New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-04-12
IN THE FIRST PERSON.
BY MARIA LOUISE POOL.
BY THE UNCOMFORTABLE SEA.

great southerly gale. 1t was to be our last week
in the carriage Miss Runciman had kept near
the coast. Sometimes we travelled n1teeh miles
in a day. and some days not at ALL we always
stopped not far from settlement, but never IN
the village itself. The young man, or rather DIE
boy who was driver and hostler, would theh
unhitch the horses and take them TO staoie'
finding some place for his own stay; Bashy or
would sally forth to get whatever provision we
needed, and Miss Runciman and the girl VINO re-
manned with her would prepare the meal. We
had very good times at those meals MISS Huhci-
man possessed great skill with chafng-dish.
and many were the curious connections she made
Some Of them Lotus ate when he had been with
us but the most of them we devoured. should
have been ashamed of my appetite If the others
had not been equally hungry And they drank
wine with luncheon and dinner. Our most elabo-
rate meal was at night For a time the having
dinner at night was as Rachel Cobb would have
uid. most upsetting' TO me. Occasionally we
all went to the hotel nearest us. and Miss Runci-
man who was what seemed to me ridiculously
fastidious. would make the walters there rather
unhappy.
But 1t was the custom of drinking wine to
which I could not become reconciled 1t was
some light wine at luncheon. and often a pottie
of champagne at dinner, or supper, as always
thought of the meal And there were many deli
cate. beautiful glasses from which to drink. and
two or three curious silver cups which our hostess
had picked up in her travels.
/ recall that wished 10 drink from those YES
sels-there was g. charm in connection with
them; wine in such rcceptacles was draught OF
romance At the same time shrank and had
the feeling that 1t low to do such thing
These feelings were contradictory. but then emo
fions freuuently contra dictOry.
And was horribly shocked when perceived
sometimes that Bathsheba's spirits were a little
higher after her champagne than before 1t. l
suppose she saw this in my face one evening as
she was leaning back in her chair after dinner
She had been trolling out drinking song. In
the midst of the chorus she suddenly stopped,
gazing at me.
Dear little Puritan maiden PRISCILLA" she ex-
claimed. Look at her. Aunt Nora. Is 1t my
champagne or my song that brings that express
sion Of horror"
Miss Runciman was sitting twirling her deli
cate-stemmed glass absently around and around
between her thumb and finger. There was a
slight flush on her face She smiled at her niece
as she responded:
"Bashy, you natted at F in the last line"
She rose and suddenly flung up her hand with
her glass in it. There was the fine freedom Of a
Bacchante in her gesture and attitude l leaned
forward eagerly my heart beating fast.
. Standing thus Miss Runciman burst out sing
ing. or more accurately, chanting:
go, let others praise the Chan.
This is soft Muses. string,
This is tawny as Rhea's lion,
This Is rapid his spring
Bright Paphia's eyes e'er met us,
Light as trod her feet.
And the brown bees Of Hymettus
Make their honey not so sweet.
cannot describe the enchanting swing and
rush Of the words enunciated by this woman
BY the Anne the last line had left the singer S
lips had sprung up from my chair. did not
know what was thinking of doing.
Bashy laughed How could she laugh? My
ewes were burning as they rested on the woman s
face Bathsheba poured some champagne into a
taIl-stemmed glass. She rose and held out the
glass TO me. l was hardly conscious that ex-
tended my hand for 1t. had already grasped it
when a curious change came to Miss Runcman.
"Bathsheba" she cried sharply. She reached
forward and suddenly gave a sharp, though
slight blow, to my hand.
The glass fell breaking on the table, the wine
spread on the cloth
"Well Aunt Moral. exclaimed Bashy you
are a queer woman. What do you mean by
THAR"
Miss Runciman cool and calm on the mo-
ment She placed her own glass by her plate and
sat down deliberately.
II mean just this" she observed, that II Billy
has any Individual notions about wine-or-or-
brown bread, why. let her have them"
Here the speaker laughed. She glanced at me
NV face was hot. ] was grateful to her for
knocking that glass from my hand. And was
thinking OF mother; and was trying to keep the
tears back.
Thank you," said In a whisper.
mo" said Miss Runciman, seriously, "you
needn't thank me. If there be any blame in the
matter II belongs to more than to Bath
sheba.'
And when came to think the matter over by
myself I agreed with her. j determined TO write
all about 1t to mother but the days kept going
by and did not find time; and think became a
trifle bewildered concerning the subject. Once
/. asked myself if I was making the drinking OF ar
! occasional glass Of wine stand for too much
When saw my mother would have long tall
with her. But, then IN the bottom Of my heart
knew that mother did not approve Of my being
with Miss Runciman and learning to sing of her
hardly know how came 10 tell Of this ttlt
incident when began this chapter by speaking
of the great storm in that September. Our bis
wagon was standing on the shingles close to q
cove that was called Peggotty's Cove We ha6
arrived the night before. and had sat on tn
beach until almost midnight Not person hat
come near U.S. OF to our left was the stretch o
rocks running out to protect the entrance to {
small harhor. On this point OF rocks burned th'
Bug Light like little candle. throwing its beams
upon a naughty world. There were small cot
tages over there, and We could see the lights il
them. 1t was breathlessly still that evening tn
water rustled placidly on the pebbles.
We three women talked very little but VI
sang a good deal. had been learning some o
III Trovatore" Miss Runciman said she had I
fancy to see what would do with it, wen
over several Of the soprano solos at her reques