The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1875-11-24
MISCELLANY.
THE BREAK IN THE SAND.

Old Dan Sutphin stopped at the door Of the
widow Bees cottage, and with his hands
on each jamb thrust in his big grizzled head.
"Evenin', Chloe Tell Pen the inlet's to
be opened, an to be on hand tomorrow morn
in with his team. You've got a sand scoop,
/ reckou?"
eyes, Cap'n. I'm mighty glad it's goin'
to be done. I'm at my wits end for some-
thin to put on the table. I've got boarder
from the city, you know, lowering her voice,
and CHANGING back at the thin pale boy, who
sat drawing at table piled with books and
maps"
Dan nodded, and was staring curiously in
at him, when Pen Bree came up outside and
pulled him by the elbow.
"Don't speak to that chap. He'll keep you
answering questions till night. Just look at
them fancy clothes, and the size of them legs
under the table /"
Everybody can't be a porpoise" said
Dan, with thrust of his fist into PENS burly
b ok.
Hes a natural idiot /" growled Pen, his
pug-nose shifting the air contcmptuously.-
'sIt allays comes of SO much book farming.
tell mother The sight of that fellows
enough to sicken one of school. He went out
tishin with me, yesterday, an had box of
jimcracks made out of feathers and cloth for
bait, instead of worms. He said he never
saw the sea before, an that he learned to swim
in a room with rope under his arms, and y
Frenchman CALM out One, two ; one,
two, three! think see it |" with a roar
of laughter.
His mother called Pen to supper just then,
and he went in, and sat gulpipg down the
corn bread and slices of bacon swimming in
gravy and looking contemptuously at the
boarder's slice of bread and glass Of milk.
The boarder, whose name was McNulty,
and who always had quiet, amused twinkle
in his eyes when Pen grew most contcmptu-
Gus, began. as usual to ask questions.
"Do the fishermen go to sea all the year
round, Mr.. Bree?"
You don't expect them to work all Win
ter-hey ?" muttered Pen.
sHus-h |" said his mother. "Thc most of
'em runs schooners in the coast trade in Fall,
Mr.. McNuty, an cruises about in the south
ern waters till spring then they fishes and
crabs here for the New York market. But
on account of the inlet being closed this Sum-
mer the fish and crabs isn't fit for use."
"Idont understand precisely about the in
let's closing ?"
"No, sir? Well, you see this river is but a
sort of backwater from the sea, an the tides
keep film it up with sand, an maxim the
openin' shallerer an shallerer, till it finally
shuts up altogether"
"And the river becomes a lake?"
We'll, big pond, or sech. Once in every
four or five years it closes up. Then the folks
hyarabouts hev to wait till it has good head
of water on, from rain, so that when they dig
a trench through the sand to the sea, it can
force its way through it. 'Slong as the in
let's closed, the waters prime unhealthy, and
the fish and CLAIMS and oysters can't be eat
But it takes powerful head of water to open
it,
"And you do that tomorrow 2" turning
to Pen.
"We begin to do It. You don't suppose it
could be finished In an hour? ?" with an in
sulting laugh.
The bright face and gentle voice of the 9TH
er boy acted on Pen like a red rag waved be-
fore bnll.
His mother called him aside, after supper,
and rated him sharply.
"There's no use of my tryin' to earn any
A.. Of xuontt ha ~
il, Pen Bree," she said.
81 hate girl men Z"
But ben was under his mothers control suf.
ficiently to curb his hates when occasion re-
auired, and the next morning he invited
young McNulty TO go with him and see the
men at work.
McNulty went, thrusting a book in one
pocket and sandwich in the other before
starting. He spent the day usually on the
beach, to PENS amazement and disgust, who
wondered continually what the fellow found
to look at in the water.
There were about twenty men at work
which was looked upon as great crowd OF
Squan beach. They began to remove the
sand by large wooden scoops, drawn by two
horses, and the trench thus commenced wa.
dug to the level of the river by men will
spades, standing knee-deep in the water.
McNulty had been Woodworking studen
at home. The gray, drowsy atmosphere, the
melancholy calm Of the scenery, the very idle
ness, slow words and slower thoughts Of tn
fishermen, brought a new, keen delight to hi
tired brain. They all, on their part, felt
liking for the little fellow, without any shar
of PENS contempt.
Capt. Dan Sutphcn and he became clos
friends, during the week that followed,
Dams account may be believed.
II warned him not to provoke Pen Bree,
he said, long afterwards, for that Pen wa
too ready with his fist, and had the strengt