The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1876-12-14
Under the Sea,

the gay, chattering procession -prett
Kate with her Captain; DR.. Gray support
ing the invalid wife Helen Isabel, Tom
and their midshipman cousin; last Of al!
Esther Nane-alone 1t seemed to he
morbid fancy right that it should be SO
l1encetorth she must be alone-always.
The little guide trotted on in advance
his round, ten-year-old face wearing th
vacant look so strangely common to tha
| part OF the Maine coast, with its gloriou
scenery. There the ocean is considered
simply a vast depot of herrings and ''por
| gy-oil,o and the mountains as untowart
obstacles in the way of a primitive hus
bandry. Blast 'enl, wish they wert
| Hat" the natives say, as their plows en-
counter the powders at the base; and, i
they looked alott at all it is to calculate
the perches OF "medder-land :" whici
might be made to occupy the same area
ii the heights were out OF the way
Our party felt on The eve of great things
Having arrived only the day before, Noun
Newport with its wonderful reaches OF
sapphire sea, the bluffs, the lakes in THEN
settings OF dark-blue hill, were still tC
them the images of things not seen. This
their first excursion, they had dedicated to
the ''GrOttO," or 'tDeVils Oven, As tho
coast people term it; It sort Of submarine
cave, unveiled and accessible at low tide
only, and . great wonder in It's way. The
path %reW sleeper. Carefully they follow
ed It's 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 irecE led Iorefnger points round
Il projection Of rock All crowd to the
spot All there it Is the cave OF the
hcrmaids
\ shriel. of mingled surprise and en-
chantment burst from the party at the
sight l;cneath the loW-b broWed arch the
rocky floor rose, terrace above terrace, till
in It's highest recess it met the roof above.
a floor for the nercids TO dance upon; a
floor OF pink coralline, cleaning here and
there through pools OF emerald water left
by the retreatin% tide And each of these
tiny lakelets seemed brimmng with
flowers - the flowers Of ocean green
Wiiorls like chestnut burs; anemnnes with
their dahia bloom brown and rosy moss
es, among whose tendrils bright fish dart
ed and played and snals of vivid orange
c0i0r clustered; broad leaves OF brilliant
dye 4wayin9 and undulatin" with motion
ot the p0ol--minute specks Of life flashing
every lrrldescent hue; earthly garden was
never 50 gorgeous. The rocky shelves
were dnmplcd with hplluWs- softly, eN-
Iui5itely curved, No fancy OF the old elias
sic days seemed too fantastic or too fair
ior the spot. The imagination nstinctive-
If kimdled into pictures and saw the sea
nymphs sporting in the foam bold tritons
winding their shells; mermaids playing at
hide-and-seek; mikes and mocking water
sprltes peepin9 from the basins-all dream
land Wonderland opening, and the com
mon earth put aside and far away
With cries OF delight the party made
their way down, and scattered through the
cave. There was room for an army 1t
was hard to realize that with the returning
tide the space must fill the gateway close,
and leave no resting place for human foot
You said the tide was going down
didn't YOU. little boy ,"
" e-ah"
YOU'RE sure?"
Yeah"
That's NICE cried Isabel. "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
touching the anemones. Nobody respond
ed to her call-Gach had found some other
polppt OF Interest. Tom had lshed up seq, seq,
urchln, anu was UAl4il,IriII-, ISdte ana
the captain, in niche Of their own, at safe
whispering distance, were absorbed in
each other Esther had climbed to the top
most ledge. and was sitting there alone.
For the first time in six weary months, a
sensation of pleasure had come to her. and
she was conscious Of but one longing
that they would all 60 away and leave
her 10 realize it. With some vague hope
She rot out her color box and portfolio,
and began to sketch. Sketching she had
discovered. kept people off, and furnished
an excuse for silence And so an hour or
so 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 urchins
and anemons had been tickled with para
soils and made to shut and open and shut
again. the young people began to sigh for
future worlds to conquer, and Mrs. Gray
to consider it very damp.
Little boy, isn't there something else
near by which we would like TO see ~
'Guess so.'
"Wel, what is it? Tell us, please ?''
''Iheres the Heads, guess
..Oh, how far off is that ? A mile did you
say? That's not far Papa. the boy says
there's Il place called the Heads, only a
mile away. and we want to 90 and see it.
Can't we go? You know the way, don't
you, little boy ?"
~ e-ah,'
Il think this place is very damp" sighed
Mrs. Gray. Il should be really glad to 60
somewhere and feel the sunshine again. 4
begin to have creeping chills. Suppose
we let the boy show lis the way to this
other place, father"
every well. Get your things together
girls, Come, Esther, we're going"
Esther reused herself as from a dream
"Oh, Mr.. Gray Must | go? I'm in the
middle Of shetcL, You see, Couldn't yol
leave me here, quietly, and pick me up a:
YOU come back | should like it so much.
"Wen | don't know. The tide is going
out the boy says; there won't be any
trouble Of that kind. Are YOU sure yo'
won't be chilled or lonely ?"
"uh quite sure"
Promise me that if YOU are, you vii
~ w tiiN ~ eiiS 'Sli't ''ii' AeA IL
Yourself, OF sit on the rocks in the sun
Wen look for you in the one place or th'
other Good by, my dear"
"Good-by. sir
"And, o Esther, You must have some
lunch. You'll be starved before we com
back )" cried careful Helen
So she and Tom and basket mad
their way upward, and deposit OF sand
Wiches and port Wine was left in q con
venient creyice within reach.
Good by, dear. | hope the sketch vii
be lovely" And they are gone up tn
hillsidc-Mrs. Gray last, Gaming upon he
husbands arm.
Poor child - she said, ''it makes IN
heart ache to see her look so sad. Didn'
you notice how she was longing to hay
us 90, and leave her alone?"
and the very worst thing for her. Sh
needs rousing. and all this morbid think
ing does her harm"
The voice died away. Esther caught tn
words, and she smiled at them-a bite
Al. I,