The Washington times., 1905-12-03

IL.
the winter.
The cottage was built at the foot
of a low hill strewn with bouldeTs
and torn By the autumn rains. Upon
its summit the chimney of an abaE-
doned tin mine rose against the sky
like 2 vast fiagpole, with roodess
buildings grouped around it in mel
ancholy decay twas always a de-
pressing spot TO me. and ! rarely
visited it. though the view was
splendid. About half mile before
the cottage the mooriand ended alb
ruptly in line of glorious cliffs, two
hundred and fifty feet of granite and
shining porphyry from brow to
breaker This was my favorite walk.
I loved to crawl to the edge, that
/ might peer over at the reefs that
sprang out from the tumbled rocks
at the cliff foot like the bones of a
giants hand. / have lain thus for
hours watching the great rollers ad-
vancing in that stately, inexorable
march of theirs, rank following rank.
antil they burst in thunderous green
= fountains of foam. Sometimes, when
fierce wind blew from the south
west, the spray they hurled into the
air would wet my face. even where
lay SO infinitely far above them.
Between the cottage and the cliff
the ground dipped into a little glen,
or goyal, as the country folks called
it, choked with stOrm-twisted trees
and deep with gorse and ferns.
Through ii ran our cart track, wind
ing down to the fishing village of
Polleven, where the tiny. stone-roof-
ed houses clung to a gap IN the cliff
wall like barnacles on a rock.
Besides my father and myself,
Marjory, our cook-housekeeper who
had been with Us ever since I could
remember, was the only other inhab-
liant of the cottage On Tuesdays
and Thursdays a red-cheeked maid
en-, who had quite remarkable pow
ers of breaking crockery, came to
help from Polleven.
So were we living on November
p. From that date | will chiefly
rely upon my diary for the details
of my terrible experience. Please do
not laugh at the form in which /
wrote it Mr. HarIand has asked me
to lrn
il is:
Friday, Nov 27.-I have quite an
important piece of news today, Ma.
Diary. So no more grumbIes, please,
about your having sunk into a
weather report. Yes, sir, have met
a stranger-fancy that-a visitor, in
the winter. at Polleven,
lMr. Hermann-for that is his name
has been a Gabbler in science. he
tells me. all his life. ! shall snare
him before long and lay my spoil
in triumph at fathers feet. Since
the weather has been so bad, it has
Eeen very lonely for him indoors,
poor dear, with only ignorant me for
company. | am certain Mr.. Her
mann will be just the man for him.
A good stiff talk viii brighten him
up wonderfully.
| chanced upon him this afternoon.
He was struggling along the cliff
edge in the teeth OF the wind His
age should be a3out sixty. but he is
very well preserved. He is clean
shaven and close-cropped and is alto
gether very neat in his appearance.
His eyes behind his glasses are alb
surdly young, if ] can so describe
them. They are SO active and clear
that if it were not for the wrin-
kles above them, | should have
knocked ten years off his age. He
asked me the way to Polleven, and
as / was bound for the village, /
took him in charge. On the way he
told me that he had just taken a
room at the inn there He is writing
a book, il seems, and wanted a quiet
corner He will find il at Polleven,
He speaks with but a slight accent
having lived much in England
though his father was a German. as
his name denotes. This was his first
walk, ard he seemed much Impress
ed with the wildness of the scenery.
| told father about him at supper
He said he would be very pleased
TO meet him.
Saturday, Nov. 28.-I am filled
with the triumph Of success. Mr..
Hermann and father are hard at it
over their pipes in the study They
do not seem 10 be opposed on any
big question, which is most lucky,
for some very learned men get into
dreadful tempers with each other
when Contradicted.
It is the butchers day at Polleven,
so | walked there this morning to
give the orders. | met Mr. Hermann