Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1878-06-25


perry steep, and holding 10 life by a branch
that alone saved them from falling the
dreadful depth of the chasm below, while
from Granny OF the ledge a snake lifted
its head. looking them full in the face
Trembling and crying and all uustrung,
Belle was helped out of danger in the
midst OF h,r shriets; but Margaret lin
gered, as Colonel Bates and young Black
grssped her wrist from above, 10 have
one look down at the dark abyss. And
although Belle was treated as COM
pound OF heroine and martyr, crying and
shiyering and laughing by turns as she
was the rest OF the day, and declaring
that she thought the face of that snake
was the face OF the Great Enemy himself,
yet the other went about her duties qui-
etly and unncticed as before, 1t being
somehow recognized by tacit consent
that, no matter how the affair had ended,
1t would have made small difference to
Miss Murray.
Colonel Bates now folded her wraps
mere closely about Belle under the avn
/ ing OF The little steamers deck, and sal
beside her. whilo Cameron stalked up
snd down, with his hat slouched round
his ears, and his cigar smoke surrounding
him in cloud. and Miss Murray leaned
over the stern. safe aud dry in her water
proof garments, moodily watching the
dark and churning water through which
the EuntreSS had lSbored. or the steep
shores that, if sunshine clothed them in
| beauty, foul weather made only irowDing
and forbidding.
We had expected 10 reach Desbars by
noon. but. owing to the increasing storm,
it wss long past EoOn when, the way
widening into the bay the town appeared,
a darker spot on the dark horizon, which,
after balancing of pros and cons. it was
judged unsafe Tor the liule steamer to
approach, and the HuHtreSS can to an
chor out in the bay, shut in by world OF
mist and rain, pitching up and down,
with her head to the gale, there to remain
till the tide turned, there being differ
ence of more than twenty five feet in the
turning of the tide in that bag.
OF course il was not long before the
distress of the party, between hunger
and seasickness aud horror of The night
in that little cabin, caused other plans TO
be considered; and presently it was an
nounced that those who would were to
be taken ashore in boats. where dwell
ing could receive them till conveyanceS
TO town were found. T. be surs. neither
Miss Marvin nor Lucia could think OF
such thing as being slung over the rail
into the boats that came sliding down
the side OF billow, aud they screamed,
and shut their eyes, and were slung over /;
as for Belle, she was so seasick she did
not care what became OF her. and never
knew whether Colonel Bates or John
Cameron held her; two of the dOwagers
made the plunge with the equipoise due
their weight; Miss Murray and | slid TO
our seats helped only by an old sailor /;
the rest remained on board; and pres
emily the HUHtreSS was only blot in the
mist, and dark line was taking shape
aud rising before US, while the rain was
slapping round Us in wet sheets. AS the
boats were beached, we saw long fields
of brown, slippery sesweed, through
which we were 10 wade 10 the old Sea
House, strange mansion built OF the
broken stone OF the beach, looking hall
prison and half msd-house, falling to
decay, as we'll as it could be seen through
the storm.
And so it is said the captain, who
had gone ashore with Us, and supported
me. Tine master of the house is 8
strange crC lture, speaking to few but his
servanls-mad, maybe, or has been mad
He married girl. they say. who had
another lovec. but whose mother COM
PEELED her, under bad threats. She never
saw him till he came with the parson'
She escaped from the house that night
and drowned herself, they think. And
the man came down here, bought this
place. and perishes with remorse, they
say. But his house is always open on the
side OF the sea- said the captain, jerk
ing out the sentences of his deep bas:
with the rain in his teeth. He and his
men tend on. on the wrecks, and there:
many of them on this ugly bit of water
He thinks death by drowning is pretty
bad, guess. There he comes now."
The rain was driving like fine needles
horizontally in our faces. aHd tho wine
was all we could make way against. The
captain had Mrs. Howison on one side
and me on the other; Miss Murray wa!
close behind, and the struggling groups
followed with shrieks and laughs that The
wind blew down their throsts, Belle
every now and again sitting down OF
the wet sea- weed. telling everybody t'
20 on and let her die there, but presently
making up her mind to face the storm
again; and we had another long field o
the ankle-deep sea-weed to cross.
"Yes. there he comes" cried the cap
tain. "How are you. Mr.. Bassett' Any