Rensselaer Republican, Volume 24, Number 32, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 April 1892 — CAST UP BY THE SEA. [ARTICLE]

CAST UP BY THE SEA.

BY SIR SAMUEL W. BAKER.

CHAPTER II — Continued. Paul quickly concealed the bag of gold in the wool within the box from which he had taken it, while Polly, blushing deeply at the act of caution, hesitated until the knock was repeated before she gave a reply. The door opened: Dr. Jones entered. “Good-morning. Mrs. Grey; I feared you were not at home, which would hare disappointed me much, as I wished to have some conversation with you about your new charge. How is the poor little castaway?” “Doing very nicely, sir," replied Polly; “thank you. a lovely child, and as strong and healthy as could be wished. It does not miss its mother, and there is no fear that it will not thrive. ” “It is a strange thing.” said Dr. Jones, “that we can find no clue to to the name beyond the letters ’K. N. upon the night dress. Was there no paper enclosed in any portion of the clothes or wrappers that were contained in the case that held the child?’ Polly could not hel.p.a slight con fusion in manner. It was true that no paper had been found; but her natural honesty felt repugnant to’, the idea of concealment, and she would gladly have entrusted the good Doctor Jones with the secret, had not a warning glance from her husband •suggested caution. -She could, only reply. “There was nothing that could give the slightest clue to a discovery; and. strangely enough, no portion of the wreck bears a name. No boat has been washed on shore, but everything appears to have been dashed to pieces against the rocks; thus we* have no. idea of the vessel, except that portions of the cargo, such as bales of silk, suggest that she must have sailed from India. Many parts of the beach are strewn with tealeaves, as every chest has been entirely destroyed. ’ ’ “Well.” said Dr. Jones, “we must remember carefully every circumstance connected with the disaster. ~Ss"tKe time may arrive when it will be necessary to prove the identity of the child. There can be no doubt, f from the appearance of the poor toother's body, that she was a person of high position. Poor thing! so young and so beautiful!.—so very very beautiful!” o ’ I have cut off a quantity of her long hair,” said Polly, "which I have carefully packed with the—the—the India shawl and night dress.” Polly had very nearly said “the diamond necklace.” and. once more annoyed at herself at the. necessary concealment, she lookeiLimploriugly at her husband for permission to relieve herself of the secret. 'A look from Paul closed her lips. “Well.''said Dr. Jones, “the hair may some day be of service; it was a good thought, Mrs. Grey—a very good thought. Then so the matter -rests—Toe child has fallen into kind hands, thank God' and when you have done your portion of the good work, and he grows to the proper age, I must begin my.share and he must come to school "

Dr. loues was the clergyman and also the school-master of the village of Stoke; he was much and. being a man of considerable fortune, combined with a generous dispositlon. he was looked upon as the father of the poor in his neighborhood He kept a school simply because he loved to bring up boys a,ecort'.ii.g to his own ideas of morality; therefore, without considering pecuniar" profit, he reeeiveffthepupils of the wealthy as boarders, while he gratuitously admitted as daily scholars many of the poorer classes, but judiciously arranged them in separate forms, in fact. Parson Jones, as he was generally' called, was a thoroughly good specimen of a Christian minister, and he had the rare qualities of good common sense and judgment combined with other virtues. The case of the drowned lady and the infant child that was supposed to belong to her had struck deeply upon his imagination, and Parson Jones had resolved to keep an eye upon the child throughout his career; he had known Polly Grey from her infancy, as her. parents, who are now both dead, had been his parishioners, and he had almost regretted that she had married Paul, who had followed the hazardous occupation of a. fisherman, while so many well-to-do farmers had striven for her hand. However, it was he who had himself married them: therefore he took no additional interest in their welfare, and he felt perfectly satisfied that the.child had fallen into the kind hands of Polly Grey. b ~ CHAPTER 111. Twelve years had passed away since the storm of 1791. There had been few changes in Sandy Cove, except that boys had grown to manhood, and those who were girls xVere now of families; but among the adult population there had been li t tie alter -with the exception ■of a few' deaths among the older people. The cottage stood upon the cliff as neatly whitewashed as before; the myrtles in the little garden had grown larger, but Otherwise there was no change; and Polly Greyr almost as charming as ever, but rather saddened in expression, sat before her cottage door knitting a woolen •comforter, and anxiously watching . the sea ' It was about an hour before bun act in the same month of August when twelve years ago the Indiaman lad been driven on the shore. There was a silence about the cottage and an absence of many little trifles that fe . L. .J. K -

I showed that Polly Grey had no children at home; indeed, there was a • superstition that old Mother Lee had ■ once, cursed her. and some pretended ! a recollection of certain words that ■ she had uttered when,in a fit of rage, she spat upon the ground, and said, “Yer’ll get no other, Polly Grey, except east up from the sea.” Certain it was that Polly had never had a child since the death of her first and her adoption of the little castaway. The small land locked bay was quite empty—not a boat floated upon the clear blue water, but a few skiffs-lay upon the beech where nets were spread out to dry. and the smart lugger, the Polly of olden times, was no where to be seen. In the silence of the moment, Polly was startled by the rattle of pebbles on the steep zigzag path. This was almost immediately followed by the appearance Of a fine bronzed-looking man about forty years of age, in the uniform ot a reve-nue-officer. with the empty sleeve on his left pinned up to the shoulder. “Good-evening, Mrs. Grey. Are you alone? for I have a few words to say to you in particular.” said Captain Smart. “Ah, my good friend,” said Polly, “I am glad to see you for I was just feeling melancholy; the boat have returned yesterday, and, although the wind is fair, I see no sign of a sail even yet: what can have happened? The weather is fine, and Paul promised me that he would not be away two days —this is the third!” Joe Smart, the old friend of the family, looked serious; and, sitting upon the beech by Polly’s side, he explained his erraruL “My dear Mrs' “Grey don’t be alarmed about his safety: but, as your oldest friend, I have come to give you a’timely warning. A revenue cruiserhas been sent to capture the Polly, and Paul is either taken at this moment, or he is chased by the government cutter, as the Polly is declared to be a smuggler. Now as Paul's old friend I have often given him advice upon this point, and as his Majesty's officer I have hardly done my duty; but let me implore € vpu, should he escape this chanced prevent him from such a course, which must lead to ruin.”

Polly shook her head. “I fear that I have not the influence that Jb once had,” said she. “Paul is always kind, but I* feel jsure that there are thoughts on bis mind that he does not share with me. It is good of you to be our friend, but that would do but little good should Paul be caught. Do you know where the Polly went?” “The information weh&ve received is this’,” said Captain Smart. “Although we are at war with France, there is a league between the French smugglers and those of this coast. They have their private places of appointment, and they meet at sea out of sight of land, where they exchange cargoes,- The French then run English goods upon their coast, whileour people smuggle spirits, lace, silk and other valuable articles that pay a high duty. The Polly has always been suspected, but nothing could be proved until evidence was given a week ago that has confirmed their suspicions': thus an order has been received from headquarters to chase and board her, and to capture her, should contraband goods be found. Although Polly Grey was anxious at this intelligence, it was not absolutely new to her. In those days there was nothing that was considered dishonorable in a smuggler’s ocupation among the fraternity, and now that Polly heard of the intended capture of her husband’s boat, her sailor's blood was up. “It will be no revenue cutter that will catch the Polly,” said Polly Grey: nothing on the south coast that ean touch tier, and there’s no man that dare lay a hand on Paul.” Joe Smart smiled at her woman's pride and rose to say good-bye. He good-naturedly shook her hand and said, “I am your true friend, Mrs. Grey, there’s no friend like an old one, and I have done my duty in giving you a hint. Heaven forbid that I should ever be forced to act as a revenue officer against Paul Grey! Good-bye, and may he have no ill luck.”

As Joe Smart disappeared, Polly could not help look ing once more anxiously toward the sea. at the same time she pondered over the warning of their old friend. The real fact was that Paul had gradually increased in his daring adventures, and he had now engaged in the contraband trade to an extent that a few years ago he would have believed impossible.. He had never confided these acts to his wife, although he had frequently brought packages to the cottage, which he confessed he had purchased from French boats without paying the duty; these were usually secreted in a long but narrow eave which entered the cliff from the kitchen. This room, being built directly against the rock as a wall, was arranged, as usual in kitchens, with many cupboards One Qf these against the rock had a false back, so that the door, when opgn, merely showed what appeared to be the cupboard itself arranged with shelves. By removing a bolt the entire affair moved backward upon hinges, and opened into the gallery of the cliff. This cave was about fifty feet in length, and, although only the width of the cupboard at the entrance, it widened toward the extremity to at chamber about twenty feet souareJ It was. in this chamber that Polly

had originally concealed the necklace and locket, together with the bag of 200 guineas that had been found in the box with the child after the wreck. They, were carefully packed, together with the shawl, in the same case in which they had been washed Although Polly had no more idea of the disgrace of smuggling on a small scale than a lady might have in landing with a dozen pairs of gloves, she had always been afraid that Paul was more deeply engaged in contraband trade than he chose to admit, and she had now nolonger any doubt, after her conversation with Joe Smart, that he was embarked in a most dangerous course. Paul had

drifted so gradually into the trade that he could not see the dishonesty of it. He was like many others in those days who, scrupulously honest in all other matters, yet thought it no sin to cheat the Government. Thus with his great experience of the coast and his excellence in seamanship, combined with the fine sea-going qualities of the Polly, he was one of tne most successful in his trade. He had long since paid off the sum advanced upon his boat by his friend, Joe Smart, and be was nbw*sole owner, with a crew of eight picked men. The sun was just sinking half-im-bedded in the sea in a broad glare of ruddy light, when a sail was suddenly descried, illumined by a red glow which rapidly sank, and shortly gave place to gray; it was now no longer visible, and the anxious wife strained her eyes along the darkening horizon, almost believing that the sail had been a fancied apparition. The breeze was blowing freshly from the sea, and, the twilight having ceased, the night became perfectly dark, as there was no moon. Polly lighted her lamp, which she hung at the window, in addition to the candles that burnt upon the table. “They will see that light far out at sea. ” she thought; “it's a dark night to find the entrance to the Cove.” - -

More than an hour passed away; there was no sound except the whistling of the wind and the’sullen roll of the breakers against the rocks. Somehow the sound that night reminded her of the storm twelve years ago; there was a moaning in the air that recalled the commencenTent of the disastrous hurricane. Another hour struck, and although for many years she had known the tone of the old wooden clock, it seemed to beat the hour with a peculiar sound that again recalled, the scene of that fearful night, when old Mother Lee had appeared like an evil spirit and prophesied disaster. The wind was now blowing a gale, another hour passed. Again the old clock struck, it was eleven: and the sea was, now roaring against the cliffs; but there was no sound of man. She rose in a great state of nervous excitement and looked out of the window; it was’pitchy dark, and the wild peculiar moan of the gale betokened a sou’-wester. Borne down with anxiety, she sat at the table~^nd—buried her face in her hands as she offered a fervent prayer for the protection of all she loved. Suddenly, with a suppressed scream, she started from her chair as a horrible chuckle struck upon her ear, followed by the low muttered tones, “Luck comes from the sou’-west, ha, ha?” For an instant she had covered her eyes, but, upon withdrawing her hands the hideous figure of Mother’ Lee stood before her.

“What brings you here, Mother Lee, at this late hour?’’ exclaimed Polly; “has anj thing happened? Do you come with evil news?” she asked, her anxiety for the moment overcoming her repugnance to the o|d woman. “That’s as you choose to take it; but you’re a pretty watcher!’ said .Mother Lee. eyes are Hire-a mole's that yer haven't seen them coming! You’re a pretty sailor’s wife, to mope in the house when the storm’s brewing, and yer husband's running before the cruiser! Fie on yer! yer hot the wench for Paul Grey. To go moping over your Bible! That won't help him like a fire on the Point, Look out and see what

Mother Lee'has- worked! The cruiser won’t be long before she strikes the rock! Blow out yer lights!” Polly had hardly recovered from her surprise before the old woman, having suited the action to the word, had extinguished the candles and the lamp—they were in total darkness. “Now you’ll see mother Lee's handiwork! Come out and look at the Point. I came here to blow out your stupid lights!” Polly instinctively followed the old woman as she left the house. She could hardly stand against the wind, but she at once saw two bright lights; one upon the extremity of either point that formed the narrow entrance to the cove, while far out at sea she observed something like a star that occasionally disappeared. In a few minutes a long streak of fire ascended from the sea at a great distance and burst into a number of red balls.

‘ What a bright meteor! or was it lightning?” exclaimed Polly. “There’s meaning in the -flash," muttered Mother Lee; “yer'Tl si. another presently.” In a few minutes a similar light shot up from the dark sea. “Now look to the east,"*’;-said Mother Lee, *‘and yer’ll soon under- , stand it.” Hardly had she spoken the words when on the high cliff about miles distant, occupied by the coastguard station, a rocket flew to the clouds and burst into a. cluster of blue stars. “Now, Paul Grey, lead ’em a dance! and steer straight between the fires!” chuckled Mother Lee, “while I go and put’em out when all’s right: she’ll break her bones if she follow?. . —yes—ha, ha! ha, ha! What anight! all luck from the sou’-west? . —i .

Mother Lee knows a trick or two— ha, ha!” and the old woman with astonishing activity disappeared down the steep declivity, and left Polly alone in thedark and stormy night. All other feelings now gave way to the wife’s"'anxiety; she saw that the old woman had* better information than herself; there*could be no doubt that Paul’s boat was chased by a revenue cruiser that now exchanged signals with ; the coast-guard on shore; thus he would run a double danger, as, although he might possibly avoid the cruiser, be would most probably be met upon arrival in the Cove by a party that would he immediately dispatched from- the coast guard station to search his vessel.- Polly now under stood Mother Lee’s reason for extin-

guishing her lights, there could be littledoubt that the two fires to guide the entrance to the Cove were the result of a preconcerted arrangement with which her third light would have interfered; but she could not help feeling hurt that her husband had not reposed the same confidence in her that he had’ evidently shared with others; this corroborated all that she had heared from Captain Smart, and she had no longer any doubt that Paul was far more deeply engaged in smuggling enterprises than she had imagined. She had been watching nervously for about half an hour since Mother Lee had departed in the midst of the violent storm, when suddenly a bright cloud of sparks flew from one of the fires on the Point, and it was almost immediately extinguished; a similar effect was nearly at the same time produced on the opposite fire, and the two bright lights disappeared; the entire scene was total darkness, while the wind and waves roared louder than before. Polly withdrew into her cottage, and striking a light she once more waited apxiously; she could not sit down, and she paced the floor Jin intense excitement. What could have happened? Had the boat arrived? She had neither heard nor seen anything, only the sudden extinction of the fires; the noise of the storm and the darkness had obscured all else. , d

The clock struck one, and hardly had the vibration of the bell ceased when the sound of hurried footsteps was heard on the outside. „Polly flew to the door and opened it suddenly, and Paul Grey quickly entered the room, carrying bn his broad shoulders an immense bale. He was immediately followed by a handsome sailor boy, who appeared to be about fourteen years, who also carried with difficulty a heavy package, which he threw down upon the floor and in the next moment he was embraced iu the ar in sos Polly Grey. “Now. Pblly.- this is no time for kissing,” cried Paul, “there's much to be done and little, time to do it; open the cupboard as quick as you can, for this is a heavy load, and there is more to come.” As Paul said, there was no time for kissing, for six men now entered the room, each iladen with a heavy bale, which by Paul’s directions they deposited upon the floor and immediately withdrew. In the meantime Polly had gone into the kitchen and opened the secret door of the gallery, into which, after about ten minutes’ labor, Paul, with the assistance of his wife and the young sailor, had carried and concealed the eight packages: •' .

With great dispatch Polly then spread a clean cloth upon a round table, upon which in a few mhiiit.es appeared a large round of cold beef, with a loaf of brown bread and a huge jug of ale. . “I trfust have a pull at the beer before l ean speak,” said Paul; “but here, Ned, you must be thirsty, too,” said he, as he poured out a large hornful for the lad before he drank. In the next instant both man and boy were silent —the only sound was the rapid gurgling as the grateful drink poured down their throats. “Now. then.said Paul, and he took a deep sigh as he replaced the half-emptied jug. “Polly, we’ve had a sharp run for it, haven't*we, Ned? But there’s nothing afloat that can catch the Polly, especially when It is blowing a gale like to night.” “I didn't like the running, mother,” said the boy; I would rather fight the cutter than see the Polly run • away.” The bright blue eyes of the lad sparkled with excitement, at the same time a deep blush tinged his eheek when be added, “I don't like the work of to-night, sov r although not ashamed to be beaten in a fair fight. I should have felt disgraced had we been taken by the cruiser. I hope we are not doing wrong, mother, but I felt as though we were not in the right.”

Paul took another long pull at the ale to avoid the necessity of a reply. “Tell me what has happened, Ned.” said Polly, as she drew her chair to his side and parted the bright waving hair from his forehead. “How hot and tired you look, my dear boy! What made you so late? Tell me thewhole story, for I have had a miserable time since your father left.” Although Ned Grey was only twelve years old (as it was exactly that time since he had been first pressed to Polly Grey’s bosom, when she recalled the unconscious infant to existence after the memorable shipwreck), he looked at least fourteen. He was remarkably tall, and powerfully-and gracefully built; his features were almost too regular, as the small mouth ana curled lip and delicately-arched nose would have been almost feminine, had they not been contradicted by a brow of most decided character,, with deep blue eyes that, although large and soft, brightened with unmistakable fire in a moment of excitement. There was an air of noble frankness and honesty of expression that, independently of

other attractions, would have stamped him as a boy of high character at first -sight. This, combined with his handsome and manly appearance, had gained him friends among all who knew him. g “Well, mother,” said Ned, “is was simply this. When we left the Cove the other day we went to the coast of France, and on our way back we spoke a French lugger about halfway between this and France, and father made some purchases from her captain—those very bales that we brought home to-night and a dozen kegs of brandy; but hardly had we got them stowed-on board than a strange sail hove in sight, andth e French lugger was off in a minute. We followed ter, The/ strange'sail chased us; and as the French lugger could not sail as fast as the Polly,°we went on another tack, and* the strange sail, that father thinks was an English brig-of-war, chose the slower boat and went after the Frenchman, We were now free, but, the wind being northerly, we had to beat up against it to get home. However,, at daybreak this morning, we met a fishing-smack from this coast, from which we learnt that the revenue cutter had been sent out on purpose to look after the Polly. Sure enough, a few hours later, we saw a fine, smart-looking cutter bear down upon us, with the English flag flying, and, as, we did not alter our. course, she fired a gun. As we took no notice, she fired another. This time it was shotted, and we could see the white spray leap three times from the water as the shot bounded along the surface, quite a mile and a half too short to reach us.

“Suddenly the wind dropped, and it turned calm for hours, and neither of us could go ahead. At length the wind changed, and came in puffs from the southwest; this soon turned to a gale, and the race began in earnest. The cutter sailed well, and the Polly could just hold her own until the sea got up; then we had the best of it, for nothing can touch her in a heavy sea; the cutter plunged bows under, while the Polly hardly wetted her decks, but scudded along like a bird. Night came on, and although we could not see the cutter, we could now and then distinguish a light on board. We knew we were Tunning on the land, and the gale had turned to a storm. It was awful work, as we knew the danger of the coast, when all of a sudden we saw a bright light to thejnorth; then we saw another close to it, as though they were almost touching. At this time we saw a -rocket sent up from the cutter which, as nearly as we could guess, was about three miles astern. Again she fired a rocket, which was quickly answered from the shore. (to be continued.)