The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1876-12-21

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cast into the sea. And the sea had given
up her dead, and the waves had cast
him on shore. and the murderer and his
victim were face to face. And now they
say the voice of the murdered girl
haunts the place where she was found.
1t seems to rise from the sands and goes
echoing and wailing along, calling as if
in mortal agony. The old boatman says
people have followed it, believing some
one was in peril, and have been lured on
and OH, till the tide has overtaken them,
and they were drowned"
What horrible talep 1 said with a
shudder. 81 wish you had not told it
to me-"
"And he says" went on Nellie, un-
needing my remark, "that, whoever
hears the voice. is in risk Of great peril or
danger, or some kind of sorrow or trouble
is about tohappen 10 him."
Nellie's voice had unconsciously
taken a tone of awe. The still, somber
darkness, the midnight hour, and the
weird melancholy legend, had infected
us both with an underlined sensation of
oppression and fear, a presentiment of
dread and evil.
We kept our places by the window,
looking out into the deep, velvety dark
nes, with the far-away, solitary light
from the lighthouse cleaning like red
spark.
Suddenly, while we sat, the sound of
voice rose up again from the lonely
sands, moaning, piteous voice wailing
and imploring, as if in unutterable dis
tress. 1t seemed to mingle with the boom
of the distant sea, now rising, now fall
ing, a lonely, desolate wall, thrilling
through the darkness, like soul in NOR
tai agony. It was dying away in the dis
tant, in low, faint sob, when Nellie sud-
denly sprang back into the open room.
ooh Jean, lookP' she cried. Look,
the phantom light"
l leant out of the window, and gazed
out along the promenade. Flashing
through the somber darkness like great
star was brilliant, beautiful light. 1t
came rapidly towards us from the right,
apparently floating in the air, and il
Eliminating thespace before it for several
yards. 1t advanced very swiftly, with a
steady, forward motion, floating along
about yard from the ground. As it
come nearer We perceived, looming dimly
behind it, a giant shadow, weird and
grotesque, with outspread wings and
misty, underlined form, while sharp
rustling, whirriDg sound accompanied
its progress.
As the phantom approached, the desc
late moaning rose again from the sands,
and swept along in low, shudderiug cries,
dying away sad and piteous as before.
With the last faint tsound, the ight leaped
up for one second into intense brilliancy
and disappeared.
"Ol" cried Nellie, fearfully. "What
is it, Jean?'
az don't know" replied, a feeling of
unaccountable dread and horror taking
hold of me. The very demon of fear
seemed to possess my senses, an icy grasp
of terror laid hold of my heart.
The air outside seemed to have become
suddenly clammy and cold, chilly eerie
wind crept in at tine window. The
very darkness seemed filled with shapes
hideous and impalpable, at which / dared
not look, lest they should take form be-
foremy eyes.
"There it is again." shuddered
Nellie.
And with unutterable dread we saw
the brilliant stsr-like light again float
ing toward us, this time from the right
hand.
1t came on swiftly, with the impalpa-
BILE fantastic shadow in the air above
it, and when exactly opposite, vanished.
We sat paralyzed with terror, not dar-
ing to move, a horrible benumbing terror
seizing our hearts.
This phenomenon happened several
times, the light alternately appearing
from the right and left, and always van
ishing when exactly opposite to us, and
always accompanied by the moaning
voice.
Again the low wailing sounds from the
sands, profoundly melancholy, mex
pressibly mournful, like nothing akin to
humanity. No words were uttered, but
the agony of the tones was like a voice
from the grave.
"Jean, Jean; here it is again!' cried
Nellie, covering in my arms.
And once more the brilliant phantom
light appeared. This time it came on
more slowly, glancing to. and fro un-
steadily, while the shadowy form behind
it seemed more grotesque and misty than
ever.
"Oh, Jean, if it is truel fit comesto
foretell some loss, some trouble |" sobbed
Nellie, in tears.
"Hush, hush, dearl" 1 tried to say
reassuringly. "It can not be. Sorrowmay
come to us if God wills it, but not
through"
az say, old fellow" shouted voice
down below in the darkness. "You'il
frighten somebody into fits with that
lantern dodge of yours. You and your
confounded bicycle fitting along in the
dark. You gave me a precious start, I
can tell you"
Nellie and l jumped to our feet, and
gazed incredulously out of the window.
Down below, in the road, yard or
two to the right, the phantom light stood
stationary at last. In the glare before it
a young fellow was standing, while be.
hind loomed the fantastic, mysterious
shadow, robbed of all its terrors in me.
ment.
"Isn't it stunning dodge?" said the
shadow, in most unghostly slang. "You
see, Jack, this asphalt's frst-rate prac
tice on; but fellow has no chance in
the daytime for these confounded car
rio1as. On r;,oa5 ont +his dark-lantaru