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HIGH…WATER MARK





When the tide was out on the Dedlow Marsh; its extended dreariness

was patent。  Its spongy; low…lying surface; sluggish; inky pools;

and tortuous sloughs; twisting their slimy way; eel…like; toward

the open bay; were all hard facts。  So were the few green tussocks;

with their scant blades; their amphibious flavor and unpleasant

dampness。  And if you choose to indulge your fancyalthough the

flat monotony of the Dedlow Marsh was not inspiringthe wavy line

of scattered drift gave an unpleasant consciousness of the spent

waters; and made the dead certainty of the returning tide a gloomy

reflection which no present sunshine could dissipate。  The greener

meadowland seemed oppressed with this idea; and made no positive

attempt at vegetation until the work of reclamation should be

complete。  In the bitter fruit of the low cranberry bushes one

might fancy he detected a naturally sweet disposition curdled and

soured by an injudicious course of too much regular cold water。



The vocal expression of the Dedlow Marsh was also melancholy and

depressing。  The sepulchral boom of the bittern; the shriek of the

curlew; the scream of passing brent; the wrangling of quarrelsome

teal; the sharp; querulous protest of the startled crane; and

syllabled complaint of the 〃killdeer〃 plover; were beyond the power

of written expression。  Nor was the aspect of these mournful fowls

at all cheerful and inspiring。  Certainly not the blue heron

standing mid…leg deep in the water; obviously catching cold in a

reckless disregard of wet feet and consequences; nor the mournful

curlew; the dejected plover; or the low…spirited snipe; who saw fit

to join him in his suicidal contemplation; nor the impassive

kingfisheran ornithological Mariusreviewing the desolate

expanse; nor the black raven that went to and fro over the face of

the marsh continually; but evidently couldn抰 make up his mind

whether the waters had subsided; and felt low…spirited in the

reflection that; after all this trouble; he wouldn't be able to

give a definite answer。  On the contrary; it was evident at a

glance that the dreary expanse of Dedlow Marsh told unpleasantly on

the birds; and that the season of migration was looked forward to

with a feeling of relief and satisfaction by the full…grown; and of

extravagant anticipation by the callow; brood。  But if Dedlow Marsh

was cheerless at the slack of the low tide; you should have seen it

when the tide was strong and full。  When the damp air blew chilly

over the cold; glittering expanse; and came to the faces of those

who looked seaward like another tide; when a steel…like glint

marked the low hollows and the sinuous line of slough; when the

great shell…incrusted trunks of fallen trees arose again; and went

forth on their dreary; purposeless wanderings; drifting hither and

thither; but getting no farther toward any goal at the falling tide

or the day's decline than the cursed Hebrew in the legend; when the

glossy ducks swung silently; making neither ripple nor furrow on

the shimmering surface; when the fog came in with the tide and shut

out the blue above; even as the green below had been obliterated;

when boatmen lost in that fog; paddling about in a hopeless way;

started at what seemed the brushing of mermen's fingers on the

boat's keel; or shrank from the tufts of grass spreading around

like the floating hair of a corpse; and knew by these signs that

they were lost upon Dedlow Marsh and must make a night of it; and a

gloomy one at thatthen you might know something of Dedlow Marsh

at high water。



Let me recall a story connected with this latter view which never

failed to recur to my mind in my long gunning excursions upon

Dedlow Marsh。  Although the event was briefly recorded in the

counry paper; I had the story; in all its eloquent detail; from the

lips of the principal actor。  I cannot hope to catch the varying

emphasis and peculiar coloring of feminine delineation; for my

narrator was a woman; but I'll try to give at least its substance。



She lived midway of the great slough of Dedlow Marsh and a good…

sized river; which debouched four miles beyond into an estuary

formed by the Pacific Ocean; on the long sandy peninsula which

constituted the southwestern boundary of a noble bay。  The house in

which she lived was a small frame cabin raised from the marsh a few

feet by stout piles; and was three miles distant from the

settlements upon the river。  Her husband was a loggera profitable

business in a county where the principal occupation was the

manufacture of lumber。



It was the season of early spring when her husband left on the ebb

of a high tide; with a raft of logs for the usual transportation to

the lower end of the bay。  As she stood by the door of the little

cabin when the voyagers departed she noticed a cold look in the

southeastern sky; and she remembered hearing her husband say to his

companions that they must endeavor to complete their voyage before

the coming of the southwesterly gale which he saw brewing。  And

that night it began to storm and blow harder than she had ever

before experienced; and some great trees fell in the forest by the

river; and the house rocked like her baby's cradle。



But however the storm might roar about the little cabin; she knew

that one she trusted had driven bolt and bar with his own strong

hand; and that had he feared for her he would not have left her。

This; and her domestic duties; and the care of her little sickly

baby; helped to keep her mind from dwelling on the weather; except;

of course; to hope that he was safely harbored with the logs at

Utopia in the dreary distance。  But she noticed that day; when she

went out to feed the chickens and look after the cow; that the tide

was up to the little fence of their garden…patch; and the roar of

the surf on the south beach; though miles away; she could hear

distinctly。  And she began to think that she would like to have

someone to talk with about matters; and she believed that if it had

not been so far and so stormy; and the trail so impassable; she

would have taken the baby and have gone over to Ryckman's; her

nearest neighbor。  But then; you see; he might have returned in the

storm; all wet; with no one to see to him; and it was a long

exposure for baby; who was croupy and ailing。



But that night; she never could tell why; she didn't feel like

sleeping or even lying down。  The storm had somewhat abated; but

she still 〃sat and sat;〃 and even tried to read。  I don't know

whether it was a Bible or some profane magazine that this poor

woman read; but most probably the latter; for the words all ran

together and made such sad nonsense that she was forced at last to

put the book down and turn to that dearer volume which lay before

her in the cradle; with its white initial leaf as yet unsoiled; and

try to look forward to its mysterious future。  And; rocking the

cradle; she thought of everything and everybody; but still was

wide…awake as ever。



It was nearly twelve o'clock when she at last lay down in her

clothes。  How long she slept she could not remember; but she awoke

with a dreadful choking in her throat; and found herself standing;

trembling all over; in the middle of the room; with her baby

clasped to her breast; and she was 〃saying something。〃  The baby

cried and sobbed; and she walked up and down trying to hush it when

she heard a scratching at the door。  She opened it fearfully; and

was glad to see it was only old Pete; their dog; who crawled;

dripping with water; into the room。  She would like to have looked

out; not in the faint hope of her husband's coming; but to see how

things looked; but the wind shook the door so savagely that she

could hardly hold it。  Then she sat down a little while; and then

walked up and down a little while; and then she lay down again a

little while。  Lying close by the wall of the little cabin; she

thought she heard once or twice something scrape slowly against the

clapboards; like the scraping of branches。  Then there was a little

gurgling sound; 〃like the baby made when it was swallowing〃; then

something went 〃click…click〃 and 〃cluck…cluck;〃 so that she sat up

in bed。  When she did so she was attracted by something else that

seemed creeping from the back door toward the center of the room。

It wasn't much wider than her little finger; but soon it swelled to

the width of her hand; and began spreading all over the floor。  It

was water。



She ran to the front door and threw it wide open; and saw nothing

but water。  She ran to the back door and threw it open; and saw

nothing but water。  She ran to the side window; and throwing that

open; she saw nothing but water。  Then she remembered hearing her

husband once say that there was no danger in the tide; for that

fell regularly; and people could calculate on it; and that he would

rather live near the bay than the river; whose banks m

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