The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-07-22

Master Simon's inn. the Flowing
source-"Good Entertainment for Man
and Beast"-leant over the riverside
by the ferry. mile and half above
Ponteglos town. The fresh water of
Cuckoo river met the salt Channeltide
right under its windows, by the wooden
ladder where Master Simon chained his
ferry-boat. Fourteen miles inland
brown trout stream singing down from
the moors. plunged over a ledge Of rock
Into the cool depths Of Cuckoo Valley.
Thenceforward II ran by beds Of sun
dew, water-mint and esphodel. under
woods SO steeply converging that the
traveller upon the ridges heard II as the
trickle OF water In a cavern. But just
above Master Simon's inn the valley
widened out into arabic and gray pas
ture land. and the river. too. widsned
and grew deep enough TO float up vcs-
sells Of small tonnage at the spring
tides. In summer. from the bow-win-
dow of his cofree-room. Master Simon
could follow its course down through
the meadows to the church tower of
Ponteglos and the shipping congre-
gated there about the wharves. and
watch In the middle distance the sails
OF barge or shallow trading-kctch
moving among the lawmakers. But
from November to March. when the
foods were out the Flowing Source stood
above an inland sea. with haystck
or two for lesser islets. Then the
rivers course could be told only by
line of stakes on which the wild fowl
rested. The meadows We're covered.
only a fewclumps of reed rose above the
clapping water and shook in the north
erly gales. And then. when no guests
came for weeks together. and the salt
spray crlsted the panes SO thickly that
looking abroad became weariness Of
the spirit. Master Simon would reach
down his long gun from the chimney
piece and polish It. and having pulled
on his wading boots and wrapped q
large woolen comforter round his throat
and another round his head. would
summon his tap-boy. unmoor the ferry
boat.and go duck shooting. For n
winter birds innumerable haunt the
riverside here-wild duck, snipe. teal
and widgeon; curlews field fares and
plovers. both green and golden; rocks.
starlings. little uninterrupted sand
pipers; herons from the upper woods
ard gulls from seaward. Master Simon
had fine sport in the short days. and
the inn might take care of itself. which
1t was perfectly we'll able to do. Its
foundations rested on sunken piles OF
magnificent girth-"as stout as my
SELF" said Master Simon. modestly--
and on these 1t. stood so high that
even the great flood Of fifty-nire had
overlapped the kitchtn threshold but
once. at the top OF spring tide with
o northwesterly gale behind It; and
then had retreated within the hour. "Ie
didn't put the fire out" boasted Mas
ter Simon.
He was proud Of his inn, and for some
very good reasons To begin with, you
would not find another such building II
searched England for a year. It
sted almost wholly III wood; but Of
tuch wood -Atory went that on a
blowing afternoon in the late autumn
Of 1888 two Spanish galleons from the
Greet Armada--t1ey had been driven
around Cape Wrath-care trailing up
the estuary and took ground just above
Poutegios. Their crews landed and
marched inland, and never returned.
Some say the Cornishmen cut them off
and slew them For my part, I think
e more likely that these foreigners
found hospitality and very wisely de-
termined TO settle in the country. Ger
easu It is, you in find in the upland
earms over C6ckoo Valley race of
fono with iiwe comple1ions, black
cs$ting hal. and southern anles-
uoG>01go, Jago. Bennett, Jose. -
AZ all events the spamyers 'span-
s,ras, never came back to their gaiie-
- ~h2ct Law in the ooze by the mars'
~,uaovs until the very birds forgot to
~ them, and built in their rigging.
~ <sss Roles 6OSeron-which We. in
-xsce. DE maritime lave Of thatperiod
In wrecks or wreckage belciged to
- crown when neither an 'Sner nor
n heer Of the late owne' could be
founA for It. But In tho, days the