Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-04-25
Thrilling Incident Of Humboldt BAY.
BY BRET HARTE.

tOrJu0uS sl0dgnS twisting their S10y way,
eel-like. toTaT3 the open bay. were all hard
facts 50 were the few green tussock5, with
thelr Scant blades, their amphloious fiavor,
and unpleasant dampness. And IL you choose
20 indulge your fancy-althougn the nat mono
tony or Dedlow Marsh was not inSpirlng-the
wavy line OF scattered drift gave an unpleasant
consciousness OF the spent waters, ana MADE
the dead certainty OF the returning tide
gloomy rejection which no present sunshine
could diSsipate. The. greeneT meadow land
seemed oppressed with this idea, and made no
positive artempt at vegetation until the work
OF reclamation should be complete In the
bitter fruit Q, tie low cranberry bushes your
fancy might detect naturally sweet DISPOSE
ton cCITled and soured By an injudlclous
course OF too much regular cold water.
Again, the vocal expression OF the Dedlox
Marsh was melancholy and depressing The
sepulchral boom OF the bittern, the shrek OF the
cuTlew, the scream OF passing brent. the Wrang-
ing OF quarTeisome zeal, the sharp, q1eru,ous
protest OF the startled crane. ana syllaoled COM
paint OF the ''GildeeI' ploTer were beyond the
power of written expression. Nor Was the as
pecJ or these TnOuTniui fowls at all cheerful and
inspiring. Certainly not the blue heron stand
sng fnldieg deep In the water, obviously catch-
ing cod In It's gloomy disregard Of wet feet and
Ccnst qGeEceS; nor the m0urnfuI curleE. the
detected piover, and the low SPIRITED 5nlpe, who
saw III TO join him in bis suicidal coHfsmp,a.
zion. Certainly not the impassiye king fisher,
reviewing tie des0late eXpalse Ike that awful
Marius. al q depressing people By the involun-
tar recurrence OF that dreary, Torn-1 ut SMILE
Certainly noT the black raven That went 20 and
fro over The face OF the marsh continually, but
evtdcI ty Couldn't make up his mind Shether the
waters h6d subsidized, and crOdked If -mally at
eEe rejection that after al hts trouble he
wouldn't be able 10 give definite answer. on
the contrary, &c was evident at glance that
The dTeary PXpanse Of DedlOw Marsh told fear
fully on the OTnlthologcal sense. and that the
season OF migration was looked forward TO With
feeling or relief and satisfaction by the full
grown and eXtTaTagant anticipation By the cal
low brood.
But II DedIow Marsh was cherries at the
slack OF the tide, you should have seen 1t
n a ia nd rha
damp air blew chilly over the cold, glitCeTing
expanse, and came to the faces OF those who
looked seward like another tide. When
steel Ike CLINT marked the low holloWs aud
the sinUou5 line OF slough. When the great
Shell-encfusted trunks OF fallen trees arose
again, and went forth on their dreary pur-
poselesS WanderiDgs, drifting hither and
thither, but getting no further toward any
goal at the falling tide or the days decline
than the cursed Hebrew In the legend. When
the glossy ducks SWAN silently making
neither ripple nor furrOw on the Shimmerflg
surface. When the fog came In with the tide
and shut out the blue above, even as the green
below had been o0ltterated. When boajmen
lost In that f7g, padding aoout in hopeless
way. started 1T what seemed the brushing OF
meTmen's fingers on the boats keel, or shrapk
from the TUFTS Of grass spreading around like
the floating hair OF c0TpSe-and knew by
these signs hat they were lost upon Dedlow
Marsh. and must make night OF It, and
gloomy one at thaJ-then you might know
Something OF Dedlow Marsh at high water.
Conspicuous in my memory Is al Incident
never failed tOrecur to me In my long cunning
excursions upon DedloW Marsh, and perhaps
cast sensitive shadow over its gaunt out
lines. Although the event was briefly re-
cOrced IN the county paper, l had the story IN
all Its eloquent detail, from the lips OF one OF
The principal actors, and hardly need say that
the published record was to the spoken re-
cital, as the heading OF caapter Is to the
spoken events which follow. l cannot hope TO
convey that Intensity OF expression which oc-
ours in the narration OF real adventure By the
participator himselt-which is as much la the
look and gesture as the spoken work-still
less can hope 20 catch the varying emphasis
and peculiar o0lOring OF feminine deli Qeation,
for my narrator Was woman. But I'll Try TO
give at least its substance.
She lived midway OF the great Slough Of Def-
low Marsh and 8 good sized river, which de-
bOuched four miles beyond into az estuary
formed by the Pacific ocean. on the long, sandy
Peninsular which constituted the southwestern
boundary or noble bay. The house IN which
she lived was small frame cabin raised from
the marsh few feet by stout piles, and was
Three miles distant from the settlements upon
the river. Her husband was l0gger-a profit
able business ia a country where The principal
resource was the manufacture OF lumber.
1t was the season OF early spring WHEN her
husband left on the ebb OF high tide, With a
raft of logs for the usual transportation to the
lower end OF the bay. AS she stood at the door
Of the little cabin when The Voyagers departed
she noticed 8 cold look upon the SouthelStern
shy, and she remembered hearing her husband
say 10 his companions that they must endel-
EoT TO ct mPlste their voyage before the coming
ing AEd tdat night IL began TO storm and
blow, harder than she had ever before expe-
rieIced, and some great trees fell In the forest
~ TIE river, and the house rocked Ike ner
taby's CraG,e.
BIT, however the storm might roar ABOUT the
NNtIe cabin, she knew that one she Iu5Je1 IN
lad CTiVen bolt and bar with his En strong
hand, and had he had any fears for her never
would he Rave LEFT her, This and her DO q st. C
cares. ard the tending OF her little sicily ba6y,
Helped 10 Keep her mind from dwelling Oh the
weather, except. OF course, TO hope that he vas
SaIely haroOred with the logs ar Utopia In the
dTeaTy distance But sh3 noticed that day,
when she went out to feed the chickens and
1cok after the COW, that the tide was up TO the
fence OF their garden patch, and the roar OF the
surf on the south beach, though miles away,
she could hear distinctly. And she began TO
think that she would like to have some one to
falk to about matters, and she believed that II
&C nad not been SO far. and so stormy, and the
tran impossible, she would have taken the baby
and have gone to Ryckman's, her nearest neigh.
Dor. But then, you see, he might have returned
IN the storm, all wet, with no one TO him, and
and ailing.
But that night, she never could tel why. she
G,dnt feel Ike sleeping Or even lying down.
the storm had somewhat abated, but She still
sat and sat" and even tried to read | don't
know whether IL was the Bible or some old pro.
lane magazine that this poor woman read, but
most probably the latter, for the words all ran
together and made such sad nonsense that she
was forced at last 70 put the book down aud
turn TO that dear volume which lay before her
soiled, and try TO look forward TO It's mysteri-
Gus future. And rocking the cradle she thought
OF everything and everybody, but still was Wl1e
awake as ever.
1t vas nearly 12 O'Clock when she at last Law
down IN her clothes. How long she slept she
could not remember. but she awoke Vito
dreadful choking in her throat and found her
self standing, trembling all over n The middle
OF the room, with her baby clasped to her
breast, and she was saying "Somethlng" The
lady cried and sobbed and cried and sobbed.
and she walked up and down trying TO hush 1t
when she heard scratching at the door. She
opened IL rearfully, and was glad TO see &c was
only old Pete, their dog. who crawled dripping
with water into the room She would like 10
have looked out-1ot In the faint nope or her
husbands coming, but 10 see how Things looked.
but the wind shook tie door so savagely that
she could hardly hold Ii. Then she sat doyn a
little while, and then walked no and down q
little while, and then she lay down again for q
little while.
Lying close by the wall OF the little cap,u she
thought she ard once or twice something
scrape slowly against the clapboards ike the
scraplBg OF branches. Then there was little
guTglng sound like the baby made when it was
swallowing, then something went 'click-cIickD
and ''cluck-c luck," so that she sat up 10 bed
when she did so she was attracted or some.
thing else that seemed creeping from the back
coor toward the center OF the room. It wasn't
much wider tlaQ her little finger h1t soon