Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-05-11

extent, and began to think that perhaps
after all, had been trife unreasonable,
and rude to Celia. A feeling of remorse a
having left her all alone in the stupid lit
tie villa took possession of me, and woult
have turned straight back by the way
had come to seek for reconciliation, if
sudden bend in the road Lad not brought
me Unexpectedly in view of the sea.
must have been walking in something
of ring, and also must have been grad
ually ascending since left the village fol-
now found myself on top of one of the
cliffs overlooking the sands. The road here
took sudden dip, and apparently led dowr
to the shore by series of rather steep zig
Gags.
1t would now, it seemed to me, be much
shorter to make my way home by the shore
At any rate there was cottage little way
down the hill, and l could find out there
which was my best way to get back to st
Bridgets.
| was pleased to see, as / looked round
that on all sides there were the signs of q
cleanup on the part of the weather. The
wind seemed to have gone round to some
more favorable point, for though still blow.
ing hard, it did not now bring with it the
driving showers of rain. The clouds oul
to windward were lifting, and there wa:
even every now and then a watery CLEAN
of sunshine. The fresh salt smell of the
seaweed, which was waited up to me where
l was standing, was invigorating, and the
occasional scream Of a seagull as it dipped
up and down on an incoming wave, had q
peculiar charm of its own, which | could
not help being conscious of.
| hurried down to the little cottag e
The door was ajar. l knocked, but got nc
answer. So l pushed it open and saw
seated before the fire, an old woman, who
apparently did not hear my entrance, for
she went on with her knitting without
even turning her head.
Good evening, ma'am," / said.
Still no sign that she heard me. /
walked over to her and gently touched her
arm. She started round then, and her ball
of worsted jumped off her lap and rolled
on the floor. picked it up for her.
"Can you tell me which is the nearest
way to ST. Bridgets?' / asked.
Eth ?" she answered, putting her hand
to her ear.
(which is the shortest way to St.
Bridgets ?" | reiterated louder
AYE! thee must speak louder if thee
wants me to hear. Pm an old CONAN
ninety-one come Michaelmas-an Pm
deaf these twenty years and more Nay
nay J" as | made another equally as fruit
less attempt to make myself heard; "it
there's aught thee wants to know, thee'd
best go down to the shore. Bill, he's there,
orA tna loI Ia 8 I -
shouldn't, being his mother. I'm an old
CONAN, | am-ninety-one come Michael
mas, and"
l did not wait for further "reminiscences
/ saw it was hopeless to elicit further in
formation from her, and set off down to the
shore, trusting to find ''Bill' and to get
more lucid directions from him as to my
best way home.
| had not walked far along the sand
when came upon "the fine lad" a gray
haired man of about fifty, who was at work
repairing boat that was hauled up on the
shore
Whereabouts is St. Bridgets, and can
you kindly tell me the best way to get to
itg' l asked him.
He stopped in his work, and looked up
at me from under the brim of his " SOU
wester."
aye, aye, sir. / can tell you right
enough. St. Bridgets lies Just round that
point of land as you sees before you
there"
Thank you," said. "Then, of course,
it will be much quicker for me to walk
along the sands than to go back by the
road by which / came-down past your
cottage"
"Not bit of it, sir. Youwill just have
to go back the way you came"
But, my good man, that point of land
can't be much more than five hundred
yards of, and if St. Bridgets is only lit
tie the other side of it, it must take me a
shorter time to go this way than to return
all that long way by the road"
For all that, sir, it is by the road you
must go. l see you're stranger here, sir,
or you wouldn't talk SO calm of walking to
st. Bridgets over the Witches Sands, the
awfullest quicksands along the coast. The
Lord help you, for no one else could, if
you got into those sandsp'
"Quicksands p' l said, with gasp, as |
thought that only for my chance meeting
with this man | should, in all probability,
have walked on unconsciously to an awful
doom. ado they lie between us and the
polnt?"
"Yes, sir"
looked along the level sands. The
rain had quite stopped. The sun was low
down on the horizon, and the wet sand was
cleaning in the setting rays. Here and
there the retreating tide had left pools of
water behind it, and in these | could see
the reflection Of the pale yellow band of
light, in the middle of which the sun was
sinking to rest. To my eyes it all seemed
one long even stretch-with nothing to
tell of the treacherous sands which were
waiting to swallow up the unwary tray
eler
"Ah! sir you might look long while
afore you'd see the Witches Sands" said
Bill, interrupting my puzzled expression.
"There's but one mark you can steer by
Heavens danger signals, calls them. DO
you see, sir, white mark there down the
face of the rock, about one hundred yards
this side of the point, and another mark
the same about one hundred and fifty
yards along from where you are standing
now? Well, you're safe enough so long as
you don't get inside either of them.
They're some sort of white moss as grows
down the cliff, and only for them there's
many a one would have lost his life.
There's some of them foolhardy chaps as
don't seem happy unless they're putting
their precious lives in danger, wi'out givin'
a thought to the mother or wife that's
maybe dependin' upon them, as has
climbed the whole way along the face of
the cliff, round to St. Bridgets. But you
see, sir, the cliff hangs over good bit, and
tits nasty shaley stuff, as gives no grip for
hands and feet, and if it gives way under
you-down you 60, straight on to the
quicksands, and then nothing but mir
acle could save you"
"Well," said, at is most fortunate /
met you here, for | should most certainly
have tried to find my way home across the
sands. 1t is great shame the authorities
do not put up notice-board to warn peo-
pie of their danger"
"Aye. sir there was warning board
up all through the summer, but the first
storm in the winter carried it away, and
you see, sir, it's only once in a way as Wis
itors comes here afore June or July, so |
suppose as how they thought it WASH t
worth while to put it up so soon like. And
So
He stopped short and shaded his eyes
from the dazzle Of the setting sun.
"Good heavensw he calculated, "What
is that? Can you see, sir? My sight is
not so good as IL was Is that auybody