Show j mv ci Y 11 Island s an d' d dj i and Its ain t. t t s of s s of L Y of or of to A oJ t t J of of r or of of I I I T r I T T T T T Tr 11 y While the world on shore is Is' Is grasping fin In the heat I I 1 am sitting on the the porch 1 5 of my Island Igland cabin the sound ot of the Ini incoming incoming in In- i coming tide In my ears the cool salt nir tir sweeping about me r There are those BO so poor that they theyS S must walk through the blazing streets i to their work in stores and fact factories rles There are tho those e rich enough to idle the Gummer Bummer eummer in the mountain and waterside water- water side bide resorts I belong to neither of I these th se classes es nor to any of oC the grades I between I am so 50 poor In pocket that were wee i I in the city I should often otten walk 1 to to save mY nickel and yet my days are 1 filled with such comfort and delight as millions is supposed supposed sup sup- only the tie the possessor of up- up posed to enjoy I am am the lord of an isle The nearest mainland is a mile away I have not ot nor disagreed with seen e n a policeman my neighbors for tor a month There are I j days together when when the wide stretch of oC I water between me and all laws and i customs Is rough enough to swamp a boat beat Every stone and inch of earthS earth the great rocks and smooth white beach beach of my little kingdom are mine to do doi i with as I will 1 For ye years I had heard of little Islands I along the coast that might be had for forthe fortl the tl e claiming Some time when en I be be- rich came rich I expected to select my own ownS S and settle there with my Income and mY my books It is a question If It ones one's dreams ms can be bought with a surplus SI 1 I got mine for and I believe that I I enjoy their possession b because cause I hadn had no n more It lit r was Vas a a raw Sun Sunday ay in December r. r I 1 had spent the day with my friends and Elizabeth A friend of rancy's ncy's s had told her hel of a number of un unclaimed islands of on off th the Connecticut c coast st st. t. t He says pays If f you wont want an Islan isi an S u UP to Noank and see Capt an n old sailor who 1 lows knows Y i those o 5 0 j fers s. i-s. Some o e day I said well get us an island d you Elizabeth and I or if lIr r Gr Grundy objects well we'll g get t two t. t them close together some day Is a long time off said sale I Nancy I wish we had one now 0 O OmY On or my way home In the afternoon I II near the slip of the Ston- Ston boat I had 7 In my pocket The fare fare to Noank and return would I it jibe le be 6 I had passed th this way ay often in the heat of the summer looked at the boat dreamed my dream and away Now when the icy wind stung my face I went aboard and If vr b bought my ticket 1 4 At sunrise I 1 left the rhe he train at Noank 1 i i and walked along arong a winding narrow 7 l street over a hill through the town Descending at the southeastern end I IS S passed through ugh the sh shipyard pyar and came out tout upon a point of l land nd wh where re stands stands' I the Noank lighthouse and just this ride ide of it the home of Capt Green I 1 ai und him lm at this early hour working 4 at a coil of rope in his shop He had just extinguished his lamp for the light ight of sunrise glancing across across the V sea and Sound fell upon his work I l. tS through ugh the eastern windows A fire i M was was roaring in the stove The wind 11 and water w-ater were noisy at the door 14 r r Good morning Captain said I. I I 1 1 He lifted his grizzled head into the I b red light falling tailing through the window I back ack of him and peered at at atme me e. e f for l' l a 3 aCome I 1 TCo Come e closer he said sald ald sos I can n nI I se see who ye be I told him my errand and asked him if it he could help me I Theres Islands off here true enough little hummocks and reefs reefs but but I dont don't know as theres there's any fit to live on He threw the door open and a strong cold wind swept In A handful of oC spray came over oer the door sIlL Far Fart Farto r t to tt our right lay the long low ridge of Fishers Fisher's island its eastern point reachIng reaching reach reach- ing Into the ocean To the left of us ran the Connecticut coast coming to toa a a. point about seven miles away at Watch hill hIlI Looking straight before or 1 us between the the nose nse of Fishers Fisher's Island Island isie isi- isi e and and Watch hill we could see the ocean In this direction a mile away were four islands one of about five 1 cres the others just rocky hummocks hum hUm- mocks rising from the water and 0 capped with soil f S The large one Is Mystic island said I the Captain It belongs to a Norwich man The three dumplings are no noone's noone's I ones one's so far as I know If Jf f I build a house on one of these t I asked aked will wili it be mine You can rig her up and claim her herand herand herand and she's yours I I wish I could get out there now Can you take me me He took a pair pall of oars from their pegS gave me a rubber coat and hat clot clothed ed himself in a suit of tarpaulin and climbed down the wet steps out- out cl eide id le to a 3 slippery landing where a small boat was lying He pushed it off into the water and ard held It away from the boards Get In there he quick com corn t tI 1 I r jumped into the tossing boat and he ne followed pushing vigorously with within em llan in oar A moments moment's wrestle with the i waves aves aves and we were safely safey off wEt et et from head to foot and with a good cargo of water Bail Ball her out he said kicking a apall 1 pall pail all toward me He was pulling stead- stead I Hy lly y The boat was tossing and lungIng lungi lung- lung i d ij Ing and the spray was falling over u us c Vt I did not know then the task he had f 5 undertaken I have since tried this i voyage against wind and tide and andI I r failed The Captain was steadily u ing way and he was 70 years ole old S c They are strong enemies I said the wind and the tide Not enemies enemies no no they are old friends of mine An hours hour's pull brought us to the nearest harest arest of the lelands We landed on a andy beach In the lea The wind did didn not hot n t reach us here It was calm and warm rm In the sunshine Clambering up the rocks we found a quarter of an acre acre of smooth rich earth covered I with a thick brush The windward shore wa was solid rock with wide smooth ledges precipitous walls walla and huge boulders lI Here e the wind blew a gale galend und ind nd the surf beat furiously It was hItter bitter cold and the scene across the Whitecaps to the ocean was wild and anti desolate 1 s late But the sounds around me the tho cold the endless stretch of water filled me with delight and I 1 fixed upon this Island as my abode I I. I christened It The Isle Back ack in the Captains Captain's shop I drew a a. aDi aplan pl Di plan n for a cabin and that afternoon on B secured cured a carpenter to build it before spring prig for The last week In May the cabin was ws completed Early Saturday morning we were In Noank Elizabeth Elizabeth Nancy ancy and end I. I The day before we had spent I two hours shopping It cost u us 30 to buy what we needed needed needed-a a kitchen taI table ta- ta I ble bie a hammock water palls pails two rusI rus rus- tic c settees two camp chairs agate- agate are yare plates coffee cups kettles and andIng Trying Ing pans steel knives aluminum T T. T I and forks a hatchet a coil o of Ip the ticking for four narrow beds Fid rd the bedding We followed our ourI I Wings ings along the winding street through S he le town to the dock 4 Is that It it asked Nancy In a of excitement holding her hat hatom ions lorn the he snatches of strong wind and andL inting across the water t L It Is Is I replied x We Ve stood in silence our eyes fixed upon the little Island a mile away We Ve could see the house plainly It Its wIde porches gave it the appearance o oa of ofa ofa a bird with spreading wings When Ashbey came he looked at th the flying clouds and the the choppy choppy sea am and shook his head Its pretty ro rough gh I dont don't know a awe as we can make It with this load Lets Its try It I urged Are the women afraid No Indeed said Nancy eagerly All right we can do it safely i It if youre you're not afraid We piled the boxes and trunk in hi his catboat and put the bed ticks across a sharpie fastened to our stern by a towline Twenty minutes later w we stood on the beach of the Island CrossIng Crossing Crossing Cross Cross- ing the sand we clambered up a path through the bushes over the rocks and reached the porch of the cabin Down on the bea beach h. h in the lea it was warm and still Here Heie on the porch we fel felt the sweep of a strong cold wind and thirty feet away where the rocky north shore rose boldly from the sea the waves were pounding tumultuously As far for as the eye could see In this dIrection di dl- dl stretched the water i rolling oiling in great billows bilious from the oc ocean an Dark Darl clouds were wele moving swiftly over us The Connecticut coas coasto coast to the north and Fishers Fisher's island to the south were almost lost in the gray mist I I I I 1 wish we could have a he heavy vy storm I said I Well I guess you will said Ash- Ash be bey better get some wood In Inthe the first thing you do He hurried down to the boat threw thre V thre the box boxes boxe's s and trunk on the beach l lift f ft me the sharpie with its load and put back to Noank Nancy and Elizabeth were were- in the cabin and I heard the sounds of clearIng clearing clearing clear- clear I Ing and clea cleaning I 1 knocked the boxes I open with a stone and carried in the things Before this was done th the rain j I had begun I gathered a great pile of I I driftwood and stored it on the porch Suddenly the storm broke The Th rain fell ip tp x torrents and the wind rose to a temp temps tempest t. t As we closed the doors and windows of the cabin and stood looking looking looking look look- ing at each coach other and listening t to the tumult of sounds outside our eyes lit with delight This was a grand welcome welcome wel wel- come coth from the elements we had come cometo cometo cometo to dwell among The storm torm could not frighten us for we loved it and he heard rd no malice in its voice In a few moments we were at work again We built a roaring fire in the fireplace hung the hammock across the room put a gay-colored gay blanket over the table for a spread drove nails for forthe forthe forthe the kettles built bunt racks for the dishes and made the whole place as bright and cosy as a ships ship's cabin For three days and nights the storm raged and we did not weary of it I Iha ha have ve never had enough of a storm The wind has s always hailed me with a wild halloo and fled fied before I could find my I wings to join It The rain has beat upon the street I followed or fallen with a multitude of sounds pounds through the trees over me or lured me to the loft where I might sit dry and hear its serenade but it has always ceased before its song was finished and left me dangling at the broken ends of Its melody On thi this island I may get my fill of weather On the fourth morning we awoke to the sunlight The storm had swept wept the cl clean clean- anand and the the- theair air ll was was' cool and clear We Ve walked the shor shores s sf of f the island in amazement The world about us was no long longer r lost in fog or vaguely outlined through the gray of ofrain ofrain ofrain rain and mist The water w was s a brilliant bril bril- blue rippling and sparkling like an inland lak lake The little houses amonI the trees on the hills of oC Noank the white church with its spire and golden weather vane rose so close to us that we could see the people moving like toys In a cardboard town A speck of ofa ofa ofa a woman no larger than a a. lady-bug lady was shaking the bedclothes from an attic window The Connecticut shore was a long low line of green Stonington and Watch hill white and gleaming were I set et between the blue sky and water like painted c cities In a fanciful fairylike fairylike fairylike fairy- fairy like unreal world Since that morning most of the days have been mild and fair Every moment moment moment mo mo- ment of the day or night there is a anew anew new wonder unfolding before me m-e If I choose to look You Tou may have an island if you will take tak one but to enjoy it you must love the wind an and 1 the rain the water and the fog the sunlight and the tasks o or of the day I have found in fact that to be happy here beyond the first two days of Jf novelty one must po possess sess the spirit to be beso so anywhere Th The requirements are the same the different different different differ differ- ent outward form are still the same I loved oved these surroundings first because they were new and beautiful I 1 love iove them more now because they are fa- fa irillar Arthur Arthur Henry in New York Evening Post |