The Portland daily press., 1894-09-28
THE SILENT CITY.


and SO he sought the ocean with his def
erential and silent crew of able seamen.
And SO in the Pacific seas, studded with
the fragments Of continents, alone in his
cabin, his books his only companions, he
worked away the otherwise unbearable
time alone
A storm came on and drove his craft at
will before 1t for days, and the silent sail
ors worked on. At midnight ON the fourth
day the yacht was driven on the rocks and
dashed to pieces. Buffeting with the rough
waves, INLAND was driven to the shore,
the sole saryivor of the human freightage.
Ascending the cHf1ike coast at sunrise,
his eyes swept over vast plains, and at a
great distance he saw this ,glistening of
the suns rays upon the doInes and spires
and pinnacles Of great city, Thither-
ward he bent his footsteps passing the
rough country of the coast and entering
upon smiling farmland through which
broad road ran to the distant city. A
large farmhouse attracted his attention,
and, feeling the calls of appetite, he enter
ed the swinging gate and stood before the
door. For farmhouse and its surround
ings it was strangely silent about the
place. There was no autter of wings from
the big dovecot there was no call of
fowl in the barnyard, there was nothing
of the hustle and stir that characterize the
feathered tribe at that time in the morn
ing, and there was no low of kline. But
INLAND did not notice it. He was city bred,
and he raped again upon the sounding
door. There was no response, and he ven
tured to the back of the house, keeping a
wary eye out for the dog. But his way
was unchallenged. The door of the great
kitchen was wide open, and he raped
again. He cast his eye down the lane to
the barn and the cornoribs upon the knoll
and found his way thither, entered the
barn and stables and found them tenant
less, walked round the buildings, and,
climbing ladder that leaned against the
barn, looked round about the cultivated
fields
Then for the first time he noticed the
absence of living things about the farm
premises, and he returned to the house with
a strange feeling at his breast Entering,
he walked the house through from room
to room, stocked with all of the comforts
of a successful farmer, but found nobody
living or dead. There were no signs of a
visitation of plague, for the beds were
made and the pillows smoothed. The
closest search failed to develop the marks
of possible violence. All of the vehicles
employed about farm were in the yard,
among them, beneath an open shed, a
double carriage. Peering in the closets,
INLAND found an ample store of clothing,
and from these he made a change from his
torn garments He found loaf in the
cupboard and some cold meat, and on
these, with cup of water from the well,
he breakfasted Pursuing his way toward
the city, his observation sharpened by the
tenantless farm, he could not fail TO note
that all along the miles Of road which he
travelled that day there was not the slight
est appearance OF human or animal life.
There was no smoke from the chimneys of
houses, and he met no travellers along the
great highway
In the suburbs of the city at evening he
stopped at tavern whose swinging sign
gave notice OF cheer to the traveller. That,
too, was tenantiess and silent, and the de-
preston OF heart that seized upon INLAND
deepened into vague terror as night fell,
and he nodded on bench the night
through, waxing at fanclfui sounds OF
coming travellers That never came. AT
~ - ~ ~ " - 'J,
where surrey, as ne mutcereo, tnere muse
be men and women and little children.
And as surely these We're strange wishes
Tor the mlsantnfope Miiand, VINO mad
grown TO desplse men and women IN the
heyday OF hls career because they were SO
common ana' as ior cnlioren IN the me-
tropehs upon whfoh ne mad turned MS
BACK, they were Ia counoless sWarms' noisy
and troublesome. Here on the terribly
lonely road ne couid nave taken tne dlrtl-
est. Ghe most IL 1avoned' OF Snese nttie ones
to has heart, staougn all the eyes OIL amazed
society should su0aeniy LOOK on.
Down the long reach OF tine clty avenue
be looked IN VAIN Tor sagns OF traffic: He
no0eo the pavement worn by the Wheels
and ne experlencsn glow or giadness Tor
a moment and hope that something might
lay beyond.
A rat ran across the way, and INLAND
for moment felt the expectancy OF COM
partnership, and it gave him heetlng feel
ing OF comfort. lie fain would have had
it stay, bat the Little animal scurried
away Still from this INLAND inferred that
the city had been but recently deserted, If
all were gone, else the rodent would not
have shown fright at his presence. A new