what stunned; the negro had paused in surprise, perhaps in terror, some half-way between me and the wreck; my uncle was already far away, bounding from rock to rock; and I thus found myself torn for a time between two duties. But I judged, and I pray Heaven that I judged rightly, in favor of the poor wretch upon the sands; his misfortune was at least not plainly of his own creation; it was one, besides, that I could certainly relieve; and I had begun by that time to regard my uncle as an incurable and dismal lunatic. I advanced accordingly toward the black, who now awaited my approach with folded arms, like one prepared for either destiny. As I came nearer, he reached forth his hand with a great gesture, such as I had seen from the pulpit, and spoke to me in something of a pulpit voice, but not a word was comprehensible. I tried him first in English, then in Gaelic; both in vain; so that it was clear we must rely upon the tongue of looks and gestures. Thereupon I signed to him to follow me, which he did readily and with a grave obeisance like a fallen king; all the while there had come no shade of alteration in his face, neither of anxiety while he was still waiting, nor of relief now that he was reassured; if he were a slave, as I supposed, I could not but judge he must have fallen from some high place in his own country, and fallen as he was, I could not but admire his bearing. As we passed the grave, I paused and raised my hands and eyes to heaven in token of respect and sorrow for the dead; and he, as if in answer, bowed low and spread his hands abroad; it was a strange motion, but done like a thing of common custom; and I suppose it was ceremonial in the land from which he came. At the same time he pointed to my uncle, whom we could just see perched upon a knoll, and touched his head to indicate that he was mad. — From The Merry Men, by Robert Louis Stevenson.

EXERCISE VII.

COMPLEX INCIDENT, REVISED.

We used an illustration in the last exercise and the sentence ran thus: "While one man runs up the rail

In

road track signaling wildly and another works desperately to close the broken switch, the train comes thundering down the grade with its engineer vainly endeavoring to operate the air-brake, and its passengers reading and talking unconcernedly inside." Here is an attempt to present four or five simultaneous actions. As a matter of fact they are presented, not together, but in succession - the only way possible with words. But they are given rapidly, they are crowded into one sentence, and the very first word of that sentence warns the reader that the action is complex and that he must hold the successive portions of the picture in mind until the whole is completed. This is one device-a conventional way of overcoming the difficulty. narration of this kind we are compelled to use a great many such words and phrases as these: while, meanwhile, in the meantime, just then, simultaneously, a moment before, etc. Participles also may often be used to advantage, but you will need to handle this device with great care, for perhaps in the use of no other one form of speech is the young writer so likely to betray his inexpertness. Avoid such expressions as, "Let us now return to the chief actor in this scene; "We must now ask the reader to imagine himself," etc. They are too formal to suit the taste of the present day. Every transition from one stage of the action to another, whether backward or forward, should be made with the utmost smoothness and naturalness. Your object should be always to carry the reader with you, to make everything so clear that he cannot possibly fail to follow, but at the same time to do this so skillfully that he will scarcely be aware of the transition.

Examine your last essay carefully and critically. Rewrite it and see if, with the help of the above suggestions, you cannot improve upon it. Form the habit of criticising your own work dispassionately and unsparingly. And if you care anything for literary finish or even for mere accuracy, form the habit of rewriting, again and again if need be. It is all very well to talk about the "first inspired utterances of a full mind.” We do not learn to write, any more than we learn to talk, by inspiration. It takes long and laborious practice. We find our encouragement in the fact that in time it may become almost as much a mechanical matter to write in a correct and pleasing style as it is to form the written characters themselves.

EXERCISE VIII.

GAMES OF SKILL, ETC.

A little consideration will show that we are gradually getting beyond the domain of pure narration. A warcorrespondent who, from some commanding height, watches the progress of a battle and writes up an account of it for the newspapers, is said to describe the battle. This is partly due to the fact that we use the word describe somewhat loosely-no more loosely however than its derivation warrants and partly to the fact that there is here a real distinction. The reporter writes, not merely what is done, but what he sees done. He strives to reproduce for others a mental picture of what he has actually before his eyes. And the action is very complex. A hundred things are going on at

once, so that in a certain sense they occupy space as well as time. An officer or soldier down in the lines would be conscious chiefly of a succession of events. After the battle he could narrate his experience, but it would be a very different account from that of the reporter on the height. Thus it comes that narration from an outside point of view is frequently termed description.

Taking this outside point of view write an account of some game you have witnessed-baseball, football, lawn tennis, croquet, anything with which you are familiar. It will be better, if you have an opportunity, to go and watch a game with this object in view. You can then make note of the most interesting points and be sure too of making an accurate report. You will of course need to understand the game well, and to have at your command all the technical terms used in it. The following account of a game of baseball is taken from the San Francisco Examiner, May 19, 1892:

WON IN ONE INNING.

CENTRAL LEAGUE TEAMS PLAY LIVELY BALL AT OAKLAND.

There was a large crowd over at the Oakland grounds yesterday afternoon at the Central California League game between the Morans of Oakland and the Haverlys of San Francisco.

The Oakland team started off with a rush, getting two men around the paths. But here their share of the run-getting stopped.

The Haverlys made one in the first and then drew blanks until the sixth, when they tied up the score. In the seventh they commenced hitting the ball hard, and before they quit five earned runs had been sent over the rubber.

The playing of the old-timers was lively and full of ginger. "Pop" Swett was sick and his place was filled by Stevens, who

caught Grant in good shape. The tall sycamore of the Mission pitched like a man driving spikes and had more speed than a thoroughbred colt, retiring eleven men on strikes. His control was almost perfect, not a man going down the path on a walk except “Josh” Reilly, who caught one of the big pitcher's inshoots in the side and is sorry for it. Grant also hit hard and fielded his position finely. Jack Smith, old pioneer Jack, hit hard and played first base just as well as he ever did. Fudger, the man who once pitched for Stockton, made his reappearance after having been reported dead in half a dozen different sections of the country, and played a good game in right field.

For the Morans Nolan pitched good ball. Dunn played a superb game at second and Stultz handled some difficult chances at short. All in all the old-timers made it extremely pleasant and interesting for the spectators, and held the large crowd until the finish. The score: Haverlys, 7; Morans, 2.

Since baseball has taken such a firm hold on the affections of the American people, the newspapers daily give elaborate accounts of the most important games. Naturally reporters vie with one another in their endeavors to make these accounts lively and interesting. Where the same kind of subject is treated day after day, variety in style and language must above all be sought for. The result is that, in addition to the regular technical terms of the game, new ones have been invented by the score and will continue to be invented. Fantastic turns of expression, local allusions, ridiculous figures and tropes, and slang, are all employed freely. Popular taste alone Popular taste alone-not always the best by any means - is consulted and catered to. But in our work we shall avoid these extravagances, since our chief objects just now are clearness of thought and purity of language, though of course novelty and originality of expression are always to be encouraged.