Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1906-11-02

It may seem absurd that so dlstin.
guished a man as DIR. Weston, NJ. A.. |
ID. &c., f. r. S., the Regius Professor
of Physic at Cambridge, should have re-
lied on the help of half-educated school
girl. But he was always pleased to say
that my love and sympathy were worth
far more to him in his work than if he
had been served by the cleverest woman
that ever headed an honor list
1 well remember the appearance of
Prof. Marnac's book, "Science and Re
ligion," which was published simultane-
ously in German and English at the be-
ginning of the June of that year. My
father was violently opposed to it, but l
was far more concerned over the state
into which it threw him than was about
/ the book, which, as a matter of fact,
never read. He dictated to me a most
severe criticism, which at his Instructions
l sent to the editor of the University
Review at 102A, Henrietta street, Co
vent Garden London. The article was
signed "Cantab," a pseudonym that my
father often used, as he had the greatest
objection to publicity.
About ten days after the August Uni
versity appeared-that being the number
which contained his article-my father
received an anonymous letter. 1t was
my duty to open and sort his correspon-
dence, and l was thus able to intercept
it. 1t was addressed to "Cantab," and
had been forwarded unopened, by the
editor of the review. The envelope bore
German stamp, but the post-mark had
been smeared and was quite undistin-
guishable. The letter was neatly written
In English. 1t consisted almost entirely
of the most violent personal threats
against my father. The writer declared
that he would soon find out "Cantabs"
real name, and would suitably repay him
for his ISLANDERS against the greatest
scientific work of the century. | was
very frightened about 1t, but several
friends to whom / showed the letter
laughed away my fears, saying it was
undoubtedly the work of some madman,
and advising me to burn it. This l did.
never mentioned the affair to my faith
er, whose health was giving me great
anxiety ar the time.
During September my father had TAX
en- a cottage on the Cornish coast, and
when the end of the Long Vacation
came, the doctors forbade his return to
! Cambridge. l had hard work to per-
suade him that it was best to obey their
orders; but at last he gave in, and we
settled down for the winter.
The cottage was built at the foot of a
, low hill strewn with boulders and torn
by the autumn rains. Upon its summit
the chimney of an abandoned tin mine
rose against the sky like a vast flag.
, pole, with roofless buildings grouped
around it in melancholy decay. 1t was
/, always a depressing spot to me, and
rarely visited it, though the view wa:
O splendid. About half a mile before tn,
cottage the moorland ended abruptly il
! line of glorious cliffs, two hundred ant
y. fifty feet of granite and shining porph
yry from brow to breaker. This was m.
!. favorite walk. l loved to crawl to tn
q edge that l might peer over at the reef
that sprang out from the tumbled rock
: at the cliff foot like the bones of a giant
: hand. l have lain thus for hours watch
4 ing the great rollers advancing in tina
~ stately, inexorable march of theirs, ran
r following rank, until they burst in thur
e derous green fountains of foam. Some
times, when a fierce wind blew from tn
q southwest, the spray they hurled into tn
4 air would wet my face, even where l la
so infinitely far above them.
a Between the cottage and the cliff tn
- ground dipped into little glen, or goya
:. as the country folks called it, choke
with storm-twisted trees and deep wit
gorse and ferns. Through it ran ou
cart track, winding down to the fishin
e. village of Polleven, where the tiny, stone
: rooted houses clung to a gap in the eli
wall like barnacles on a rock.
Besides my father and myself, MAJ
= jory, our cook-housekeeper, who ha
- been with us ever since | could remen
ber, was the only other nhabtant of tn
i cottage. On Tuesdays and Thursdays
red-cheeked maiden, who had quite r.
markable powers of breaking crocker!
!, came to help from Polleven.
~ So were we living on Nov. 81. FroI
that date l will chiefly rely upon m
= diary for the details of my terrible eI
perience. Please do not laugh at tn
form in which l wrote it. Mr.. Harlan
ie has asked me to make no alterations, an
,e SO here it is.
=, Ito be continued.)