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PUBLISHERS. *•{ "."«»="W ' " j^y^ij ji,*ffiLi?-pe-was,' * Ric- ca-rees,' that stretch accommodatingly across so much townless territory farther west. This northern curve is and always has been off the route to anywhere ; and mortals, even Indians, prefer as a general rule, when once started, to go somewhere. The earliest Jesuit explorers and the captains of yesterday's schooners had this in common, that they could not, being himian, resist a cross-cut ; and thus, whether bark canoeK of two centuries ago or the high, narrow propellers of to-day, one and all, coming and going, they veer to the southeast or west, and sail gayly out of sight, leaving this northern curve of ours unvisited and alone. A wilderness still, but not un- explored ; for that railroad of the future which is to make of British America a garden of roses, and turn the wild trappers of the Hudson's Bay Company into gently smiling congress- men, has it not sent its missionaries thither, to the astonish- ment and joy of the beasts that dwelt therein 1 According to tradition, these men surveyed the terrifory, and then crossed over (those of thein at ]ear,t-whoni the beasts had spared) to CASTLE NOWHKKE. the lower peuiusula, where, the ploubing vaiie ty of f>w iiujis being added to the labyrinth of pines and sand-hills, they s^on lost themselves, and to this day have nevei found what they lost. As the gleaiu of a cauip-tiro is occasionally seeii, arnl now and then a distant shout heard by the hunter passing ftlong the outskirts, it is supposed, that they aie in theie somewhere suiweying still. Not long ago, however, no wldte maiVs foot had penetrated ■within our curvy. Across the great ri\er and over the deadly plains, down to the burning clime of Mexico and U]j to the; arctic darkness, journeyed our countrymen, gold to gather and strange countries to see ; but this little pocket of land and water passed they by without a glance, inasmuch as no iron mouiitains rose among its pines, no oopper lay hidden in itb sand ridges, no harbors dented its shores. Thus it remained aix unknown region, nd enjoyed life accordingly. But the white man's foot, well booted, was on the way, and one fine afternoon came tramping through. ' I wish I was a tree,' said this white man, one Jarvis Waring by name. ' See that young pine, how lustily it growSj feeling its life to the very tip of ea<;h gi-een needle ! How it thrills in the sun's rays, how strongly, how corii[)ietely it carries out the intention of its existence ! It never has a headache, it — Bah ! what a miserable, half-way thing is man, who shoidd be a demigod, and is — a creature for the very trees to pity !' And then he built his camp-fire, called in his Jogs, and slei)t the sleep of youth and health, none the less deep because of that Spirit of Discontent that had driven him forth into the wilderness ; probably the Spirit of Discon- tent Iciiew what it was about. Thus for days, for weeks, our wiute man wandered through the forest and wandered at ran- dom, for, being an exception, he preferred to go nowhere ; he had liLS compass, but never used it, and, a practised hunter, eat what oauje in his A\ay and planned not for the morrow, ' Now am T living the life of a good, hearty, comfortable bear,' he said to himself with satisfaction. ' No, you are not. Waring,' replied the Spu'^^ of Discontent, ' for you know you have youi' compass in your pocket and can dji'ccfc yourself back to the camps on L^^ke Superior or to the Snuic for supplies, which is more than the most accomplished bear can do.' ' (;ume, \'V'hat do you know about bears ']' answered War- L I»Jl..l ) ,'■1, '■d^.'l .'Ullfl CASTr.E NOWHERE. hu m^ : ' VHT7 Hk.'ly they too hav^* their dejiota of siipplicH,- in caves perhiipH^ — ' * No caveB hern.' * In hollow trees, then.' * You are thinking of the stoiit'H about beaivand wild honey,* said the j)ei-tinacious Spirit. * Shut u}), T am going to sleep,* replied tlie man, rolling him- self in his Idanket ; and then the Spirit, having accomplished liis object, «miled blandly and withdrew. Wandering thns, all reckoning lost both of tim«' and pi ice, our white man came out one evening unexin-ctedly iij)on a shore ; before him was water stretching away grayly in the fog- veiled m(X)nlight ; and so successful had been his determined* en- tangling of hitriHelf in the webs of the wilderness, that he really knew not whether it was Sui)e7ior, Huron en Michigan that confronted him, foi- all three bordered on the eastern end of the up})er peninsula. Not that lie Avished to know ; precisely the contrary. Glorifying himself in his ignorance*, he built a tire on the sands, and leaning back against the miniature cliffs that guard the even beaches of the inland seas, }h> sat looking out over the water, smoking a comfortable pipe of peace, and listen- ing meanwhile to the regular wash of the waves. Some })eople are born with rhythm in their souk, and .,ome not : to Jar\'is W;i,»ing everything seemed to keep time, from the songs of the !Ards to the chance words of a friend ; ami dui-ing all thL^ pil- grinu^ge thiough the wildeinesK. when not actively engaged in quarrelling wHth the Spirit, he was repeating Vnts of verses and humming fragments of songs that kept tinu> with his footsteps, or rathei- they were repeating and humTuing theuiw^lves along through his brain, while he .sat a|)art arid listened. At this moment the fragment that canu' and went apropos i>f uothing was Shakespear':''s sonnet, * When t« the Ressions of Bweet silt^nt thought, I siuntnon ui> renxoiu1)rance of things past.' the Now the small waves came in but slowly, and the sonnet, in keeping time with their regidar wash, dragged its syllables so dolorously that at last the man woke to the realii«ation that rionaething was annoying him. 6 CASTLE NOWHERE. ' When to — the ses — sious of- Hweet si — lent thought/] chanted the sonnet and waves together. * O double it, double it, can't you T said the man impatiently, * this way : — *' When to the aeu — sions of »weet »i — lent tliought, te-tum, — te-tum^ te-tum." ' But no ; the waves and the lines persisted in their own idea, and the listener finally became conscious of a third ele- ment against him, another sound which kept time with the obstinate two and encouraged them in obHtinacy, — the dip of light oais somewhere out in the giay mist. ' When to — the 8es — sions of — sweet si^— lent thought, 1 sum — mon up — remem — branoe of — things past,' chanted the sonnet and the wa^'e8 and the oars together, and went duly on, sighing the lack"- of many things they sought away down to that ' dear friend,' who in some unexplained way made all their ' sorrows end.' Even then, while peemig through the fog and wondering where and what was this spirit boat that one could hear but not see. Waring found time to make his usual objections. * This summoning up remem- brance of things past, sighing the lack, weeping afresh, and so forth, is all very well,' he i emarked to himself, * we all do it. But that friend who sweeps in at the death with his opportune dose of comfort is a poetical myth whom I, for one, have never yet met.' * That is because you do not deserve such a friend,' answered the Spirit, briskly reappearing on the scene. * A man who Hies in the wilderness to escape — ' * Spirit, are you acquainted with a Biblical personage named David T interrupted Waring, executing a flank movement. The spirit acknowledged the acquaintance, but cautiously, as not knowing what was coming next. ' Did he or did he not have anything to say about flying to wildernesses and mountain-tops t Did he or did he not express wishes to sail thither in person V * David had a voluminous way of making remarks.' replied the Spiait, * and I do not pretend to stand up for them all. But one thing is certain ; whatever he may have wishsd, in a ;.«: CASTLE NOWHERE. 7 ^•« musical way, regavding wildernesses and moiiutfiin-topH, when it cauie to the fact he did not go. And why I Because he — ' ' Had no wings,* said Waring, closing the discussion with a mighty yawn. * I say, Spiiit, take yourself ort'. Something is coming tishore, and were it old Nick in pei-son T should be glad to see hiiu and shake his clawed hand.' Aa he 8])oke out of the fog and into the glare of the tire shot a phantom skitt', beaching itself straight and swift at his feet, and so suddenly that he had to withdraw them like a flash to avoid the crunch of the sharj) bows across the sand. ' Always let the other man sj^eak first,' he thought ; * tiiis boomerang of a boat has a shape in it, I see. ' The shape rose, and, leaning on its oar, gaztid at the camp and its owner in silence. It seemed to be an old man, thin and bent, with bare arms, and a yellow handkerchief bound around its head, drawn down almost to the eyebrows, which, singularly bushy and prominent, shaded the deep-set eyes and hid their exjuessiou. * But supjMDsing he won't, don't stifle youself,' continued 'Waring j then aloud, * Well, old gentleman, where do you come fromr * Nowhere.* * And where are you going f * Back there.' * Couldnt you take nie with you 1 I have been trying all ray liTe to go nowhere, but never could learn the way : do what I would, I always found myself going in the opposite direction, namely, somewhere.' To this the shape replied nothing, but gazed on. * Do the nobodies reside in Nowhere, I wonder,' pursued the smoker ; * because if they do, I am afraid I shall meet all my friends and relatives. What a pity the somebodies oould not reside there ! But perhaps they do ; cynics would say so.' But at this stage the shajxj waved its oar impatiently and de- manded, * Who are you 1' * Well I do not exactly know Once I supposed I was Jar- vis Waring, but the wilderness has routed that prejudice. We can be anybody we pltcvse ; it is only a question of force or will ; and my latest chamcter has been William Shakesi)eai-e. 1 have been trying to find out whether I wrote my own plays Stay to supper and take the other side ; it is long since T have mmm. ^^^"'"WPipiip" 8 OASTLE NOWHEKE. had an argument with flesh and blood. And you are that, — I are n't yon V But the shape frownor! until it seemed all eyebrow.- ' Young man,' it said, * how came you hei'e ? By water ? ' ^ ; ' No ; by land.' „ * Alongfdicre T *No ; through the woods.* *Nob y ever conies through the woods.' ' Agreed ; but I am somebody.' * Do you mean that you have come across from Lake Superior on foot /' ' I landed on the suoro of Lake Superior a month or two ago, and stmck inland the same day ; where I am now 1 neither know nor want to know.' ' Very \va]\^' said the shape, — ' very well.' But it scowled iuore ^f ntly. You have no boat V ']%.'■ ' Do voti stai t on to-morrow f ' Probably ; by that time the waves and ' the sessions of sweet silent thought ' will have diiven me distracted between them. ' ' T will stay to supper, T think,' said the .shape, unbending still further, and .^tejipiiig out of the skiff. ' Deods >)efore words then,' replied Waring, starting back to- wards 1, tree where his game-bag and knapsack were standing. When he returned the skiff had disap])eared ; but the shape was warming its mocoassined feet in a ve?y hinnan sort of way. They cooked and eat with the appetites of the Avilderness, and grew sociable af'tei- a fashion. The shape's name was Fog, Amos Fog. or old Fog, a fisherman and a hunter among the islands farther to the south : he had come inshore to see what that fire meant, no j)erson haA^ing camped there in fiftetn long years. * You have been htn e all that time, then f * Ofi' }ing ; and then, with the large curiosity that solitude begets^ be turned the con^'crsjition back tow.ards the other and his story. The other, not un^ illing t/) tell his adventures, began readily ; ;Ynd the old man listened, smoking meanwhile a seor nd [tipe pjo- duced from the compact stores in the knapsack, Tn the web of rncountera and esca]>es. he placedhis little questions now and ■mmiP 1 CASTLE NOWHERE. then , no, Waring had no plan for exploring the region, no in- tention of settling there, was merely idling away a summer in the wildemesR and would then go back to civilization never to return, at least, not that way ; might go west across the plains, but that woidd be farther south. They talked on, one much, the other little ; after a time. Waring, whose heart had been warmed by his flask, began to extol his ways and means. ' Live ? T live like a prince,* he said. * See these tin cases ; they contain concentrated stores of vaiious kinds. I carry a lit'le tea, you see, and even a few lumps of white sugar as a special treat now and then on a wet night. ' Did you buy that sugar at the Sault Y said the old man, eagerly. * O no ; X brought it vtp from below. For literature I have this small edition of Shakespeare's sonnets, the cream of the whole world's poetry ; and when I am tired of looking at the trees and the sky, I look at this, Titian's lovely daughter with liei" upheld salver of fruit. Is she not bea'.itiful as a dream T ' T don't know much about dreams,' replied old Fog, scan- ning the small picture with curious eyes ? * but is n't she ^ trifle hea\'y in build ? They dress like that nowadays, I suppose, — flowered gowns and gold chains around the waist V ' Why, man, that picture Wfvs painted more than three cen- turies ago.' ' Was it now? Women don't alter much, do they?' said old Fog, simply. * Then they don't drt'.ss like that nowadays ?' * r don't know how they dress, and don't care,' said the younger man, repacking his treasures. Old Fog concluded to camj) with his nev/ friend that night and be off at dawn. ' You see it is late,' he said, ' and your fire's all made and everything comfortable. 1 've a long row before mo to-morrow : I'm on my way to the Beavers.' ' Ah ! very intelligent animals, I am told. Friends of yours V * Why, they're islands, Imy ; Big and Litth? Beaver ! Wliat do you knov.', if you don't know the Beavei-s V ' Man,' i-eplied Waring. ' T flatter myself T know the human animal well ; he is a misei-able }>. ast.' ' Is htf f said old Fog, wonderingly ; ' who'd have thought it !' Then, giving up the problem as .'something beyond his reach, — * Don't trouble yourself if you hear me stinting in the night,' he said ; ' T am ofteti mighty restless.' And rolling 10 CASTLE NOWHERE. himself in his blanket, he soon became, at least as regards the camp-fire and sociability, a nonentity. ' Simple-minded old fellow,' thought Waring, lighting a fresh pipe ; has lived around here all his life apparently. Think of tnat, — to have lived around heie all one's life! I, to be sure, am here now ; but then, have I not been — ' And here followed a reverj at remembrances, that glittering network of gajety and folly which only young hearts can weave, the network around whose border is written in a thousand hues, 'Eejoice, yofing man, in thy youth, for it cometh not again.' * Alas, what sighs from our boding hearts The inlinite skies have borne away !' t?> sings a poet of our time ; and the same thought lies in many hearts unexpressed, and sighed itself away in this heart of our Jarvis Waring that still foggy evening on the beach. The middle of the night, the long watch befoic dawn ; ten chances to one against his awakening ! A shape is moving towards the bags hanging on the distant tree. How the sand crunches, — but he sleeps on. It reaches the bags, this . hape, and hastily rifles them ; then it steals back and crosses the sand again, its moccasined feet making no sound. But, as it hap- pened, that one chance (which so few of us ever see !) appeared en the scene at this moment and guided those feet dii'ectly towards a large, thin, old shell masked with newly blown sand ; it bi-oke with a crack ; Waring woke arid gave chase. The old man was unarmed, he had noticed that ; and then such a simple- minded, harmless old fellow ! But simple-minded, harmless old fellows do not run like mad if one happens to wake ; so the younger pursued. He was strong, he was fleet ; but the shape was fleeter, and the space between them griew wider. Suddenly the shape turned and darted into the water, running out until only its head was visible above the surface, a dark spot in the foggy moonlight. Waring pursued, and saw meanwhile another dark spot beyond, an empty skifi" which came rapidly inshor6- ward until it met the head, which forthwith took to itself a body, clambered in, lifted the oars, and was gone in an instant. ' Well,' said Waring, still pursuing down the gradual slope of the beach, 'will a phantom bark come at my call, I wonder? At any rate I will go out as far as he did and see.' But CASTLE NOWHERE. 11 no; the perildious beach at this instant shelvecl!*oflf snddenlr and left him atioat in (ieej/ water. Fortunately hejwas a skilled swimmer, and soon regained the shore wet and angiy. His dogs were whimpering at a distance, both securely fastened to trees, and the light of the lire had died down : evidently the old Fog was not, a fter all, 60 simple as gome other people ! * I might as well see what the old vogue has taken,' thought Waring; 'all the tobacco and whiskey, I'll be bound.' But nothing had been touched sa\e the lump-sugar, the little book, and the picture of Titian's daughter ! Upon this what do you suppose Waring did 1 He builc a boat. When it was done, and it took some days and was nothing but a dug-out after all (the Spirit said that), he sailed out into the unknown ; which being inteii)reted means that he paddled southward. From the conformation of the shoi*e, he judged that he was in a deep curve, protected in a measure from the force of wind and wave. ' I'll find that ancient manner,' he said to himself, * if I have to circumnavigate the entire lake. My book of sonnets, indeed, and my Titian picture ! Would nothing e.'3e content him / This voyage I undertake from a pure inborn sense of justice — ' * Now, Waring, you know it is nothing ot the kind,' said the Spirit who had sailed also. You know you ai-e tired of the woods and dread going back that way, and you know you may hit a steamer off' the islands ; besides, you are curious about this old man who steals Shakespeare and sugar, leaving tobacco and whiskey untouched.' * Spirit,' replied the man at the paddh, ' you fairly corrupt me with your mendacity. Be off" and unlimber yourself in the fog ; I see it coming in.' He did see it indeed ; in it rolled upon him in columns, a soft silvery cloud enveloping e^'erything, the sunshine, the shore, and the water, so that he paddled at random, and knew not whither he went, or rather sav.^ not, since knowing was long since out of the question. 'This is pleasant,' he said to him- self when the morning had turned to afternoon and the after- noon to night, ' and it is certainly new. A strotus of tepid cloud a thousand miles long and a thousand miles deep, and a man in a dug-out paddling through! Sisyphus was nothing to this.' But he made himself comfortable in a philosophic way, and went to the onl} place left to him, — to sleep. 12 CASTLE NOWHERE. .1 At (lawn the sunsliine colored the fog golden, but that was all ; it was still fog, and lay upon the dark water thicker and softer than ever. Waring eat some dried meat, and considered the frtDssibilities ; he had reckoned without the fog, and now his lookout was uncomfortably misty. The provisions would not last more than a week ; and though he might catch Ksh, how could he cook them ? He had counted on a shore somewhere ; any land, however desolate, would give him a fire ; but this fog was muftiing, and unless he stumbled ashore by chance he might go on paddling in a circle foit'ever. *Bien,' he Siiid, sum- ming up, * my part at any rate is io go on ; /, at least can do my duty.' ' Especially as there is nothing else to do,' observed the Spirit. Having once decided, the man kept at his woik with finical precision. At a given moment he eat a lunch, and v^ery taste- less it wa*^. too, and then to work again ; the little craft went steadily on before the stroke of the strong arms, its wake unseen, its course unguided. Suddenly at sunset the fog folded its gray fbaperies, spread its wings, and floated off to the southwest, where that night it rested at Death's Door and sent two schooners to the bottom ; but it left behind it a released dug- out, floating before a log fortress which had appeared by magic, rising out of the water v/ith not an inch of ground to spare, if indeed there was any ground ; for might it not be a species of fresh water boao, anchored there for clearer weather"? ' T(^n more strokes and I should have run into it,' thought Waring as he floated noiselessly Tip to this watery residence ; holding on by a jutting be«im, he i*econnoitred the premises. The building was of logs, si^nare, and standing on spiles,, its north side, under which lie lay, showed a roAv of little windows all curtaiufd in white, and from one of them peeped the top of a rose-bush ; there was V,)ut one storey, and the ix)of was flat. Nothing came to any of these window^s. nothing stin'ed, and the man in thf dug out, >)eing curious as well as hungry, de- cided to explore, and touching the wall at intervals pushed his craft noiselessly around the eastern corner ; but here was a blank wall of logs and nothing more. The south side was the Kiune, -^"ith the exception of tv,o loopholes, and' the dugout gMvlwi its quietest past these. But the west shon'"^ out radiant, - ""I CASTLE NOWHEEE. 13 a iniUe little balcony overhanging the water, and in it a girl in a mahogany chair, nibbling soniething and reading. ' My sugar and my t nnets, as I am alive !' ejaculated War- ing to himself. The girl took a fresh bite with her little \/hite teeth, and went on reading in the sunset light. * Cool,' thought Waling. And cool she looked truly to a man who had paddled two days in a hot sticky fog, as, clad in white she sat still and placid on her airy perch. Her hair, of the very light fleecy gold seldom seen after babyhood, hung over her shouldera uncoufin- ed by comb or ribbon, falling around her like a veil and glitter- in the horizontal sunbeams ; her face, throat and hands were white as the petals of a white camellia, her features infantile, her cast-down eyes invisible under the full-orbed lids. Waring gazed at her cynically, his boat motionless ; it accorded with his theories that the only woman he had seen for months should be calmly eating and reading stolen sweets. The gii-1 turned a }>age, glanced up, saw him, and sprang forward smiling ; as she stood at the balcony, her beautiful hair fell belov.^ her knees. ' ' Jacob,' she ciied gladly, * is that you at last V ' No,' replied Waring, ' it is not Jacob ; rather Esau, Jacob was too tricky for me. The damsel, ilachel, I presume !' * My name is Silver,' said the girl, ' and I see you ai o not Jacob at all. Who are you, then f ' A hungry, tired man who would like to come aboard and rest awhile.' ' Aboard 1 This is not a boat.' ' What then V ' A castle, — Castle Nowhere.' * You reside here V *0f course ; where else should I reside 1 Is it not a beauti- ful place V said the girl, looking around with a little air of pride. * I could tell better if I was up there. ^^b^k^ * Come, then.' VHI' *Howr ' Do you not see the ladder V * Ah, yes, — Jacob had a ladder, I remember ; he comes u| this waj , I suppose V / ' He does not : but I wish he would.' TT U CASTLE NOWHERE. vl * Undoubtedly. But you are not Leah all this time V * I am Silver, as I told you before ; I know not -what you mean with your Leah.' * But, mademoiselle, your Bible — ' * What is Bible V ' It ou have never read the Bible f ' It is a book, then. I like books,' replied Silver, waving her hand comprehensively ; * I have read five, and now I have a new one.* * Do you like it, your new one V asked Waring, glancing to- wards his property. * I do not undei-stand it all ; perhaps you can explain to me r * I think I can,* answered the yoimg man, smiling in spite of himself ; * that is, if you wish to learn.* ' Is it hard T ' That depends upon the scholar ; now, some minds — * Here a hideous face looked out through one of the little windows, and then vanished. * Ah,' said Waring, pausing, * one of the family?' * That is Lorez, my dear oJd nurse.' The face now came out on to the balcony and showed itself as part of an old negress, bent and wrinkled with age. * He came in a boat, Lorez,' said Silver, * and ^et you see he is not Jacob. But he says he is tired and hu ngry, so we will have supper now, ^vlthout waiting for father.' The old woman smiled and nodded, stroking the gii'l's glitter- ing hair meanwhile Avith her black hand. * As soon as the sun has gone it will be very damp,' said Silver, turning to her guest ; ' you will come within. But you have not told me your name.' * Jarvis,' replied Waring promptly. * Come, then, Jar\is.' And she led the way through a low door into a long nan-ow rqom with a row of little square winjlows on each side all covered with little square white cur- tains. The waHs and ceiling were planked and the work- manship of the whole nide and clumsy ; but a gay carpet cov- ered the floor, a chandelier adorned with lustres hung from a hook in the ceiling, large gilded vases and a mirror in a tar- nished gilt frame adorned a shelf over the hearth, mahogany chairs stood in ranks against the wall under theJlittle windows ^pamm CASTLE NOWHERE. 15 and a long narrow table ran down the centre of the apartment from end to end. It all seemed strangely familiar • of what did it remind him ? His eyes fell ujx)n the table-legs ; they were riveted to the floor. Then it came to him at once, — the long narrow cabin of a lake steamer. * I wonder if it is not anchored after all,' he thought. * Just a few shavings and one little stick, Lorez,* said Sil- ver ; ' enough to give us light and drive away the damp.* Up flared the blaze and spread abi-oad the dear home feeling. (O hearth-fire, good genius of home, with thee a log-cabin Is cheery and bright, without thee the palace a dreary waste!) * Arid now, while Lorez is preparing supper, you will come and see my pets,' said Silver, in her soft tone of unconscious command. ' By all means,' replied Waring. * Anything in the way of mermaidens 1' * Mermaidens dwell in the water, they cannot live in houses as we can ; aid you not know that ? I have seen them on moonlight nights, and so has Lorez ; but Aunt Shadow never sa^ them.' ' Another member of the family, — Aunt Shadow V * Yes,' replied Silver ; * but she is not here now. She went away one night when I was asleep. I do not know why it is,* she added sadly, ' but if people go away from here in the night they never come back. Will it be so with you, Jarvis ?' * No ; for I mil take you with me,' replied the young man lightly. s * Very well ; and father will go too, and Loreaif said Silver. To this Tvddition, Waring, like many another man in similar circumstances, made no reply. But Silver did not notice the omission. She had oj^jened a door, and behold, they fttood to- gether in a bower of greenery and blossom, flowers growing everywhere, — on the floor, up the walls, across the ceiling, in pots, in boxes, in baskets, on shelves, in cups, in shells, climb- ing, crowding each other, swinging, hanging, winding around everything, — a riot of beauty with perfumes for a language. Two white gulls stood in the open window and gravely survey- ed the sti-anger. 'They stay with me almost all the time,' said the water- maiden ; * every morning they fly out to sea for a while, but they always come back. ! mmimm 16 CASTLE NOWHERE. U U\ Then she fiitted to and fro, kissed the opening blossoms and talked to them, tying back the more riotous vines and gra>ely admonishing them. * They are so happy here,* she said ; * it was dull for them on shore. I would not live on the shore ! Would you ?' * Cei*tainly not,' replied Warrng, with an aii- of having sjHint his entii'e life upon a raft. ' But you did not find all these blossoms on the shores about here, did you V * Father found them, — he finds everything ; in his boat almost every night is something for me. I hope he will couie soon ; he will be so glad to see you.' ' Will he 1 I wish I was sure of that,' thought Waring. Then aloud, * Has he any men with him V he asked carelessly. 'O no; we live here all alone now, — father, Lorez, and I.' ' But you were expecting a Jacob V * I have been expecting Jacob for more than two yeiii's. Every night I watch for him, but he comes not. Perhaps he and Aunt ShadoAv will come together, — do you think they will f said Silver, looking up into his eyes with a wistful expression. ' Certainly,' replied Waring. * Now am I glad, so glad ! For father and Lorez will never say so. I think I shall like you, Jarvis.' And, leaning on a box of mignonette, she considered him gravely with her little hands folded. Waring, man of the world, — Waring, who had been under tire, — Waring, the impassive, — Waring, the unflinching,^ — turned from this scrutiny. Supper wBfi eaten at one end of the long table ; the dishes, tablecloth, and napkins were marked with an anchor, the food simple but well cooked. * Fish, of course, and some common supplies I can under- stand,' said the visitor 3 but how do you obtain flour like this, or sugar T * Father brings them,' said Silver, 'and keeps them locked in. his storeroom. Brown sugar we have always, but white not always, and I like it so much 1 Don't you V ' No ; I care nothing for it,' said Waring, remembeiing the few lumps and the little white teeth. The old negiess waited, and i)eered at the visitor out of her small bright eyes ; eveiy time Silver spoke to her, she broke into a radiance of smiles and nods, but said nothing. < ^m^^m QASTLE NOWHERE. 17 ding made signs * She lost her voice some years ago,' explained the little mistress when the black had gone out for more coffee \ 'and now she seems to have forgotten how to form words, although she understands us.' Lorez returned, and, after refilling Waring's cup, placed something shyly beside his plat6, and withdrew into the shadow. ' What is it '?' said the young man, examining the carefully folded parcel. * Why, Lorez, have you given him that !' exclaimed Silver as he drew out a scarlet ribboix, old and frayed, but brilliant still. ' Wo think it must have belonged to her young master,' she continued in a low tone. * It is her most precious treasure, and long ago she used to talk about him, and about her old home in the South.' The old woniiin came forward after a while, smiling and nod- like an animated mummy, and taking the red ribbon threw it around the young man's neck, knotting it under the chm. Then she nodded wdth treble radiance and ot satisfaction. ' Yes, it is becoming,' said Silver, considering the effect thciightfully, her small head with its veil of hair bent to one side, like a flower swayed by the wttid. The flesh-pots of Egypt returned to Jar vis Waring's mind : he remeLibered certain articles of apparel left behind in civiliza- tion, and murmured against the wilderness. Under the pre- tence of examining the vases, he took an early opportunity of looking into the round mirror. * I am hideoiis,' he said to him- self, uneasily. * Decidedly so,' echoed the Spirit in a cheerful voice. But he was not ; only a strong dark young man of twenty-eight, browned by exposure, clad in a gray flannel shirt and the rough attii'e of a hunter. The fire on the hearth sparkled gayly. Silver had brought one of her little white gowns, half finished, and sat sewing in its light, while the old negress came and went about her house- hold tasks. * So you can sew f said the visitor. * Of course I can. Aunt Shadow taught me,' answered the Y'ater-maiden, threading her needle deftly. ' There is no need to do it, for I have so many dresses ; but I like to sew, don't you?' 2 18 CASTLE NOWIIEKE. * I cannot say tluit I do. Have yoii so many clreases, then X * Yes ; would you like to see them ? Wait.' Down went the little gown trailing along tlio floor, and away she flew, coming back with her arujH full, -—silks, muslins, laces, and even jewelry. * Are they not beautiful X she asked, ranging hei* splendor over the chau'S. * They are indeed,' said Waring, examining the garments with curious eyes. * Where did you got theui T * Father brought them. O, there he is novr, there he is now ! I hear the oars. Come, Lorez.' She ran out ; the old woman hajitened, carrying a brand fi'om^ the hearth ; and after a moment Waring followed them. ' I may as well face the old rogue at once,' he thought. "The moo'\ had not risen and the night was dark ; under the balcony floated a black object, and Lorez, leaning over, held- out her flaming torch. The face of the old rogue came out into the light under its yellow handkerchiet, but so brightened and softened by loving gladness that the ga/tu* al)Ove hardly knew it. ' Are you there, darling, safe and well ]' said the old man, looking up fondly as he fastened his skit!'. ' Yes, father ; here I am and so glad to st'e you,' replied the water-maiden, waiting at the toj) of the ladder. 'We htive a visitor, father dear ; are you not glad, so glad to see him V The two men came face to face, and the elder started back. * What are you doing here ?' he said sternly. ' Looking for my property.' ' Take it, and begone !' * I will, to-morrow.' All this apart, and with the rapidity ot lightning. * His nauie is Jarvis, father, and we must keep him with us,' said Silver. ' Yes, dear, as long as he wishes to jstay , but no doubt he has home and friends waiting for him.' They wtjnt within. Silver leading the way. Old Fog's eyes gleamed and his hands were clinched. The younger man "watched him warily. ' I have been showing Jarvis all uiy tlresses, father, and he thinks them beautiful.' * They c^'tainly ''e remaikable," obsei'ved Waring, coolly. OKI Fog's hands dropped, liu glanced nerxously towards the visitor. I .Hi.- •.IJWll. CASTLE NOWHERE. 19 * "What have you brought for me to-night, father dear Y ' Nothing, child ; that is, nothing of any consequence. But it is growing late ; mn off to your nest' * O no, papa , you have had no mipper, nor — ' * I am not hungry. Go, child, go ; do not gi'ieve me,* said the old man in a low tone. * Giieve you ? Dear papa, never !' saicl the girl, her voice softening to tenderness in a moment. * 1 will nin straight to my room. — Come, Ijovcz.' The door closed. ' Now for us two,' thought Waring. But the cloud had passed from old Fog's face, and he dre^ up his chair confidentially. ' Yo\i see how it is,' he began in an apologetic ton* ; * that child is the darling of my life, and I could not resist taking those things for her ; -^he has so few books, and she likes ;,hose little lumps of sugar.' * And the Titian picture f said Waring, watching him doubt- fully. * A father's foolish pride ; T knew she was lovelier, but I wanted to see the two side by side. Hhe is lovelier, is n't she V * T do notlihink so.' ' Don't you V said old Fog in a disappointed tone. * Well, I suppose I am foolish about her ; we live here all alone, you see : my sister brought her up.' ' The Aunt Shadow who has gone away V ' Yes ; she was my sister, and — and she went away last year,' said the old man. * Have a pipe V ' T should think vou would find it hard work to live here.' ' T do ; but a poor man cannot choose. I hunt, fish, and get out a few furs sometiuKJS ; I traffic with the Beaver j>eople now and then. T bought all this furniture in that way ; you would not think it, but ihey have a gi*eat many nice things down at Beaver.' * It loot ? like steamboat furniture.' * That is it ; it is. A steamer went to piect^s down there, and they saved almost all her furniture and stores; they are vtny good sailors, the Beavers.' ' Wrecker's, pei'hajrs V ' Well I Avould not like to say that ; you know we do have tenible stoi-ms on these waters And then there is the fog ; this'^pait of Lake Michigan is foggy half the time, why, I never ccv.ld grioss ; but twelve hours out the twenty-four the gray 20 CASTLE NOWHERE. mibt lies on tlie water here ami outside, sliiftiug slowly back- wards and forwards from Little Tia verse to Death s Door, and up into this curve, like a waving curtain. Those silks, now, came from the steamer ; tiiuiks, you know. But I ha\ e ne\ er told Silver ; she might ask where were the people to whom they belonged. You do not like the idea? Neither do I. But how could we hel}) the drowning when we were not there, and these things were going for a song doAvn at Beaver. The child loves pietty things ; what could a poor man do ? Have a glass of punch ; I'll get it ready in no time.' He bustled about, and then came back with the full glasses. * You won't tell hei" ? I nyiy have done wrong in the matter, but it would kill me to have the child lose faith in mo,* he said, humbly. * Ai-e you going to keep the girl shut up lere forever V said Waring, half touched, half disgusted ; the old fellow had look- ed abject as he i)leailed. * That is it ; no,' said Fog, eagerly. * She has been but a child all this time, you see, and my sister taught her well. We did the best we could. But as soon as I have a liitle more, just a little more, I intend to move to one^i^f the townn down the lake, and have a small house and eveiything comfortable. I have planned it all out, I shall have — ' He rambled on, gari-ulously detailing all his fancies and i>ro- jects while the younger man sipped his punch (which was veiy good), listened until he was tired, fell into a doze, woke and listened awhile longer, and then, wearied out, proposed bed. ' Certainly. But, as I was saying — ' ' I can hear the rest to-morrow,' said Waring, rising with scant courtesy. ' * I am sorry you go so soon ; could n't you stay a few days V fiaid the old man, lighting a brand. * I am going over to- morrow to the shore where I met you. I have some traps there ; you might enjoy a little hunting.' * I have had too much of that already. I must get my dogs, and then I should like to hit a steamer or vessel going below.' * Nothing easier ; we'll go over after the dogs early in the morning, and then I'll take you right down to the islands if the wind is fail. Would you like to look around. the castle, — I am going to draw up the ladders. No 1 This way, then ; here is jour room.' It was a little side-chamber with one window high up over CASTLE NOWHERE. 21 the water ; there was an iron l)olt on the door, and the walls of hare logH were solid. Waiing stood his gun in one comer, and laid his pistols hy the side of the bed, — fo" there was a hed, only a nide framework like a low-down shelf, hut covered with mattress and shet^ts none the loss, — and his weary l>ody longed for th<^ise luxunes with a longing that only the Avildemess can give -the wilderness with its heds of boughs, and no undress- ing The bolt and the logs shut him in safely ; he w.ih young and atroug, and there were liis pistols. ' Unless they bum down their old castle,' he said to himself, * they cannot harm me.' And then h(^ fell to thinking of the lovely childlike girl, and his heart, gvew soft. ' Poor old man,' he said, * how he must have worked and stolen and starved to'keep her safe and warni in this far-awav nest of his hidden in the fojjs ! T won't betray the old fellow, and I'll go to-moiTow. Do you hear that, Jai-vis Waling ? I'll go to-morrow ? And then the Sjnrit, who had been listening as usual, folde)oat was his own dug-out, and he himself and no other was in it : so far, so good. Everything else, however, was fog and night. He found the paddle and began work. * We shall see who will conqutr,' he thought, doggeilly, * Fate or I !' So he paddled on an hour for more. Til tho ^yzvA arose and drove the fog helti i-skelter across 22 CASTLE NOWHERE. to Gveen Bay, wliere the gi'ay ranks curled themseh'es clown and lay hidden until morning. ' I'll go with the wind,' thought Waring, ' it must take nie Homewhere in time.' So he changed Ids course and paddled on. The wind grew strong, then strong- er. He could see a few stars now as the ragged dark clouds scudded across the heavens, and he hoped for the late moon. The wind grew wild, then wilder. It Dook all his skill to man- age his clumsy boat. He no longer asked liimself where he waf. or who ; he knew, — a man in the grasp of death. The wind was a gale now, and the waves were pressed down fiat by its force as li; flew along. Suddenly the man at the paddle, almost despaiiing, espied a light, high up, steady, strong. * A lighthi use on one of the islands,' he said, and steered for it with a\l his might. Good luck was with him ; in half an hour he fait the beach under him, and landed on the siioru ; but the light he saw no longer. * I must be close in under it,' he thought. In the train of the gale came thunder and lightning. Waring »at under a bush watching the powers of the air m conflict, ho (Saw the fiuy of theii* darts and heard the crash of theii" artilleiy, an4 luused upon the wonders of creation, and the riddle of man's existence. Then a flash came, diflerent from the others in that it brought the human element upon the scene ; in its light he saw a vessel driving helplessly before the gale. Down from his spirit-heights he came at once, and all the man within him was stirred for those on board, who, whether or not they had ever perplexed themselves over the riddle of their existence, no doubt now shrank from the violent solution oflered to them. But what coiUd he do ? He knew nothing of the shore, and yet there must be a harbor somewhere, for was there not the light 1 Another flash showed- the vessel still nearei', drifting bri^adside on ; involuntarily he ran out on the long sandy point where it seemed tliat soon she must strike. But soone)* came a ci-ash, then a giinding sound ; there was a reef outside then, and she was on it, the rocks cutting her, and the waves pound- ing her down on their merciless edges. ' Strange !' he thought. * The hai'bor must be on the other side I suppose, and yet it seems as though I came this way.' Looking around, theie wasi the light high up behind him, burning clearly v.iid strongly, while the vessel was breaking to pieces below, * It is a lui-e,* he said, indignantly, * a false light.' In liis wrath he spoke aloud ; suddenly a shape came out of the darkness, cast him mm mtm "» AlMigpipi m. CASTLE NOWHERE. 23 down, and tightened a grasp aronnd his throat. ' I know you,' he nmttered, strangling. One iiand was tree, he drew out his pistol, and tired ; the shape fell back. It was old Fog. Wound- ed ■? Yes, hadly. Waring found his tinder-box, made a blaze of driftwood, and bound u]»the bleeding arm and leg roughly. * Wretch,' he said, ' you set that light.' Old Fog nodded. ■ * Can anjiihing be done for the men on Ijoai-d 1 Answer or I'll end your miserable life at once ; 1 don't know why, indeed, I have tried to save it.' .--loisj Old Fog shook his head. ' Nothing,' he murmured ; I know eveiy inch of the leef and shore.* Another tlash revealed for an instant the doomed vessel, and Waring i-aged at his owti impotence as he strode to and fro, tears of anger and pity in his eyes. The old man watched him anxiously. * Theie are not more than six of them,' he said ; ' it was only a small schooner.' * Silence !' shcated Waring ; each man of the six now suffer- ing and drowning is worth a hundred of such as you ! * That may be,' said Fog. . Half an hoiir afterwards he spoke again. * They're about gone now, the water is deadly cold up here. The wind will go down soon, and by daylight the thitigs will be coming ashore ; you'll see to them, won't you 1 * I'll see to nothing, murderer V ' And if I die what are you 1' * All avenger.' ' Silver must die too then ; there is but little in the house, she will soon starve. It was for her that I came out to-night.* * I will take her away ; not for your sake, but for hers.' * Ho^^T can you find her f * As soon as it is daylight I ^vi\\ sail over.' * Over ? Over where ? That is it, you do not know,* said the old man, eagerly, raising himself on his unwounded arm. * You might row and sail about here for days, and I'll warrant you'd never find the castle ; it's hidden away more carefully than a nest in the reeds, trust me for that. The way lies through a i)erfect tangle of channels and islands and marshes, and the fog is sure for at least a good half of the time. The * sides of the castle towards the channel show no light at all ; ^ mmm 24 CASTLE NOWHERE. and even when you're once thiongiitlie ontlying islets, the only approach is ipasked by a movable bed of sedge which I con- trived, and which turns you skilfully back into the marsh by another way. No ; you might float around there for days but you'd never find the castle.' * I found it once.' * That was because you came from the north shore. I did not guard that side, because no one has e'.er come that way ; you remember how (juickly T saw your light and ix)wed over to find out what it was. But you are miles away from there now.' The moon could not pierce the heavy clouds, and the night continued dark. At last the dav come slowly up the east and showed an angry sea, and an old man grayly pallid on the sands near the dying tire ; of the vesnel nothing was to be se{ n. ' The things will be coming ashore, the things will be coming ashore,' muttered the old man, his anxious eyes turned towards the water that lay on a level with his face ; he could not raise himself now. * Do you see things coming ashore V Waring looked sea)'chingly at him. * Tell me the truth/ he said, ' has the girl no boat V 'No.' * Will any one go to rescue her ; does any one know of the castle?' * Not a human being on this earth.' ' And that aunt, — that Jacob ?' ' Did'nt vou guess it ? Thev ai'e both dead. I rowed them out V)y nigbt and buried them, — my poor old sister and the boy who ha by the fair hand of Silver. And Waring went not. Then the frosts came, and turned the forests into splendor ; they rowed over and brought^ out branches, and Silver decked the long room with scarlet and gold. And Waring went not. The dreary November rains began, the leaves feU, and the dark water surged heavily ; but a store of wood was piled on the flat roof, and the file on the hearth blazed high. And still Waring went not. xVt last the first ice appeared, thin flakes forming around the log foundations of the castle ; then old Fog spoke. * I am quite well now, quite strong again ; you must go to-day, or you will find yourself frozen in here. As it is, you may hit a late ve ssol off the islands that will carry you below. I will sail over with you, and bring back the boat.' ' But you are not strong enough yet,' said Waring, bending over his work, a shelf he was carving for Silver ; * I cannot go and leave you here alone.' It is either go now, or stay all winter. You do not, I pre- sume, intend to make Silver youi- wife, — Silver, the daughter of Fog the wrecker. Waring's hands stopped ; never before had the old man's voice taken that tone, never before had he even alluded to the girl as anything more than a child. Ov the contrary, he had been silent, he had been humble, he had been openly grateful to the stron£ young man who had taken his place on sea and shore, and kept the castle full and warm. * What new thing is this T thought Waring, and asked the same. ' Is it new V said Fog. • I thought it old, very old, I mean no mystery, I speak plainly. You helped me in my great strait, and I thank you ; perhaps it will be counted unto you for good in the reckoning u[) of your life. But I am strong again, and the ice is forming. You can have no intention of making Silver your wife T Waring looked up, their eyes met. * No,' he replied slowly, as though the words were being dragged out of him by the magnetism of the old man's gaze, ' I certainly have no such in- tention.' Nothing more was said ; soon Waring rose and went out. But Silver spied him Trom her flower-room, and came down to 32 CASTLE NOWHERE. the sail-boat whero it lay at the foot of the ladder. ' You are not going out this cold day,' she said, standing by his side as he busied himself over the rigging. She was wrapped in a fur mantle, with a fur cap on her head, and her rough little shoes were fur-tiimmed. Waring made no reply. * But I shall not allow it,' continued the maiden, *gayly. * Am I not queen of this castle ? You yourself have said it many a time. You cannot go, Jarvis ; I want you here.' And with her soft hands she blinded him playfully. ' Silver, Silver,' called old Fog's voice above; * come within ; I want you.' After that the two men were very crafty in their prepara- tions. The boat ready, Waring went the rounds for the last time. He brought down wood for several days and stacked it, he looked again at all the provisions and reckoned them over ; then he rowed to the north shore, visited his traps, called out the dogs from the little house he had made for them, and bade them good by. * T shall leave you for old Fog,' he said ; * be good dogs, and bring in all you can for the castle.' The dogs wagged their tails, and waited politely on the beach until he was out of sight j but they did not seem to believe his story, and went back to their house tranquilly without a howl. The day passed as usual. Once the two men happened to meet in the passage-way. * Silver seems restless, we must wait till darkness,' said Fog in a low tone. * Very well,' replied Waring. At midnight they were off, rowing over the black water in the sail-boat, hoping for a fair wind at dawn, as the boat was heavy. They journeyed but slowly through the winding chan- nel, leaving the sedge-gate open ; no danger now from intru- ders ; the great giant, Winter, had swallowed all lesser foes. It was cold, very cold, and they stopped awhile at dawn on the edge of the marsh, the last shore, to make a fire and heat some food before setting sail for the islands. ' Good God !' cried Waring. A boat was coming after them, a little skiff they both knew, and in it paddling, in her white dress, sat Silver, her fur man- tle at her feet where it had fallen unnoticed. Tliey sprang to meet her knee-deep in the icy water ; but Waring was first, and lifted her slight form in his arms. CASTLE NOWHERE. 33 go back with us, and I will trust it all to ' I have found you, JamHs,' she murmured, laying her head down upon his shoulder , thtn the eyes closed, and the hand she had tried to clasp around his neck fell lifeless. Close to the lire, wrapped in furs, Waring held her in his arms, while the old man bent over her, chafing her hands and little icy feet, and calling her name in an agony. ' Let her but come back to life, and I will say not one word, more,' he cried with tears. * Who am I that I should torture her? You shall God,— all to God.' * But what if I will not go back, what if I will not accept your ti list V said Waring, turning his head away from the face pillowed on his breast, ' I do not trust you, I trust God ; he will guard her.' ' I believe he will,' said the yoimg man, half to himself. And then they bore her home, not knowing whether her spirit was still with them, or already gone to that better home await- ing it in the next country. That xiight the thick ice came, and the last vessels fled south- ward. But in the lonely little castls there was joy ; for the girl was saved, barely, with fever, with delirium, with long prostration, but saved ! AVhen weeks had passed, and she was in her low chair again, propped with cushions, pallid as a snow-drop, weak and lan- guid, but still there, she told her story, simply and without comprehension of its meaning. * I could not rest that night,' she said, * I know not why } so I dressed softly and slipped past Orange asleep on her mat- tress by my door, and found you both gone, — you, father, and you, Jarvis. You never go out at night, and it was very cold ; and Jarvis had taken his bag and knapsack, and all the little things I know so well. His gun was gone from the wall, his clothes from his empty room, and that picture of the girl hold- ing up the fruit was not on his table. From that I knew that something had happened ; for it is dear to Jarvis, that picture of the girl,' said Silver with a little quiver in her voice. With a quick gesture Waring drew the picture from his pocket and threw it into the fire ; it blazed, and was gone in a moment. * Then I went after you,' said Silver with a little look of grati- tude. I know the passage thi'ough the south channels, and something told me you had gone that way. It was very cold.' 34 CASTLE NOWHERE. That was all, no reasoning, no excuse, no embaiTassmentj the flight of the little sea-bird straight to its mate. Life flowed on again in the old channel, Fog quiet, Silver happy, and Waring in a sort of dream. Winter was full upon them, and the castle beleagured with his white armies both below and above, on the water and in the air. The two men went ashore on the ice now, and trapped and hunted dail^, the dogs following. Fagots were cnt and rough roads made through the forest. One would have supix)sed they were planning for a lifelong residence, the young man and the old, as they came and went together, now on the snow-crust, now plungin through breast-deep into the light dry mass. One day Waring said, * Let me see your reckoning. Do ypu know that to-mor- row will be Christmas X * Silver knows nothing of Christmas,* said Fog, roughly. ' Then she shall know,' replied Waring. Away he went to the woods and brought back evergreen. In the night he decked the cabin-like rooui, and with iutinite pains constructed a little Christmas-tree and hung it with every- thing he could collect or contrive. * It is but a poor thing, after all,' he said, gloomily, as he stood alone surveying his work. It was indeed a shabby little tree, only ir