Rollo's Museum

THE SEA-SHORE.

Rollo's father and mother were very much pleased with the children's plan of collecting a cabinet. They often went out, at Rollo's request, to look at the curiosities.

One evening, about sunset, when they were walking in the garden, Rollo proposed that, before they went into the house, they should go out and look at the museum. They accordingly walked along, Rollo and Mary taking hold of hands before, and their father and mother walking arm in arm after them. Nathan was behind, riding a stick for a horse, and blowing a trumpet which Rollo had made for him out of the stem of a pumpkin vine.

"I am a trooper," said Nathan to himself, "blowing a bugle." Then he would whip his horse, sound his trumpet, and gallop along.

When they reached the door of the barn which led into the place where their museum was kept, Rollo turned round and said sharply,

"Thanny, be quiet! Don't make such a noise."

"Speak pleasantly, Rollo," said Mary.

"Well, Thanny," said Rollo, taking hold of his arm, and gently turning him away from the door, "go and blow your bugle somewhere else, because we want to see our curiosities."

Thanny made no reply; but, being spoken to pleasantly, he turned around and went galloping off, and seeing the cat upon the fence, he ran up and began trumpeting at her to frighten her away.

In the mean time, Rollo's father and mother looked over the curiosities, as they had done many a time before. Rollo explained the wonders, and his parents looked and listened with great satisfaction, though they had been called upon to admire the same things for the same reasons, twenty times before.

"But, Rollo," said his father, at length, "it appears to me that your cabinet has not increased much, lately."

"Why, father, we can't find any more curiosities. I wish we could go to some new place."

"What new place can we go to?" said he.

"I don't know," said Rollo; "some place where there are some curiosities."

"We might go to the sea-shore, and get some shells," said Mary.

"So we could," said her father; "that would give you a fine addition."

"Well, father," said Rollo, looking up very eagerly, "I wish you would let us go."

"I will think of it," said his father.

Rollo knew that when his father said this, he meant as he said, and that he would really think of it;-and consequently that he himself ought not to say any thing more about it. He accordingly soon began to talk to Mary about other things, and by and by they went into the house.

The next day, Rollo's father told him that they had concluded to make a party to go to the sea-shore. There was a shore and a beach about twelve miles from where they lived, and he said that they were going the next day in the carryall. Rollo's father and mother, with Mary and her cousin Lucy, were to ride in the carryall, and Rollo and Jonas in the wagon behind.

"We want cousin Lucy to go with us," said Mr. Holiday, in explaining the plan, "and so there will not be quite room for us all in the carryall. Besides, we shall want Jonas's help, probably, in the expedition, and then the wagon will be a good thing to bring back our treasures in."

"O father," said Rollo, "we shall not get more than a carryall full."

"No, I suppose not," said his father; "but the wagon will be better to bring stones, and sand, and shells. You must put baskets in behind, to pack them in."

The next afternoon, all was in readiness at the appointed hour. The carryall was at the door, waiting to receive its portion of the party, and the wagon was fastened to a post behind. Jonas stood at the head of the carryall horse, to hold him still while the people should be getting in. Rollo was near the wagon horse.

"Shall I unfasten him, Jonas?"

"You can't unfasten him," said he.

"O yes, I can, if you will only let me try."

Rollo approached the horse, and cautiously reached out his hands to unhook the chain from the ring at the horse's mouth, standing a good way back, and leaning forward on tiptoe, as if he thought the horse would bite him.

"What are you afraid of, Rollo?" said Jonas.

"Nothing," said Rollo; "only I can't reach very well."

"Stand up nearer."

"But perhaps he might bite me."

"Poh! he never bites," said Jonas. "There is only one danger to guard against, in unfastening such a horse as that."

"What danger?" said Rollo.

"Danger that he may step and tread on your foot."

Rollo looked down at his feet, and began to consider this danger; but just then his father and mother came out, followed by the two girls, and took their seats in the carryall. Jonas then came to the wagon, and, after helping Rollo in, he got in himself, and away the whole party went, very happily.

After riding for some time, Rollo's mother, upon looking back towards the wagon, saw that Rollo was making signs as if he wanted them to stop. She told Mr. Holiday, and he accordingly stopped his horse, and waited until the wagon came up. Rollo had a plan to propose.

"Father," said he, "I wish you would let Jonas come into the carryall and drive you and mother, and let Mary and cousin Lucy come and ride with me."

"But who will drive?" said his father.

"I'll drive," replied Rollo.

"O no," said his mother, "he can't drive; he will overturn the wagon."

"Why, mother, I can drive," said Rollo. "I have been driving some time."

"I rather think there will be no danger," said Mr. Holiday to his wife, turning towards her as she sat upon the back seat. "The road is pretty level and retired, and he will keep close along behind the carryall."

Rollo's mother looked rather doubtfully, and yet she could not help feeling a certain degree of pleasure at thinking that Rollo was old enough to drive alone. She accordingly consented, and the change was at once made. Rollo's father and mother sat on the back seat of the carryall, and Jonas before, to drive them; while Rollo, Mary, and Lucy took possession of the wagon.

Rollo drove very well. He kept near the carryall, and was so attentive to his business as a driver, and so successful in avoiding stones and jolts, and in turning out for the various vehicles they met upon the road, that his father let him drive so all the rest of the way.

They gradually approached the sea-shore. The country grew wild and hilly, and great ledges of rocks were seen in the fields and by the road side. At length, upon the summit of a long ascent, the broad sea burst into view, stretching along the horizon before them, smooth and glassy, with here and there a small white sail almost motionless in the distance. Below them was a long, sandy beach. The surf was breaking against it. A swell of the sea, of the whole length of the beach, would rise and advance, growing higher and more distinct as it approached, and then it would break over upon the shore in one long line of foam, white and beautiful, and gracefully curved to adapt itself to the curvature of the shore. At the extremities of the beach, points and promontories of ragged rocks extended out into the water, white with the breakers which foamed and struggled around them. From the whole there arose a continued and solemn roar, like the sound of a great waterfall.

Mr. Holiday stopped his horse by the side of the road, and Rollo, when he reached the place, stopped also.

"Here we are," said Rollo. "That's the sea."

"Where's the beach?" said Lucy.

Mary was silent.

"Come," said Rollo, "let's drive on."

"O no," said Mary, "wait here a few minutes."

"Jonas, what are you waiting for?" said Rollo.

"I wished him to stop here a few minutes," said Rollo's father, "to let us look at the prospect."

Rollo said no more, though he could not understand what his father was waiting for. They all sat still, looking at the view, and saying very little; Rollo was impatient and restless. In a short time, however, Jonas drove on, and Rollo followed him. They went down into a sort of valley, where they lost sight of the water again, and then, after winding around for some time among the rocks and sand hills, they came at length to a high ridge of pebble stones, which ran along the shore; and surmounting this, they found the white beach spread out close before them, while a long line of wave was just curling over and dashing into foam upon the sand. They fastened the horses to some heavy pieces of timber, the remains of a wreck, which lay up high upon the sand.

"O, what a wide beach!" said Rollo. The truth is, that when he saw the beach from the hill, it looked like a mere line of sand, extending along the shore. But now he found it was a broad and smooth area, gently descending towards the water. It was firm, so that the children could run about upon it. Rollo went down pretty near to the water's edge, and amused himself by watching the surf. Each wave would recede after it broke, and run off, leaving a broad piece of the beach dry; until, in a moment more, another wave would come curling on, and break over the retreating water of the former; and then it would rush up the sand, in a broad and rapid stream, all along the shore, almost to Rollo's feet.

Rollo asked his father to let him take off his shoes and stockings; and he did so. Rollo put each stocking into its shoe, to keep them dry, and then laid them down upon the sand beyond the reach of the waves. Then he would watch the waves, and whenever the water retreated, he would follow it down until he met the new wave coming curling up at him, when he would turn and run, the wave after him, to the shore; and when the wave broke, it would throw the water all around his feet.

Lucy and Mary walked along the other shore at a greater distance, looking for shells. They found a great many. Rollo could hear their exclamations of delight at every new shell they found, and they were continually calling upon him to come and get some too; but he was too much occupied with the surf.

At length, Rollo's attention was excited by hearing Lucy call out,

"O Mary, Mary! I have found a piece of sponge."

Rollo turned around to look. He had just run up from the water, and was standing beyond the reach of the surf, though the water which each wave, as it broke, sent up upon the shore, played around his feet.

"How big is it?" said Rollo,

"About as big as my finger."

"Ho!" said Rollo; "that is not very big."

Just at this instant, a wave larger than usual burst just behind Rollo, and it sent up a torrent of water all around him, which rose almost up to his knees. Rollo was frightened. He started to run; but so much water confused and embarrassed him. He staggered.

"Stand still, Rollo," said his father.

Rollo then stood still; but by this time the water was receding, and his eyes fell upon his two shoes, which had been taken up by the wave, and were now running rapidly down from the shore, each loaded with its stocking. Rollo ran to seize them, and had just time to get them before the next wave advanced and was ready to dash over them. He ran up upon the sand, and put his shoes several yards from the highest place that the water had come to.

"There," said he, looking back at the waves, "now get my shoes if you can!" The waves said nothing, but went on breaking and then retreating, just as before.

Rollo then went to where Mary and Lucy were, and began to collect shells. They found quite a number of different kinds, all along the shore. Some were large and coarse,-broken and worn by the water. Some were so thin and delicate that he had to wrap them up carefully in a paper, and put them into his waistcoat pocket, in order to get them home safely. The children found several other curiosities besides shells. They collected pebbles, and specimens of sand, of different colors. Mary found an old iron spike, perhaps part of a vessel, with the sand and gravel concreted around it. It looked like stone growing upon iron. Rollo also found a small piece of wood, battered and worn by the long-continued action of the waves, and he thought it was very curious indeed. In fine, the children filled their baskets with wonders, and, after about three quarters of an hour, they set out on their return home. When Rollo went to get his shoes, he found the water almost up to them. If he had staid away a little longer, they would have been washed away again. The truth was, the tide was rising.