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£64 “esOGLEASCIS EIVERARY CCMPANICH Ow
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Written for the Literary Companion, ~ began ; upon which I nodded assent, and he pro- “The island seemed to be fertile, for it was “Fora few moments the captain’s utter amaze- Ol
LINDEN VALE,
BY MAUD IRVING. _
The moon is brightly gleamin;
Through the light clouds’ wary sheen,
The stars are gaily beaming,
As bright, as gay, I ween,
‘As when in days gone by,"
In happy childhood’s hours,
I roamed the mountain path, ‘
And gathered wildwood flowers,
And at the close of day,
At the hour of twilight pale, .
I wove them in bright garlands .
On the porch of Linden Vale.
The vale is just the same,
With all its loveliness,
The mountain paths are there,
‘Though trod a trifle less ;
Ab, would that I might say
There is no change in me,
But oh, this heart is sad,
My once red cheeks are pale,
And grief weihs down the occupants
Of the house of Linden Vale .
The happy days of girlhood passed
With all their joys from me
It seemed, as swiftly as the days
Before the night shades flee;
They called me very, very fair,
- My eyes were azure blue,
My beart was fond and trusting—
So trusting, kind and true.
‘There came a manly form,
With forehead high and pale,
A nan of rank and wealth,
To the home of Linden Vale.
Tle woo'd the wildwood flower,
He knelt before my shrine,
He said he eame from fairer lands,
From a brighter, sunnier clime—
And where the sun of Autune shone
Upon the forest trees
He'd take take his gentle, rustic brile,
Where the balmy southern breeze
Would gently kiss her maiden brow;
And I believed the pleasant tale;
* But now, alas, I’m left to weep,
Alone, alone, at Linden Vale.
Written for the Literary Companion.
THE CAPTAIN’S PRIZE;
a oR,
CATCHING A MERMAID,
BY JOUN I. UNDERWOOD.
Tne following “yarn” was spun to me, sev-
eral years ago, by the mate of the clipper ship
Fiyaway,—a genuine web-foot, and, withal, my
very particular friend. .
We were homeward bound from the East In-
dies, had crossed the equator in fifteen days after
leaving port, and were running the trades down,
under extremely favorable circumstances,
Every stitch of dimity that would draw was
distended to the breeze, and, for the past two
days, the Flyaway had averaged fifteen knots an
Stoar, to the great delight of captain, mates, and
~hands ; for, although your genuine “Jack Tar”
makes himself comfortable in seasons of calm
and head winds, by the philosophic reflection,
“The more days, the more do!lars,” he is still
~ better pleased when his ship is heading her course
‘« With a flowing sheet and a heaving sea,
And a wind that follows fast.”
Thad the good fortune to belong to the port
watch, and as neither the mate nor myseif—
although capable of bearing adarge amount of
sleep—could conveniently pass more than sixteen
hours of the twenty-four in slumber, it usually
happened that we spent one night watch in social
conversation upon the poop-deck; while our
drowsy watch-mates—many of whom, I verily
believe, could have gone to sleep with their heads -,
in a bucket of water—were folded in soft em-
brace of Somnus.
It was on one of these occasions that Mr.
Vestley regaled me with a story of a mermaid,
which it is my purpose to repeat for the amuse-
ment of the innumerable readers of the Liter-
ary Companion ; without, however, vonching
for its accuracy, for, although I should be sorry
to insinuate that my friend the mate would be
guilty of falschood, I must confess that, during
our long acquaintance, I have always considercd
him extremely economical of the truth.
“T dare say you have often heard me speak of
Capt. Baytey, the commander under whom I
8: iled, from the commencement of my life at sea,
until I attnincd the rank of second dickey,” he
eecded: “ Although Capt. Bayley was only
twenty-eight years of age when I resigned my
position under him, a second mate’s berth on
board the Flyaway, I had become fully con-
vinced that he would live and die a bachelor.
Ile was not exactly a woman-hater, but he ex-
pressed such perfect indifference toward the
whole sex, and seemed to care so little for the
society of ladies, that he was the last one of all
my acquaintances, whom I should have expected
to see united to any woman living by the ‘long
splice’ of matrimony. -
“You can judge, then, of my surprise, when,
upon returning from my first voyage in this
craft (which was a voyage round the world, by
the way, and two years in length,) I learned that
he had been recently married; and not only so,
but that he had given up going to sea, and had
formed a mercantile connection with his wifc’s
father. At the earliest opportucity, I called
upon him at his place of business; and, after
joking him a little upon his sudden change of
opinion in regard to womankind, made bold to
ask him how4n the world, he, of all men, hap-
pened to te ensnared by the hymeneal novse.
He laughed heartily at the question, and replied,
that if { would go home with him that evening
and spend the night at his house, he would tell
me all about it.
“T accepted the invitation at once, and at foar
o’clock in the afternoon, we took the steamboat
for his suburban residence, which we reached in
due time. It was a charming country-seat, sur-
rounded with lawns and gardens and groves, ard
I. remarked to him, as we walked toward the
house trom the steamboat landing, that he ought
to be very happy in the posseosion of such an
earthly paradise.
“« Aud so I am,’ he replied, ‘but I am still
more favored of fortune than you can imagine,
for I have not only a paradise to live in, but an
angel to share it with me.”
“ By this time we had reached the Louse, and
upon entering the drawing-room, Capt. Bayley
introduced me to his wife, who, if one could
judge from external appearances, was, in truth,
an angel. Iwill not attempt to describe her,
but will simply say that she was the most beau-
tiful woman I have ever seen in my life, or ever
expect to sce. She was not more than twenty
years of age, but possessed all the dignity and
grace of mature womanhood; and the longer I
gazed upon her, the more I marvelled at Bay-
ley’s good fortune in securing such a lovely wife,
while I wondered if J should ever be half as
abundantly blessed.
“During the evening, I ventured to remind
Bayley of his promise, at a moment when his
wife was absent from the room. He gaye me no
direct reply, but laughed outright in a manner
which greatly excited my curivsity. Before I
had time to question him, however, Mrs. B:
returned, and other topics of conversation were
introduced.
“ Presently the captain exclaimed:
“«T suppose, Westley, you have never heard
of the prize that I picked up, on my last
voyage ?
“T replied that I had not, and he continued :
“7 found a mermaid in the Pacific Ocean’
“*You did,’ said I, ‘pray what did you do
with her?
«¢Q, I brought her home with me,’ and,
leaning back in his chats, the captain laughed
loud and long.
“ At this moment, I accidentally observed his
wife making a deprecatory signal to him, as if to
beg him to say nothing more upon that subject.
“The captain, also, observed it, but his
answer, conveyed in the same kind of dumb
show, indicated that he had determined to tell
the whole story ; whereupon, Mrs. Bayley arose,
with a blush which made her look more lovely
than ever, and politely begging to be excused,
hastened from the room.
“The captain then proceeded with his story,
but, as I cannot remember his exact words, I will
tell it to you in my own way.
“Tt seems that he was homeward bound from
San Francisco, which port he had left nearly
forty days before, and had been driven consider-
ably out of his course by head winds, when the
lookout-man cspicd land on the Iee bow. He
kept off a couple of points to see what it was,
for he was afraid he had made some error in
working out his position, and had got lost; and
soon found it to be a small island which was not
laid down upon the latest charts, and which he
.was, probably, the first to discover.
covered with a luxuriant growth of vegetation ;
and, as he was somewhat short of water, he re-
solved to send a boat ashore, in the hope of find-
ing some spring from which to refill the empty,
butts. -
“ The ship was accordingly hove to, and the
gig, with the captain and four men in it, was
pulled ashore. Having made the boat fast to a
rock, the party separated, intending to explore
the island in various directions ; it being under-
stood that whoever should first arrive at a spring
of water, should fire a pistol, as a signal to his
companions.
“ Presently a pistol shot, followed by a shout
of alarm, was heard, and Bayley hastened to-
ward the spot whence the sounds seemed to have
procecded. He had advanced but a few steps,
however, when he was met by the man who had
fired the pistol, and who was running toward
him at the top of his speed, without his hat and
with terror depicted upon his countenance. Bay+
ley immediately stopped him, and questioned
him as to the cause of his alarm, After pausing
a moment to recover his breath, the man in-
forined him, that having proceeded in a straight
course from the boat, he had soon reached the
opposite shore of the island, which was not more
than a quarter of a mile in diameter, and was
about to retrace his steps, when, hearing a
strange noise in the water, he had looked in the
4 rection whence it came, and to his horror had
beheld a huge and terrible monster at a little
distance from the shore.
“He described the creature as being apparently
half woman and half fish, but of an indescribably
fearful appearance, and, doubtless, a mermaid.
He recommended an instant return to the ship ;
but Captain Bayley’s curiosity had been greatly
excited by the man’s account of the monster, and
he resolved to see, for himself, what it was like.
“By this time the remainder of the boat’s
erew had joined them, and, after briefly inform-
ing them of what was to be seen, the captain led
the way to the beach, the men following, with
fear and trembling; for they were all more or
less tiuctured with superstition, and firmly be-
lieved in the existence of mermaids.
“A few moments’ walk brought the party to
the verge of the woods which thickly covered
the centre of the island, and, as they emerged
thence, upon the open shore, the man who had
first discovered the mermaid gave a loud shout,
and pointed to what appeared to be the head of
a human being, with long flowing hair, in the
water, at a few rods distance from the shore.
“The head only was visible, but the motion
of the water around the creature indicated that
it possessed life, and was keeping itself afloat by
its own exértions, though whether by the use of
limbs, fins, or a tail, it was impossible to say.
For a moment the whole party gazed in speech-
less wonder, upon the strange sight ;.then, with
one accord, the four men who had accompanied
Capt. Bayley from the ship, took to their heels,
and incontinently fled.
“In vain, the captain shouted to them to
come back,—the cowards paused not until they
had reached the boat, and pulled away to a safe
distance from the shore, where they rested upon
their oars, and awaited the captain’s return.
“ But Bayley had determined not to leave the
island until he had fully satisfied himself as to
the nature of the strange creature before him.
Accordingly, he advanced to the water’s edge, to
obtain a nearer view, and, simultaneously, the
mermaid approached the shore, as if to meet
him; pausing again, however, when it had ar-
‘rived within a few yards of the beach.
“Meanwhile, Capt. Bayley’s astonishment
had rapidly increased as he obtained a nearer
view of the strange being. He now saw that it
had not only a human head, but a countenance
wonderfully fair and beautiful, and the bust of a
woman. His incredulity in regard to the exist-
ence of mermaids began to be shaken, for what
else could the creature be? Ife hailed it, how-
ever, as it approached, in a loud voice, not, of
course, expecting an answer, but because he
knew not what else to do:
“* Hallo there! who and what are you?” and
to his amazement, the creature raised its lovely
blue eyes and fixed them upon him in a manner
which caused his heart to palpitate violently, as
she replied,—
“*T ama poor shipwrecked girl! the only sur-
vivor of the wreck of the ship Arethusa, which
foundered here in this vicinity sixteen months
ago! Have pity upon me, kind sir, and take
me back to my home.”
ment prevented a reply ; but as soon as he could
find voice, he exclaimed :
“Certainly, madam! Of course, miss! I
shall be most happy to rescue such a lovely being
from the terrible life of a castaway. Come with
me at once to my ship, my dear! Myself, my
crew, and my ship are entirely at your service !’
«But——,’ began the mermaid, in a hesi-
tating manner, and then she paused, and, blush-
ing deeply, waved one lovely hand, as a signal
to the captain to retire.
“© certainly, miss,—yes, by all means,’ re-
plied the captain, comprehending her wishes.
“Call me, when you are ready to accompany
me,’ he continued, and hastening away from the
shore, he plunged into the woods, and had soon
lost sight of the fair mermaid.
“He seated himself upon a grassy bank, to
recover his breath and collect his scattered
senses—for he had been deprived of both by his
unprecedented adventure—and patiently awaited
the summons of the mermaid.
“Presently, he heard a slight rustling in the
bushes, and, turning suddenly, beheld her stand-
ing at his side, blushing like roses in June, and
dressed in a genuine Crusoe costume, constructed
of palm leaves and the like,—a kind of fig-leaf
arrangement, in fact,—which she had been com-
pelled to substitute for the garments of civiliza-
tion, as her seant stock of the latter gave out.
“Jt appeared that, shortly before the arrival
of the boat at the opposite shore of the island,
she had left the rude hut of her own construc-
tion, in which she had lived for sixteen long and
dreary months, subsisting upon the fruits which
grew in abundance upon the island, and, remoy-
ing her apparel, had plunged into the water to
refresh herself with a bath.
“Upon the approach of the men, she had, very
naturally, swam out inio deep water, where she
had romuined, too much embarrassed to address ”
them, and still in great alarm lest they should go
away and leave her to another long period of
solitary life, upon her Crusoe island.
“Capt. Bayley immediately threw off the huge
pea-jacket which he wore, and wrapping it close-
‘ly about her graceful form, politely drew her
arm within his own, and conducted her toward
the boat.
“As soon as the men observed the captain’s
strange companion, they dropped their oars in
terror, for they doubted not but that the figure
enveloped in the pea-jacket was the terrible mer-
maid. It required no little persuasion and
threatening on the part of Capt. Bayley to induce
them to return to the shore and take himself and
the mermaid aboard; and, as the young lady
seated herself in the stern sheets, they shrank
from her as if she had been the Prince of Evil
himself; for her entire person was concealed by
the voluminous folds of the peajacket, her
lovely face and the long tresses of brown hair
which fell upon her shoulders, being all they
could see.
“As soon as the party reached the ship, when
the appearance of the mermaid created a still
greater fright and confusion than had been ex-
hibited by the boat’s crew, a state-room was
hastily prepared for the lady, to which she im-
mediately retired to exchange her dress of leaves
for a suit of clothing belonging to the cabin-boy
who chanced to be nearly of the sanie stature as
herself.
“Of course, it was soon known throughout
the ship that the mermaid was no mermaid after
all; and when, after wearing male attire for
several weeks, she appeared in full female cos-
tume, which she had constructed with her own
fair fingers, from suitable fabrics which the cap-
tain chanced to have on. board, and her wonder-
ful beauty became still more apparent in the
proper apparel of her sex, there was not a man
on board, who did not most heartily envy the
captain’s good fortune in securing such a lovely
prize.
“In the meantime, the young lady madeBay-
ley acquainted with her past history. Her name
was Florence Carlton, and her father was a
wealthy merchant of New York. . At the ege of
seventeen, she had been compelled by ill-health,
to leave her studies; and her physician having
recommended a sea voyage, it was decided that
she should accompany her father’s brother, the
commander of the Arethusa, upon his next
voyage. Accordingly she sailed for Valparaiso,
but, when the ship had nearly reached that port,
a violent gale arose which drove her far ont of
her course, and at length dismasted her, and
caused her to spring aleak.
i on