Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-09-26
RaYuER'S RONaNGE.

/ made Martin Rayner's acquaintance
during my last term at Oxford. He came
up for commemoration to stay with a
friend of mine at Balliol. and met him at
luncheon in the latter's room. A large
party was assembled to do honor to the
distinguished novelist. / believe most of
us were disappointed in him. We ex-
pected to find his conversation as brilliant
as his books. Every time he opened his
lips we pricked our ears for something
striking. And it did not come. He
talked little, and that little by no means
above the common level. Jones, the hero
of our debating society, could have given
him points. The general verdict was that,
as lion at luncheon, Martin Rayner had
failed.
In the middle of July-a month or so
after our last meeting at Oxford-I had a
letter from Rayner asking me to spend "a
few weeks with him at his country cot
tage in Somersetshire. i gladly accepted
the invitation. Rayner lived on the east
ern side of that delightful country, near
where it adjoins the Wiltshire border. 1t
was quaint little hamlet, five miles from
a station and seven from a town. 1t lay
in hollow among wooded slopes and I'M
dulating pastures. Away down the val
ley eastward ran nameless little river,
showing on sunny days silver patch here
and there among the meadows, until it
lost itself in the distant shadows under
Salisbury plain.
1t was just the spot for poet; a very
paradise for dreamer A sleepy still
ness held possession everywhere; silence
that to me, Londoner, was positively
startling.
During my first few days with Rayner,
could not get rid of the impression that
something had stopped in the earths ma
chinery. 1t made me feel 'unked," as
they say down there. But, of course, L
soon grew accustomed to it. And, be-
sides, so much of an absorbing nature
happened to me there as quite to withdraw
my notice from external surroundings.
However, / must not anticipate,
/ arrived at Rayners on a Saturday
evening. The next morning broke fine
and pleasant, and Rayner took me to the
village church. This place of worship
was queer little building, more queer
than pretty. The architecture was mixed.
1t represented nearly every order from
early English TO early Georgian. There
were also repairs executed after still
more modern style. BY what title to dig
Nifty the latter do not know. l should
imagine, however, that it had been es-
pecially invented by some enterprising
local builder. The service was equally
hybrid. Old fashioned and new tangled.
should have fallen fast asleep but my
attention was attracted to a rustic beauty
in a neighboring pew. l am not gener-
ally a. all susceptible to female charms,
but the girls face struck me at once.
have never seen another in the least re-
sembling it. / do not think it conformed
to the proper canons of beauty; but can
not be sure. When YOU see stSendid
sunset you do not stop to consider whether
the details of the landscape which that
crimson glory floods are in themselves ar
tistic. / was conscious of two glorious
eyes, of sweet expression thereupon re-
fected, but of nothing else. 1t created
rather an odd sensation. If you believe
me, it raised something of lump in my
throat.
stood waiting outside the church door, 1t
was his custom, he told me, to have the
vicar and his family dine with him every
Sunday, and they always walked back to-
gether.
"We are very intimate" said Raynhr.
~ am godfather of two of his children.
They regard me as one of the family"
heard this with some surprise. That
obvious dullard Of a parson seemed hardly
the sort of man with whom Rayner
should be intimate. But of course | did
not express my surprise, merely asking of
whom the wears family consisted.
Ellis wife, daughter and three sons,n
Rayner told me. "But here they come.
! must put you through the ceremony of
introduction"
looked toward the church porch. |
scarcely noticed the others. My eyes were
fixed on one face. So my rustic beauty
was the wears daughter, and was about
to make her acquaintance. An unaccount-
able excitement came upon me and
robbed me of my usual self possession.
hope did nothing idiotic.
| was sure now that she did not conform
TO the canons of orthodox beauty, either
in face or figure. Her nose was Of no rec
ognized artistic shape. | imagine that her
mouth was too wide by half an inch at the
least. She had an appearance of lanki-
ness (hateful, but indispensable word,
winch would have completely spoiled her
for a sculptor's model. But her eyes and
the expression of her face! This pen shall
not venture to portray them. The soul
that beamcd through those bright win.
dows, and saw an outside world on which
truth and purity and gentle innocence
were alone reflected, impaired itself to al
her smiles and looks.
We had a pleasant luncheon. My chair
was between the wears daughter and tho
wears wife. Politeness constrained me u
address much Of my conversation to the
elder lady, in whom / soon became inter
ested. She talked well, and in a very
pleasant voice. Her manner was gentle
and refined. Her face was lined and care.
worn, but there were still traces of beauty
visible. should say that many year
ago she rescmbled what her daughter wa
now.
At about 3 o'clock the wears curate, .
fellow named Millington, was announced.
lie had charge OF a district church some
miles away, was informed, but he gener
ally came over to Join Rayner's gathering
ia the afternoon. lie differed greatly II
appearance from his vicar. for he wa
.|