Rocky Ford enterprise., 1898-12-22


wildly to clump of gorse. My hat
went rolling steadily down to the
shore. several hundred feet below.
whilst my face and hands were
scratched and bleeding, and my feet
constantly slipping from under me.
At last, jammed in between two BUSH
es. crouched cautiously forward to
review my position. My sprightly
guide had reached the sheep track,
then, after looking hastily round for
ME. I saw her suddenly spring up the
side of block of granite. as bald as
the palm of my hand. and disappear
seawards over the summit.
by Jovew / exclaimed in utter
astonishment. .'Why, she's an ante
lope. a mountain cat. the old witch's
granddaughter! ! wish L had never
come across either of them! / sup
pose l must get down somehow"
Half kneeling. half sitting. l de-
scended slowly. swinging myself from
bush to bush. needless OF the stinging
blows from furze and thistle, keeping
my clumsy heels well of the treach-
erous soil. when suddenly. almost
halfway down. from under a bed OF
bracken that covered her to the chin.
Helen's face looked up at me full of
eager. contrite concern, her strange
dark eyes sweeping my disfigured. per-
spring face with n look that thrilled
me almost uncannily.
II am SO sorry" she painted; "oh,
so sorry! l quite forgot you were a
stranger and unaccustomed to the
cliffs; they are dreadfully slippery this
weather. l have to go after the sheep
for Mike every day now-he can't hold
on bit. though he was born on tho
yourself. to be sure! Those dreadful
furze bushes! Put your hand on my
shoulder. will guide you down the
rest; We have only the ferns to work
through now to the path. Here's
your hat: it's not spoiled bit-I
picked 1t up on the beach before the
water had time to reach it."
at was after my hat you were seal
ing that cllff?"
"Yes, had no time to go around by
the path; the tide is on the turn and
would have taken it of TO America in
two minutes more"
You're not going away now. are
you?" asked eagerly. lifting my hand
from her slender shoulder. you'll
see me beyond the first point, won't
you?"
"Yes. yes-for sure. yes." she an
swered quickly: II will go with you to
the Goats Back, II you like-ay. and
beyond It. Oh, Mr.. Dennys, what n
rude. wild. ill-mannered girl you must
think me to fly off and leave you like
that after you being so kind to come
that long way-from London itself
Just to tell granny about poor Uncle
Brian! Will you forgive me, please?"
I pressed the childish hand, saying
smilingly-
"Yee, yes. I forgive you. Miss
Helen"
"And you will let me wipe the blood
from your poor face, won't you?" she
pleaded. dipping large cool leaf into
little crystal pool under a rock
handkerchief this child of nature had
none, suspected-and passing it over
my hot and blood-stnined face.
After this we marched on side by
side and became fast friends. Long
before we reached the ruined cabin, l
knew the whole story Of her lonely,
neglected life. l knew that she had
5een born on the mountain-had lived
there all the eighteen years of her
uneventful life, never once having Wis
tied the post-town OF Droomlague;
that she had no father or mother,
brothers nor sisters, but lived all alone
with her grandmother and two serv-
ants. Mike Doolan and his wife Bid
dy: and finally, though the poor child
made no complaint of her natural
guardian or indeed seemed aware there
was cause for any. yet l clearly saw
that she was shamefully neglected by
her, and no more concern paid to her
bodily or her mental well-being than
IL she had been goat browsing on the
mountain-side, instead OF dead
daughters only child.
After helping for couple of hours
every morning In the dairy and farm
yard, she told me she was free to do
what she pleased, wander whittier she
would the whole day long, make what
chance acquaintance she liked, come
in at any hour of the evening unques-
toned, unrestrained-indeed, she had
often spent the whole night lying on
the cliff, when she found her ill-ven-
tilated attic too hot and close to sleep
in, and no one had been any the wiser;
and even If they were, she argued-in
answer to my dissenting look-Biddy
wouldn't mind, and granny wouldn't
care-not she! And, besides. what
harm was it? Sure nothing in the
world made her feel so good and hap
py as lying there all alone in the great
stiffness, waiting for the first streak
Of dawn to wake up the sleeping sea.
watching the white-winged sea-birds
L.. A., M