The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1876-12-29
SELECT STORY.
THE PHANTOM LIGHT.
An Exceedingly Thrilling but True
Ghost StorJ.

been most opprsssivsly hot, but now
faint breszs was coming in from the sea,
mott refrsshingly welcome after ihs sui
try, sliding heat Of shs day.
IL was quite dsrk-shst sofi, vsivsty
darkness that bslooss only to perfectly
moonlsss. siarisss night
Just down below our window lay the |
yard or two Of garden. Then the long.
straight line Of the premsnsde, with the
asphalt Walk and drive dimly ds6psd
BY a shado~y row Of white posts con-
nected BY Ornamental chains. Beyond
the emb.nkment lay the wide, desOiats
waste OF sands, stretching away for
miles and miles on either hand.
The tide was far out, so far that only
o sort Of pale-xrsy CLEAN on the horizon
showed where the ssa was jusl beginning
10 creep over ths shoals and sands of
the Southport oosst. Seven miles away
70 the right, aeross the estuary of the
Ribble, ths steady light from the Lyth-
am lighthouse kept vigilant watch and
ward over the dangerous Horse Bank,
that ireachsrous. dangerous shoal on
which many good ship has gone to its
doom Of sbipwreck and death.
Nellie was leaning out Of the window,
her elbow on the sill, her eyes fixed on
the misty, soft darkness outside. II was
ss DARK inside as out; we bad no thought
OF lighting the gas that long summer
evening.
"How still IL irl' she said dreamily.-
"whst q spell Of solemn silence the
night lays on evsrythinsp
As " TO contradict her words, a fain,
sound like a far of voice seemed sud-
denly to rise from the sands below, and
swept by with prolonged, mournful
cry. -s lJt.. ..
"what 10 thar" she asked, startled
Some one calling down on the sands,
! said. "The intense stiffness carries th'
sound . great distance at night"
81 heard such wild legend this morn
ing" she went on presently, "connscie'
with those great deserts Of sand tha
strethch over toward Lytham. Old Joe
the bosiman, says they are haunted BY
phantom voice."
"How thrillingp ! remarked scepii
cally. "what does ii sayf"
"Dont scod, JEAN" said Nellie, III
vexedly. "It's most pathetic, dreadful
legend. Years ago, before there was
town here at all, people used 10 cross th
sands between here and Lythsm o.
horseback. One stormy evening tray
slsr had crossed As usual, and had o.
most reached the shore. when suddenly
bright light appeared, lowered for me
msnt over q spot yard or two ava.
and theu vanished. At the same momer
pi,eous, unearthly cry echoed a
around. The horse became Wild wit
terror, and broke loose. throwing h
rider 70 the gound. When he recovsrs
himself, he found lying on the groun
at his feet, the body Of besntifi
young girl. She was quite dead, with
chastity wound In her side, from Whit
the blood had flowed sll over her viii
drsrs.
The traveller staggered away TO Il
nearest house. got assistance, and HI
the girls body laid in an upper room.
That night an awful storm arose.
ship was wrecked on the Horse Ban
and only one man, the captain, saved.
lie was taken to the same house whs
the traveller had already found shelf
and, by some mistake, was put in
room where the murdered girl was
ing. AZ the sight Of her he gave an 4
palling shrek, and fell down seDsele
When he revived, he was question:
and confessed that the beautiful you
girl was his wife, whom in a moment
rage and jealousy he had stabbed to
heart and east into the sea. And the
had given up her dead, and the wa
had cast him on shore, and the murd
r and his victim were face to face
And now they say the voics Of the m
dsred girl haunts the place where
was found. II seems TO rise from
sands and goes echoing and vail
along, calling, calling; as il in moi
agony. The old boatman says pee
have followed 1t, believing some
was In peril, and have been lured
and on, till the tide has overtaken tn
and they were drowned"
"What o horrible talsp said, wi
shudder. II wish you had not told
me-" Ir
"And he says" went on Nellie,
needing my remark, shat, who's
hears the voice, is in risk OF great p
or danger, or some kind Of sorrow
trouble is about 10 happen to him."
Nellis's voice had unconsciously
ken q tone Of awe. The still, son
darkness, the midnight hour, and
weird melancholy legend, had infe
us both with nm underlined sensatio
oppression and fear, a presentmer
dread and evil. ....r.
We kept our places BY the win
looking out into the deep, velvesy d
ness, with the far-away. solitary
from the light house cleaning Ii
red spark. .r
Suddenly, while we sat, the sound
voice rose up again from the Ii
sands, a moaning, pitsous voice wa
and implorins, as II in unutterable
tress. u seemed TO mingls with
boom Of the distant sea, now T
nov falling, lonely. desolats
thrilling through the darkness, !
soul in mortal agony. II was
away In the dis.ancs, in q low.
sob, when Nellie suddenly sprang
into the room.
"Oh Jean, lookl" she cried. Z"
the phantom light"
I lsant out Of the window, and
out along the promenade. FIJI
through the sombre darkness like