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She ran down to meet him, and clasped him as she thought. in her arms

Day & Hoghe 1th, to the Quee

Page 116

bour. It was about half ebb, and the tide was running briskly out.

For some time old Anthony's boat stemmed the stream merrily, but at length the wind fell, just where the tide was running the strongest, and the boat began to go astern. Here Anthony dropped his anchor, and landed upon the sand. Mrs. Anthony saw him land as distinctly as she ever saw old Anthony in her life. He looked well and hale, though rather thin, and wore his broadbrimmed hat cocked a little on one side, just as usual.

She ran down to meet him, and clasped him, as she thought, in her arms. But to her horror, instead of finding his dear old body pressing against hers, she felt as if she had leant against a dried stick. She looked up, and saw that the object she had embraced was nothing but a rough pole, with a lobster pot stuck on the top of it. In short, it was only one of the booms that were fixed in the edge of the sand to point out the channel into the harbour. She looked about in vain for her dear old Anthony, and then she

looked for the boat, but that had also disappeared; and old Anthony and his boat, with the tan sail with a white patch in it, were never seen or heard of more.

THE OLD CHURCH OF ST. HELEN'S.

"Waiter, bring me another glass of brandy and water; and now," continued the old gentleman, “ I shall tell the story about the old church-steeple."

The old church of St. Helen's was built so close to the shore, that in the course of time the greater part was undermined and washed away by the sea. The steeple, however, had become so valuable a sea-mark, that it was determined to preserve it, so it was built up with bricks in the inside, and its foundations defended from the sea by additional masonry. It was next directed to be whitewashed to make it more conspicuous, and some men were sent over from Portsmouth for this purpose.

They erected their ladders against the

tower, and one of them went up to commence operations. Upon looking over the top of the building, he was very much astonished to see a little old-fashioned gentleman in light leather shorts and black worsted stockings, apparently fast asleep there. The white

washer burst out into a loud laugh, and his comrades came up to see what was the matter, and they all joined in laughing at the old gentleman and quizzing him.

"It's a fine day, old gentleman," said

one.

The old gentleman, who looked very cross, replied, "Wait, and see what the evening will bring, before you call it a fine day. I remember, when the first stone of this tower was laid, the masons came over from Portsmouth in a boat, and were drowned going back, and so it will be with the last that touched it."

"it's

"Why, this tower has been built at least two hundred years," said a mason; quite impossible that you can know anything about it."

"It is very difficult to say," said the old

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