ''a sunny day tomorrow. and sky,
miss, every bit as blue as your eyes"
The implied compliment or perhaps
the sublime trust manifested by the cap
tain-our host-had, up to this time, in
yigorated us, but now we rebelled, and
sturdily refused longer to pin our faith to
the ancient mariner. Repeated disap-
pointments had destroyed all belief in
him.
We were at an end, too, it seemed to
our weary souls, of all our resources
Our prima donna assoluta was hoarse; 1t
must be confessed that our demands upon
her good nature had been merciless. The
glorious voice of our contralto had been
smothered by the fogs. The tenor had
turned sulky, and the basso, no longer TO
busto. was vanquished by a cold in the head.
Charades had been played to the bitter
end The steamer being weather bound
at Southwest Harbor had deprived the
men OF their newspapers. The women
could not gossip, tor there was nothing to
gossip about, and scandal Is II poisonous
plant that finds no foothold in the healthy
atmosphere of Mt Desert
The irrepressible school girls, aided by
the Harvard freshmen, who for the nonce
laid aside their dignity, had passed half
the day in shelling peanuts in preparation
for graud candy frolic. Being promised
undisturbed possession of the kitchen at
nine o'clock. they were quite content IN
their prospective bliss, and looked on with
beaming faces at the restless dissatisfac-
ton of their elders. A whist table was
arranged, and then dozen serene souls
sought peace in their embroidery; as
many more paired off, wrapped in water
proofs and top boots, and found their en-
iovment in mild fiirtations in sheltered
! hooks on the piazza. Some Of us stood
istlessly by the workable, and one ad-
venturous spirit attempted to start con-
versation by yquestions and comments upon
the many pretty trihes promoted to the
honor OF containing the various lmple-
ments of feminine industry
Our dainty box of sandal wood betrayed
its origin at once by the subtitle Oriental
odor, intensified by the warmth of the
| room. Another, quaint in form, OF lac
quer glittering with golden particles,
spoke as loudly Of Japan, and one of Rus
sia leather brought vividly to the eyes
and memories of some Of us the mingled
delights and discomforts of the Vienna
Exposition.
Here again rustic panier reminded us
OF the pretty girl from whom we pur-
chased 1.-THE fresh, sunny morning, the
Swiss village, and the glory of Mont
Blanc in the distance
! And this odd, many-sided box OF mo-
sale wood. Surely Genoa was its birth
place; and this fantastic, bedizened, came
as surely from Mentone.
Among them all we must not forget the
slender canoe Of birch bark holding knit
ting needles, nor yet the willow baskets
made by our North American Indians, of
whom the dear Professor said such a
clever thing when he deplored their lack
OF individuality, and called them a bundle
| OF instincts and q tOmahaWk.
But the leader of the forlorn hope was
soon discouraged People would not talk,
and no one threw back the conversational
ball.
BY far the greater number of the girls
and men were still unoccupied, when sud
denly some one-of course a woman-had
a bright thought, and the words 'Stories
ghost stories!" were passed about.
Finally the small parlor was taken vio-
lent possession of, and all persons who
would give no promise of personal exar-
ton for the entertainment Of the evening
were politely informed that q good fire
and bright light were burning else where
One young woman of dramatic instincts
at once proceeded to manipulate the
lamps.
She turned them far down, and we, in
our keen desire that the mise en- scent
should be perfected, were politely obliyi-
Gus to the odor of kerosene oil.
Wood was added to the fire, and bright
eyes shone like stars from out the dim
corners of the room, where the girls were
seated on the floor in picturesque groups,
lighted only by the tlickering flames
The men went for their gay-colored rugs
and established themselves at the feet OF
the bellies DANES, much as if they were
picknicking at Great Head
At last, all these important arrange
ments being completed, everybody was
ready to listen but who should begin
The drawing of lots was suggested, and
the first story was told by saturnine in
dividual, who made us all shiver by a
clever tale, in which skeletons and skulls
played no mean part.
Then followed some extraordinary spr-
itual developments, as narrated by en-
thusiastic believer. A fair-haired girl,
who sat at my side, leaned forward, with
slender hands closely locked together, hel
lips half parted, listening with breathless
interest. .'Ah!" she murmured, as silence
fell upon us, ''it l could but know thai
the dead were permitted to revisit the
earth. If l could but believe that they
might return to bring consolation and
hope to those whom they have loved ano
left"
| Dear childi She knows all now, Few