The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-09-11

not very well known. being so far away
from a railway line" said my guide in
meditative tone.
He was an Old man, with scant grey
hair and wrinkled face, but the bent Shout
ders were broad, and The big gaunt bones
of his figure showed the wreck of a good
~ frame He Acknowledged, rather Sruff
iy, that he had a twinge Of rheumatism
now aud then. and that he was not the
man he used 10 be; but his blue eyes were
etiu bright, and his rugged features eX-
pressed shrewdness ana sagacity. They
had told me at the inn that mis- name was
Jacob Tregarthen, and that should not
ind a better guide TO the little Cornish
village and its neighborhood. 10 which
had been recommended as an excellent
place for sketching purposes.
had been told of the district, but not Of
Polwhele in particular. and the little place
came upon me with a shock of surprise.
Its red roofs and stone walls clustered IN
der the cliff of black basalt as If they were
eheIterlng from the fury of wind and wave
Upon the barren shore. The bay, or cove,
IN which it was situated was narrow, and
on each side great spurs of rock projected
into the sea and stood up like sentinels
as if to guard the village. One could see
that there must have been many ship
wreck on these outlying rocks, and thai
in stormy weather the entrance to the bay,
except to the smallest craft. was excep-
tionally dangerous.
The main street of the village was con-
tinued in a narrow road, which crept
round the cliffs on either side of the bay,
and lost itself apparently in the outer
world. Save when the fisher folk were
taking their fish to the nearest market
towns, they trod this road but seldom
There was a winding path behind the
houses, up the face of the cliff, which they
generally preferred. 1t led to the church,
which as is usually the case in these lit
tie coast hamlets, was situated on the
nights so as to serve, if necessary, as
beacon to the sailors out at sea. Inc
church took my fancy. IL was low squat
building of stone. with a square tower ana
a lantern, and it stood on the top Of the
cliff with its walled enclosure OF green
graves around it, curiously monumental IN
aspect The sturdy strength of the little
strong indeed, 10 weather the buffets OF
the equinoxial gales, and I was not sur
prised to hear from friend Tregarthen that
the walls were nearly three feet thick.
"Otherwise it would have blown down
many year ago." he said.
II should like to sketch it, | observed,
after making a circuit of the building. Il
should like 10 carry away memory OF
such a bare wind-swept place upon this
rocky hight II interests me-"
There's many a drawing been made or
It," said my guide, simply. ITS wisht
place, 10 my thinking, from the outside
Inside, there's things that you m be pleased
with. maybe
l followed him into the building, found,
indeed some curious bits of architecture
and carving. of which I determined to have
a record. Tregarthen did not say much; he
watched me in grave silence, with rather
a questioning eye, as I passed from pillar
TO pillar or stopped to read half-effaced
inscription, or gloated over the old oak IN
the choir. Either he knew nothing about
the history of the church, or he would not
tell it to me. After a time / became i'm
patient to get rid of him. Something in the
atmosphere of the old place affected me
oddly. 1 felt as if / wanted to sit and
dream of the fisher men and women who
had sat Sunday by Sunday on these rude
oaken benches, living their lives out be-
meath the shadow of that old grey tower
until the time came for them to lay their
weary bones down In the grassy wind
swept graveyard upon the nights above
the sea.
Il should like to sit here for a little
time, l said to Tregarthen, unstrapping
my portfolio. Don't let me keep you IL
will take me an hour or more to make a
sketch OF the chanceL"
l nodded as l spoke towards the north
.l,,r
rous little window in the wall, with a
stone arch above 1t, and traces of cary
ings and mouldings which interested me.
Tregarthen intercepted my glance at 1t,
and looked at me, as l thought, oddly; but
be only said, with a grave bend of his
venerable head.
I'm wait in the churchyard, sir. until
you'm ready to CO."
| was little irritated at first by the
thought of his waiting for me; but by
and by, in the interest of my sketch, and
of the dreams conjured up by the associa-
lions of the building l lost AL remembrance
that he was outside.
l made a sketch of the window, which
was closed with a wooden shutter, as if il
were never used, and looked more like the
door of a small cupboard than a window
I'm fact il occurred to me that an ancien,
piscina might be found behind, or that IL
was a receptacle for sacred vessels. This
theory was soon disturbed. For, looking
round at it again, while ! was in the
midst of a sketch of a beautiful bas-reliei
behind the altar, l suddenly perceived
that the wooden door was open, and that
II opened either into the churchyard OF
some kind of porch, for 1 saw a glimmel
of blue sky and the line of a pillar OIL
wall. Between this glimpse of the outei
world and me, then followed the head o.
a man whom al first / took 10 be Ire
garthen
And then 1 saw il was not Tregarther
at all. 1t was the face of a much younger
man, lividly pale. scowling, with jet blacl
hair and eyes-not a pleasant face, al
though well-featured, to look upon.
looked at him for a minute or two. anl
he looked at me; then l turned TO III,
west door, with a sudden impulse TO cal
Tregarthen, and ask him who this maj
might be- But on looking back ! saw
that the face was gone, and the woodel
shutter closed The incident had occurre,
In complete silence; ] had not heard
sound, although it might have been ex
pected that the closing OF the door o
shutter could not be accomplished s.
quickly in such profound silence.
! threw down my pencil, and made IN.
s1,< a..