The Dutch on the Delaware. 313 



rubbish now and then, but far oftener carries away 

 a goodly slice of some fair field or woodland strip. 

 Certain it is that the tide covers many an acre now 

 of what, even within historic time, was cultivable 

 ground. Huge trees, that within the century 

 crowned a bold headland, have been undermined 

 and swept seaward by the floods. This steady 

 destruction has not in all cases been an entire 

 sweeping away of the island shore, but often of so 

 much earth only as to leave exposed the long- 

 hidden traces of other days. In brief, the island 

 has for ages been a closed cabinet, and now time 

 has rusted its hinges and the floods carried off the 

 door, leaving to the aimless prowler of to-day to 

 rifle the rotten shelves of such treasure as remains. 

 This is how it came about. During a recent 

 ramble I found a yellow brick upon the sand; 

 and, looking farther, another, and curious old red 

 bricks, and bits of roofing tiles, and pipe-stems; 

 scattered everywhere odds and ends that could 

 only have come from some old house near by. 

 But where ? It needed but to ask the question to 

 change from aimless rambler to explorer, and then 

 my troubles began. It was not enough to search 

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