Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1877-06-13

the beautiful young girl was his
wife whom, in a moment of rage
and jealousy, he had stabbed to
the heart and cast into the sea /;
and the sea had given up its
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; it seems to
rise from the sands, and goes echo
ing and wailing along, calling, as
il 1t was in mortal agony. The
old boatman says people have
followed it, believing some one was
in peril, have been lured on and on,
till the tide has overtaken them,
and then they were drowned"
"What q horrible tale |" / said,
with a shudder; 81 wish you had
not told it to me-" ...'. -
"And he says" went on Nellie,
unheeding my remark, shat who
ever hears the voice is in risk of
great peril or danger, or some kind
of sorrow or trouble is about to
happen to 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 un-
defined sensation of oppression
and fear, a presentiment of dread
and evil.
We kept our places by the win
dow, looking out into the deep
velvety darkness, with the far-away
solitary light from the lighthouse
cleaning like red spark.
Suddenly, while we sat, the sound
of a voice rose up again from the
lonely sands, a moaning, piteous
voice wailing and imploring as il
in unutterable distress. 1t seemed
to mingle with the gloom of the
distant sea, now rising, now falling,
a lonely, desolate wall, thrilling
through the darkness like a soul il
mortal agony, II was dying away
in the distance, in a low faint sob
when Nellie suddenly sprang back
into the room.
80, Jean, look!" she cried
"Look, the phantom lightp
/ leaned out of the window, and
gazed out along the promenade
Flashing through the somber dark
ness like great star was brilliant
beautiful light. 1t came rapidly
toward us from the right, apparent.
ly floating in the air, and illumina'
ting the space before it for severa
yards. 1t advanced very swiftly
with a steady forward motion
floating along about yard from
the ground. AS it came nearer we
perceived, looming dimly behind it
giant shadow, weird and gro.
tesque, with outspread wings ant
misty, underlined form, while
sharp rustling, whirring sound &C
companied its progress.
AS the phantom approached, the
desolate moaning rose again from
the sand, and swept along in low
shuddering cries, dying away sac
and piteous as before. With th'
last faint sound, the light leapet
mp for one second into intense brill
fancy and disappeared.
"Ow cried Nellie fearfully
"What is it, Jean!"
al don't know" / replied feel
ing of unaccountable dread ant
horror taking hold Of me. Th'
very demon of fear seemed Il
possess my senses, an icy grasp o
terror laid hold of my heart.
The air outside seemed to hav,
become suddenly clammy and cold
chilly wind crept in at th'
window. The very darkness
seemed filed with shapes, hideous
and impalpable, at which daret
not look, lest they should take form
before my eyes.
"There it is again !" shudderet
Nellie.
And with unutterable dread w
saw the brilliant star-like ligh
again floating toward us, this time
from the right hand.
1t came on swiftly, with th'
impalpable fastastic shadow in th'
air above it, and, when exactly
opposite, vanished.
We sat paralyzed with terror
not daring to move, a horrible
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