Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-01-01
This was the utmost which All the urgent
acpea!s that were made 10 him would r.0dnce
and there the matter stOod.
1856.


1855.
And DOW there Is indeed a second r maid MOI
RI, 10 the front, the very pish and marrow 1t
dial. happy, and promising yo1ng author foresea
that Ia :, few more years. when time mas filed
out the sons muscles, brOadened bis shoulders,
and deepened his chest. he will grow 10 ,, tie
very counterpart OF the lost man.
Young RonaiG was just nineteen, and sine.
he left school had been placed On "A drudye5
stool in City warehouse, from which there i ii
been no release in the way OF holiday until ft
was promised In that year OF grace, 1855 A
dreamy imaginative lad. the tradition Of ais
fathers ate had GO ne down TO him with an
lmpreSsiveHesS which increased vito his years.
But OF course It had only been tradition after
Gil; OF the tang ole actual sorrow OF Jnas f.5al
time and its results he had known no Mug.
realized nothing. Youth, strong health. aud
cOmnensurate good spirits made Nun, nolw;th.
standing lis reflective nature, happy. CHEEKY
fellow, who was Dent on making the Inost Of his
In similar circumstances to his own were CT
with excursion tickets to the Lani's End, aid
be arranged to 1c,a them.
Very soon the sight OF the mighty Gifts, OF
roaming, thnndefouS seas, OF VAST stretches II
bleak Cornish moor, and the stories of tie
Wild places and all the legendary lore clngi.g
TO that western land, began To take posscssI N
or our young Ronald and TO STIR what there
was Of the poetic and dreamliy imagin arve in
bis nature he drank In eagerly all descr;0i ions
and accounts which he could get OF the lonely
districts and inaccessible sottudes by which be
was surrounded Rod and line mainly 0ccu-
pie1 the attention OF his cOnpanIonS, AMI
though he was no fisherman himself he would
accompany them for miles along the noorland
net With so little success however, In their +
forts TO catch the willy trout that, like most
nbvlces the young men attributed their failure
TO the fish, Or rather to their ab5en r. The
DevoIshire rivers, 1t was declared would
afford them fairer opening for their Skill 80
they harked back eastward, and found them
rocky channels OF the Yves, Dart They took
up their quarters at the small inn in an out-of-
tne-way hamlet, known as Two Bridges. some
eight miles from the town OF Tavistock, and
found the solitude OF this untreauented and
almost mountainous region compensated lr by
the better luck which attended their fishing
Indeed to Ronald's dreamy nature the romantic
and desolate character OF the scenery had an
especla! charm, and whilst his friends were occu-
pied with their fayOrite pastime. he would often
wander iar atleld exploring the remotes5 fast
The account which he sent home to his
mother Of the last Of these solitary expeditions,
graphically brings his story to climax.
1.-The day" he vrOte, "WaS still and c!o1dY:
gray mist hung heavily on all the highest tors,
and crept far down theft sides in graceful, fan,
tastic, ever-changing folds, Such slight move
ment as there was occasionally IN the air-it
could not be called wind-carriod the highest
sound TO and fro with wailing sort OF echo.
The never-ceasing rush OF the river over Its
degsy Deu was fs andole long after had wan.
or my Two fshermen-friendS fell family on
the ear. Presently, however, a curve i'm the
way across the bill side over which 1 was
walking Shut off all sound even OF voices Or
running water, and l experienced a keener
sense or loneliness. perhaps than 1 had ever
known. Very rarely, / take IL, could nature
OF grass stirred. There was a hush on every
thing which was almost territying-fit prelude.
1t would seem, as look back upon 1t, to the
storm OF emotion which was SO soon to over
Another ark MIN
me- II possible, into yet deeper silence and
sontude. l was On the verge OF a dreary,
which appeared what at first looked IKE three
large patches OF Scrubby underwood, but which
on approaching them, proved to be composed
OF sluated Glrn,nutiVe oak and mountain-ash
trees. their dead bare tops. all spread aud fiat.
tened out as evenly as though they had been
cut by some gigantic Scytne-wnich guessed
TO TO, oe the mighty. seldonl.lulllng blast of an
ali prevailing wind sweeping up the hollow.
The trees grew amidst massive blocks of
granite, covered: as were the stems, with a
1ep sst ana oyerwnemins growth OF nchen and
anee with 1t showed the spot to be one of the
stranSest had ever seen or dreamed Of The
gaunt, bleaehed, outspreading arms OF the trees
had something skeleton like and ghostly In
their aspect; weird demons OF the forest ihey
might be, stunted gnOmes struggling With out.
stretched mlsshapen limbs to Tree themselves
and tortuous rocks which held them fast.
earth bound as 1t WERE between their clefts
and assures. A CHASTITY. ghostly, uncanny.
aM!uI spot indeed, and seen under the gray
gloom OF inc waning autumn day, and in the
silence ard the mystic solitude surrounding 1t,
most Impressive. cannot describe the sensa-
Tons with which approached the outskirts OF
felt myself irresistibly drawn toward it. It
seemed to exercise on me a faScir alton. a spell
Wh1ch coWed my will, ard whilst almost curd-
knew not how or why. It was spof fo Il Zee
from rather than peletrate 1t might be likenei
10 witches TRUSTING place, the haunt OF evil
spirits, OF demons, elves and COLLINS. who al,
nau iouno embodiment "a the Shrunken and
m1sshapen trees.
had strolled OF Oh this wandering and de
sultory excursion without any definite pur-
pose hence came upon this place purely by
accident; but once there. and realizing It's
Strange appearance. was. notw.th landing
tne Ieeing OF awe which II inspired, flied with
Moving forward half unconscio1sly had en-
Tered but 3ard or two within the confines OF
this unhaliowed looking region when l was
startled by large black snake wrirhtng away
before my tread from under the rank grass and
aense paraslttcal growth. The next moment |
caught sight OF huge fox az he rushed across
narrow opening amidst the trees straight n
'front.' OF me. Although plainly saw the mol
some creatures 1t was as one seesand shrinks
from such objects in nightmare, and l felt as
incapable of drawing back as II 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 to push on further
and further into the wilderness. and was only
arrested by suddenly sinking up to nv waist
between gap In the rocks as Stepped on to
what looked like piece OF smooth grcensWard.
This, In fact, was nothing but soft messy un
deTgrOWth, which yielding the moment trod
on iJ let me In and left me with one foot
damned tightly In cleft OF the granite, Some
minutes elapsed ere l could extricate myseIf.
and had great trouble aud difficulty in
scralnbl1ng up On te my former level
Standing still then for while, l gazed
drea1nlly into the depths OF the impenetrable
thicket my head only little below the level
tops OF the trees, whose bare and twisted
branches spread out net like above and around
me: Now that l was, In a measure in their
midst, more than ever did they resemble mis-
shapen and petrifed skeletons. Like very
sepulchre seemed the place, with its ominous
calm, and damp. deadly chill. The density of
The thorny underwood. and the rank luxu.
Rance OF the ferns, Ivy, and creeping plants
growing thlckly over the blocks OF granite, and
on the lower part OF the tree stems, and here
andthere entaDgling some OF the lower boughs
WIN fantastic IeStOons OF pale and yeloWi5h
green, lent Dy contrast, an additional look of
ghastlneSs TO the Darer portions OF the old
dead COLLINS OF TIE forest.
shudder more than once ran through my
veins as remained automatically surveying
This mysterious spectacle. It seemed that I
the half-terrifytng, Notwithstanding sensations
which al first iured me on now became Intensi
fed, and kept me InOtionle5s, Tor a rrightfui
thought entered my head. What wouli have
been my fate, had ] been unable to eXtricate
myself from that cleft n ha roni.C or ouooo.