Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1886-10-28


they did not look for him before twoor
three weeks. But in that week, Mr..
Desart received telegram that de-
manded his immediate presence in
New York. And in few days this
family, always prepared for such cmer-
gencies. were on their eastward way.
Mr.. Desart, as politeness demanded,
wrote note OF explanation and apol-
ogy to MIR. Westwood, whose address
he intended to transcribe from the San
Francisco directory. His intentions
were good, but when they had left New
York and were far out on the Atlantic,
be discovered the still unaddresscd
note in one OF his many pockets.
II is unnecessary to dwell on the dis
appointment and surprise of Mr.. West
wood, when in high spirits he set out
on the woodland path, only to find a
deserted house at the end of it. He
repeated the visit at odd intervals dur
ing the rest of the summer and fall.
hat always with the same result. till
he finally gave up in despair, and
came near to believing that he had
never been lost in the redwoods, but
had fallen asleep ON an enchanted
hillside Gas Grimm's people do) and
dreamed the whole thing.
1t was late in September of the fol-
lowing year before John Westwood felt
able to take his annual vacation from
business cares. But the days grew SO
warm that he determined to break
away from the hot pavements and
ceaseless noise of the city, for a week
in the mountains. But where? There
were mountains north of him, mount
aims east of him, fountains south of
him. He had ony to choose. The
mountains to the rs.rth were the Marin
County branch of ,he Coast range, of
which Tamalpais IL the most promi-
nent feature. But Tamalpais is visible
from the city, So they wouldn't do.
The same fault attached to the mount
aims TO the east, that rise from the arid
San Joaquin plains. Mount Diablo was
their great failure. and his Internal
majesty was plainly visible from the
city. To the south were the Santa
Cruz mountains, in whose depths his
short-llved romance of year ago was
enacted. 1t is not strange that ignor-
ing the charms of Mendocino red
woods which necessitated day or two
of steamboat travel, and steeling his
heart against Bonner lake and the
snowy Sierras (Which were rather far
off into the bargain), he decided to
seek the bracing mountain air in the
Santa Cruz range. F. was only a
few hours distant from the city, and
yet the place was wild, untrodden
Wilderness wilderness possessing
the great advantage Of accessibility.
One had only to strike out from the
station at F. in any direction to
lose himself-a he had once proved
in a virgin and primeyal forest.
He had no hope of meeting his quon-
dam acquaintance again. If they had
been down at all, he felt sure they had
flown before that. He assured him
self that he would not have wished to
meet them, for they had treated him
shabblly. 1t was most contradictory
impulse, then, that drew him the very
first day of his arrival past the red
wood cabin. If he had hoped for any
sign of his will o-the-wisp friends,
however, he was disappointed. No
sign of life was about the place, and he
avoided it in his future rambles. The
large streams that flowed through the
forest were famous for trout. and to
trout-tshing he devoted himself as
offering fewer opportunities for getting
lost than hunting the wary deer. Sc
with rod and line, plentiful supply OF
light literature, and sportsman s
lunch basket well filed, he would star,
out for the day. He was impartial in
his choice of streams, and often angled
in the one that flowed near Hepsidam,
He choose that one to-day, and made
his way up the stream for long dis
lance by leaping from stone to stone,
or by walking the mighty length of the
redwood trees that lay, as they had
fallen, in and across the stream in
every direction, and by wading with
his water-defying boots in the beautiful
smooth stretches of water
At last he reached place he judget
favorable alike for angling and fol
reading. 1t was II redwood trunk, soft
with messy growths, hid among mighty
powders; and from this shelter his linz
could play on smooth pebbly poo
that promised lots of trout, Here hi
ensconscd himself comfortably, baitot
his hook, flung his line out into tn,
stream, propped the pole up near a
hand (Which may not be scientific
way to fish, but was quite in the way
of a lazy young man), stretched him
self at full length on his broad divan
chose the most conversational novel hi
pocket bore and was soon deep in it
pages.
Behind him rose an absolutely per
pendicular cliff, many feet in height
dotted from top to bottom with wavia.
r Five finger" ferns. They were of sucl
dense and large growth that no portion
of the rocky wall was visible, and dow
through the tops of the redwoods hun
{ dreds of feet above and over the Twin,
green curtain, the sun sent his flicker
ing rays, Tho trout were wary ant
( gave him plenty of time to get inter
: csted in his book, which, being livel,
, summer novel, caused him soon to for
, get the shyness of the denizens of tn
stream, So in turning page it acte,
quite like a shock to his nervous sys
$ tenn when he saw his pole bend an,
suddenly show symptoms of fallin;
headlong into the stream. He caugh
0 ii with the mental CALCULATIONS: Il
/ must be big one to pull like that
. and straightway his book was forgot
ten. He lifted the pole and CAREFUL
a began to draw in the line, az the sam
| time advancing to the edge of his moo
h to see his game.
An exclamation of pain greeted hi
effort to tauten his line, and there on
A rock in the brook he beheld his catch
: He gazed in CONSERVATION at the sigh
4 of girl seated on the rock, and bend
: ing over rosy bare foot, which Dor