The west shore., November 16, 1889, Page 298, Image 11

WEST SHORE.
A NIGHT OF TERROR.
51 1 K It K could hardly have Iren a much happier
man in the world than young Hugh Ravelston
when he reached Niagara on his way to Quebec.
He wait a young Iondoner, who was j tint legin
ning to make hi wny at the bar, and lie was now
going out to Quebec to marry the girl whom he loved.
She wax au Knglinli girl, but her father hud long been
living in Quebec, and hud made a fortune then1; and
he wan a dear old friend of Hugh Kavelston'B father
and mother. Naturally he made visits to Iondon
pretty often, and brought hid two daughter with him
when they grew up. Hugh Kavelston fell in love with
the younger, and she fell in love with him, and every
thing was satisfactorily arranged, and they were to be
married with the gladsome coiiHcut of both fumilicH,
with only the proviso that Hugh and Marie should, if
iKwuihle, go out every long vacation to scnd a few
day in Quclicc.
Thin wan Hugh's frit visit to the L'nited States or
Canada. He went by New York, but naturally did
not May very long there. Ilia soul was already in
Quebec. Hut he acted on the advice of many of his
friends when he consented to absent himnelf, an Ham
let says, from felicity a while at leant no long an to
break hi journey and spend one night and part of one
day at Niagara, in order to have a look at the fulls and
the rapids. He readied Niagara rather early one even
ing, and took up his quarters on the American side of
the river. He went out Irfore dinner and had a good
look at the falls from both the American and the Can
adian side.
I entertviin no idea of giving a long description, or
indeed any description, of the falls of Niagara or of
the rapids, or of the various inlands that are such de
lightful spot on which to icnd an hour of enchant
ment. No, I entreat my readers not to U alarmed.
We have already descriptions more than enough; and
then, those who live in Imdon or come up to hmdon
at any time can go and have a look at the Niagara ex
hihition, which I do not say is quite as good as the
real thing, but which I will positively say is ever so
much Utter than any description of- the' real thing
that I could hoe to give. Hut on the remote possi
bility of there actually king rson who have never
seen the real Niagara, or the painted and built up Ni
agara, or read any description of Niagara, it will he
enough for the purpose of this sketch of a thrilling
event in a man's life if they will picturv to themselves
a vast body of water falling in two great separate cat
aracts, and two or three, smaller shoots, down, down
between steep and sometimes almost sheer clayey and
rocky banks a huge river, in fact, suddenly finding
itself on the edge of a tremendous precipice, and hav
ing no choice but to plunge with its whole body and
bulk of water over the precipice and down. This it
does with a thunder which man's artillery can not ri
val, and a foam that the wind blows far and wide into
clouds.
Hugh Kavelston walked back to his hotel and
across the great suspension bridge, which, for all its
hulk, seeuiB to sway and Shiver over the rapids. He
had his dinner, and he wrote, of course, to the girl in
Quelx. And then the moon began to shine, and the
night looked tempting, and he thought it would be de
lightful to see the fulls under such new conditions. He
crossed again to. the Canadian side, and he sauntered
along, smoking a cigar, past the great hotel, the Clif
ton House, and on until he came in front of one of the
little museums where they sell photographs and Indi
an curiosities and all manner of memorials and relief
of the place. He went into one of these and got into
some talk with a very fine old fellow who kept it, and
I hojie iB keeping it still. The owner of the little mu
seum was quite an independent man in his way, and
ho held on to the museum rather to have something to
do than for the sake of making mouey; and, indeed,
if you were at all an agreeable customer, or rather an
agreeable personage, whether you liecame a customer
or not, the chances were many to one that you were
presently invited to smoke a very'excellent cigar nor
K'rhaps was there even wanting a taste of some irre
proachable Bourbon.
Hugh questioned him about his experiences and
recollection of the place. "Oh, yes, surely; it was
wonderfully changed; it waB changing every day."
The whole shape of the falls on the Canadian side had
changed, and not within so very long a time. On the
other side, too. Why, the famous Terrapin tower, which
stood out on its rock and used to Iks an object of curi
osity to all visitors not many years ago there are lots
of photographs of the falls still lying about here and
there with the Terrapin tower in them and w here was
the Terrapin tower now? Swept away by a sudden
rush of the river one wild night. Why, the door of
that museum used to be far removed from the edge of
the fall at one time, and see how near, comparatively
near, it was now. Some fine day, perhaps, tbey should
have a further warning, and then the museum would
have to lw moved farther back so as to be out of dan
ger. Hut that wouldn't be in his time, ho fancied.
U-amed people and scientists, and men of that
dually said the time would come when the ruh of
the river would wear away all the high ground and