New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-12-26

1865.
And now there is indeed Il second Ronald Morris
! to the front, the very pith and marrow OF his
! fathers self; and all who remember the CORDIAL
! happy, and promising young author foresee thai
| in o few more years, when time has hled Out the
sons muscles. broadened his shoulders, and deep
ened his chest hc viii grow to bc The very counter
Young Ronald as Just nineteen. and since he left
school had been placed on drudge's stool III city
! Warehouse from which there had been no release
| in the way of holiday until it was promised In that
! wear of grace, 1868. dreamy imaginative lad.
the tradition of his fathers tate had come down 10
| him with an inpTcsSiveness which increased with
his ycays But of course il had only been TRADITION.
after ALL of the tangible, actual SORROW OF that
| fatal time and It's results he had known nothing,
! realized nothing. Youth, strong health, and com
| meusuIatc good spirits made him. Notwithstanding
| his reflective nature happy, cEeGrg fellow, VINO
| was bent on making the most OF his hCHGay now
| that il had come. Two youngsters IN similar CIR
| cunlstances to his own were OH with excursion
tickets TO the Lands End. and he arranged 10 JON
Very soon the sight of mighty clies. OF foam!nG.
thUndcTous seas, of vast stretches OF bleak cornish
moor. and the stones OF the via PAGES ana ill te
| legendary lore clingng 10 that ancient western
land began TO take possession Oh our Young hOhab
| and to Stir what there was OF the rcetlc ana
| drealnily imaginative Ill his nature. lie drank IN
eagerly all descriptions and accounts which be
could get OF the lonely districts anu lnaGccsSiDie
| soliludeS by which he was surrounded. itod ana
| line mainly occupied the attention OF his COM
paniOns. and though he was no fisherman himSelI
| he would accompany them Tor miles along the
| mOOIlauu streams where tDCy Sought bHclI sport.
! They met with little success, however, III tAeli
| efforts to catch tho willy trout, that. like most
novices the young men attributed Their failure 10
! the fish. or rather to then absence Inc Devon
shire rivers il was declared. would Afford them a
faIcr opening for their skill 50 they naI hCu ack
castWa ard, ana found themselves after awhile Wh'p-
| ping the pools and rocky channels OF the West
Dart They took up their quarters at the Sn9! nm
! in an out-of- the way hamlet known as Two
Bridges some eight miles from The town OF Iayis,
| tock and found the solitude OF this unirequented
and almost mountainous region compensated loI oy
| the better luck which attended Their hshna III
decd to Ronald's dreamy nature the romantic ana
dcsolate character OF the scenery had an especial
CHARM and whilst his friends were occupied WIN
their favOrie p2stme, hc would often wander lar
aGcld exploring the TcmoteSt businesses OF sIodLl
and fell.
The account which he sent home to his mother OF
TIE last of these solitary expeditions graphically
brings his story 10 a climax.
The day, he wrote was SUI ana clOuuy gray
mist hung heavily all the highest tors. ana cirpt
far down their sides IN graceful, fantastic ever
changing folds. such slight movement as there
was occasionally in the air-It could not lie called
wind The lightest sound to and irO WIN
waiting sort OF echo Inc hevei-Stanhg rush %, VI
the river its rocky bed was audible long after
| had wandered away from II, and at intervals the
voices OF my two fishermen friends fell fantll on
the car. Presently. how ever . curve III The way
across the hill side over which | walking shut
of all sound even OF voices or running water, ana
experienced keener sense OF loneliness, perhaps,
than | had known. Very rarely, i tatc 1T,
could nature have appeared so utterly moIoIiooS:
not "a BLADE OF grass stirred. There was "a hush on
winch
lude il would seem. as ! look back upon H. 10 TIE
storm OF emotion which was 50 soon 10 ovelW hem
me. Another tuIH ia the track plunged me, II pos
siblc into "a yet deeper silence anu solitude. was
Oh the verge OF a dreary ragged, boulder-StIeWh
valley, in the depths OF which appeared what AT
first looked like three large patches OF scrubbY IN
dcrW oOd but which on approaching them proved
to be composed Of stunted dlmnutYe OAK anu
nountain-;sah trees. then dead bare TOPS All spread
and dattened ont as evenly as inonsH tSne3 n'1
been cut by some gigantic scythe-whch CUES -ed
10 be the mighty srldUm-lulllng blast OF al all
prevailing wind sweeping up TIE hollow. Inc
frees grew amidst massive blocks 0l granite. Gov
cred as were the stems. with q dense AMI over
whelming grcwth OF llChen ana paraSltical pIahia.
vet closer acquaintance with 1t showed the spoI
TO be one of the straDgCs Lad ever seen or dIeamt
of. The gaunt, bieached, outspreadng arms OF the
trees had something skeleon-llke ana ghOStly IN
Their aspect; weird demons OF the Ioicst they
miVbt be Stunted gnOncS Struggling with out
stretched Inisshapen limbs to free themselves from
the superncumbent weight OF the split and tcrtuous
rocks which held them fast eaIth-6ouhd as IL wefe'
between their cleits and assures. ghastiy,
ghostly, uncanny, aw ful spot indeed. ana seen
under the gray gloom OF the waning autumn day,
and in the silence and the mystic solitude surround
1t. most Impressive. cannot describe ine sen,
sations with which | approached the oItsklr Is OF
tins wood, for despite IT'S 1orDdolhe clttacUeI,
tslt myself irTesstibly drawn toward IT, 1t seemed
TO exercise me fascination, aSpeil, which c0Wed
INV will and whilst almost cur'ilHg Inv blood; yer
impelled me forward knew not how CT why! III
was a SPOT to fee from rather than penetrate; 1T
might be likened to a witches trystlng-place the
haunt of evil spirits, Of demons, elves ana gOblihs
and IDisshapen tees.
i had stroled off on this wandering and dcsul-
tory excursion without any definite purpose. hence
came upon this place purely by accident; but;
once there and realizing its strange appearance.
was notwithstanding the feeling OF awe which 1t
inspired filled with sense Of gadness.
Moving forward half uncOu sciously. had en-.
tered but ward or two within the confines OF this
unhalowed1 looking region, when was startled by
large black snake writing away before my tread
from under the rank grass and dense paIasitlcal
grow tn The next moment 1 caught sight of a
huge fox hh rushed across narrow opening
amidst the trees straight in front of me. Although
/ plainly saw the nosone creatures, it was rs one
sees and shrnks from such objects in nightmare,
and felt as Incapable of dra wing back as if had
been really dreaming. The uneven nature OF the
ground soon. however made further progress so
difficult that hardly knew how got along at all.
Yet | did manage 20 push on further and further
into the wilderness. and was only arrested by sud
denly sinking up to nv waist between a gap in the
rocks rs l stepped on 10 what looked Ike piece OF
smooth greensward This, III Tact, was nothing Dut
soft messy underground, which yielding the
moment trOd on il, lei ne in and left me WITH one
loot damned tightly IN cleft OF the granite; ood9
had great trouble and difficulty II sCramDilpg UP
on TO uiy former level.
Standing still then for while, gazed dreamily
into the depths of the inpenetIable tlncket' my
head only little below the level TOPS OF the trees
whose bare and twisted branches spread out net
ike above and around me. Now that was. IN a
measure, in their midst more than ever did they
resemble misshapen and petTied skeletons Like
very sepulchre seemed the place win lts omihous
calm and damp. deadly chill. The density OF the
thorny underwood, aud the rank Insurance OF the
ferns ivy. and creeping plants growing tMekly
over the blocks of granite and on the lower part OF
the tTce-stems. and here and there cntanging some
OF the lower coughs with fantastic iesioons oi pale
and yellowIsh green, lent by contrast an addi.
tional look of ghaslihcss to the baIer portions oi
the old dead COLLINS OF the forest.
A shudder more than an through my veins
as | remained automatically surveying this myste-
rous spectacle. 1t seemed that was footed to the
ground as firmly the trees The half'terrifying.
balI-fasr;nating sensations which ut first lured me
on now boo anne intensified and kept me motonless,
for q frghtfuI thought entered my head. What