Year: 1869

often said to my friend, the gathering


together and stuffing into the wide mouth


OF a travelling bag, old and dingy. and


marked with the name of j. Rufir


Daily, quantity of soiled clothes, crum


Piled and torn pencil sketches, fishing


tackle, the I" last novel" writing mate


rials and toilet articles.


And here we dwelt quietly enough, and


pleasantly, too, for the matter of that,


sitting down thrice day at the Squire /


bountifully spread board; which privi-


lege was secured by the modest consid.


GRAFTON of seven shillngs and sixpence


per week each, in hand paid.


At an early heur, on delightful June


morning, after our accustomed bath in


the shadows of the Cove, we moored our


boat in favorable position, at the mouth


of an under-tide spring of fresh water,


and set line of dozen or more hooks
| for shad.


1t had been our invariable custom, in


fair weather, TO devote one hour each


morning, before breakfast, to this pleas


ant and sometimes profitable recreation.


Ruff always employed a rod and reel, in


addition to the set line; but for myself,


preferred to enjoy the free and uninter-


rupted use of my eyes, to feast ON the un-
| firing beauties of sea, and land, and sky,


spread out around US, replete with the
freshness and sweetness of early m orning;


or to read from some favorite volume


passages in consonance with the spirit of


the occasion.


And such was our employment as we
lay at niooring under the cliff, on that


beautiful spring morning. l had been
reading aloud q few stanzas of poem,
but Ruff, the unsentimental fellow, hav-
ing expressed fear that the sound of
my voice might frighten away the fish,
laid the book down at the close of the
subject and gave myself up to contem.
platien of the charming scene.


Suddenly my attention was attracted
toward an unusual and interesting object.
A light little skf--a perfect Naiad' shell
OF boat-with another very like it towed
behind by cord, made its ap-
pesrance from behind an angle of the
cliff, scarcely seeming to touch the
water, so easily and gracefully did it
move, and without the apparent necessity
of a propulsive force.


- The trim little craft held two voyaeers--
one fair, delicate-looking lad of twelve
or thirteen years, and beautiful brown
haired girl, his junior by about two
years She sat beside him, looking up
into his face, her broad-brimmed hat
thrown carelessly aside, allowing the
shining masses of hair to fall loosely
about her shoulders; while he, slowly
and mechanically propelling the boat by
an occasional stroke of the paddle, gave
his whole attention to her.


1t was clear that neither of them was
anxious to increase the speed of their
fair.like water craft, as though the rapid
annihilation Of distance would proper
tionally abridge the blissful period of
their companioHship.


/ observed them for several minutes in
silence, with rapidly increasing in
terest in their movements, and pretty |
soon discovered their little secret-ths |
reason of their presence there at such
time. Itwas stolen interview, and like |
meetings of the kind, generally, was in
terlarded with the sweet spice of romance
in proportion to the amount of danger
braved and the severity of the penalty of
discovery.


Presently, as l watched them, the
nrogress of the little boat was checked.
1t lay motionless on the water. Ten
yards farther out would place them be-
yond the friendly cover of the shore-clia
and expose them to view from the ham
let above.


There was q brief delay, employed in
the interchange of tender adieus, as /
very soon discovered, then the little boat
in tow behind was drawn up alongside.
The lad arose, glanced hastily around,
and believing he was unobserved, bent
down and kissed the cheek of his fair
The next moment he was
seated in his own boat, returning shore
ward, while the maiden, with face set
resolutely before her, padded rapidly in
the opposite direction-straight toward
the head of Sheppey Island.


The youth directed his course toward
the boldest part Of the cliff. We won
iered much at his possible motive, for
here was no proper place TO land for q
1uarter of q mile in either direction.
Greater still was our surprise when We
saw him row into narrow cove in the
face of the precipice, which barely hid
him from view, and where the irregular
wall of rock arose quite perpendicular to
\ hight Of nearly fifty feet


We we're not long left to conjecture,
however, for presently, to our utter
.stonishment, the brave little fellow made
ais appearance around the intervening
angle, on q shelving rock, and began to
ascend the craggy face of the cliff. Sur.
Prise ct the daring spirit which induced
lin to make the attempt held our fixed
md breathless attention.


Lithely the little fellow spraHg upon
he next projecting rock, and thence
eaching up. from point to point, con-
inuing the ascent with an activity which
,nly could have been inspired BY the
hought that his progress was watched by
YER for whom be had braved such danger.
Jp, up, higher and higher be mounted,
eeminglsy familiar with every foothold Of
be path.


Half the highI-but not the most dan