The Merman and the Figure-HeadGuernsey, Clara F. (Clara Florida)
Science
The Merman and the Figure-Head
Guernsey, Clara F. (Clara Florida)
Children's stories; Fantasy fiction; Mermaids -- Juvenile fiction
“Do you know,” she said, “that since men left off believing in them and
building temples, the gods all declare that there never were such things
as human creatures, and that it was all a delusion of ours? Keep this;”
and she dropped the necklace into Lucy’s lap. “It belonged to one who
will not care to wear it now. Farewell;” and the goddess bent down and
lightly kissed the girl’s forehead, and the next instant Lucy was alone.
She woke up, as she thought, and sat still for a moment.
“What a singular dream!” she said to herself. Then she looked round, and
saw a black rock standing beside her, “Was that rock there? I don’t
remember it, but of course it must have been.” She rose to her feet.
Something fell glittering on the sand. She picked it up. It was a long,
shining necklace of green stones.
“This is very strange!” said Lucy, thoughtfully. “But I suppose I had
better take them home. They must have been washed up from the sea and
caught to my gown some way. How pretty they are! I wonder if they
belonged to some one who is drowned?”
She put the necklace into her pocket, and turned to go home. She had
gone but a little way when she met Job Chippit.
“Uncle Job,” she said, “I have found something on the sand. Do you think
any one in town has lost it, or that it was washed up by the sea?”
Job examined closely the emerald necklace. “This never belonged to
anyone in our town, Lucy,” he said; “most likely the tide washed it up
in the last storm. Yours it is by all right if no one comes to claim it;
and be keerful of it, for I expect it’s awful valuable. But what’s
happened to you?”
“Why?”
“You’ve got an odd look about you, some way, but I never see you look so
pretty. Has anything happened?”
“No,” said Lucy, quietly, “only I sat down to rest and fell asleep, and
had a very strange dream. Good-night, Uncle Job.” From that evening
Goody Cobb was never seen in Salem town.
Job Chippit continued his walk, thoughtfully whittling a little stick.
Before long he overtook Master Isaac Torrey, who was walking along the
shore with his head down, seeming to notice nothing but the sand at his
feet. Master Torrey had quite left off his wild ways. He made no more
foolish, fanciful speeches about nymphs and goddesses, and such
nonsense. “Anna Jane had made a sensible man of him,” said his
father-in-law. “He was greatly improved,” said every one, with the
exception of Ichabod Sterns and Job Chippit.
Master Torrey had avoided the wood-carver since his marriage. His
father-in-law thought it a good sign. “He had been quite too familiar
with that person,” thought the colonel. But this night Master Torrey did
not avoid him, though he only nodded without speaking in answer to Job’s
“Good-evening,” and then the two walked on in silence.
“That’s an odd-looking thing on the beach,” said Job at last.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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