Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1877-01-13

An Exceedingly Thrilling but True
Ghost story.

THE RHANTOM AAukA es
An Exceedingly Thrilling h"' true
Ghost story.
Christmas Number of London society
1t was about IL o'clock at night.
Nellie ana were sitting Dy the DOW
window i'm our drawing room, when she
had thrown wide open. Inc DAY had
been most oppressiveiy hot, but now q
faint breeze was confing III from the sea
most refreshingly welcome after the sui
trv. sitting heat OF the day.
IL was quite dark--that soft, yelvety
darkness that belongs only to perfectly
moonless, starless night.
just down below our window lay the
yard or two of garden, then the long,
straight line OF the promenade, with its
asphalt walk and drive dimly defined
by shadowy row OF white posts con-
nected by ornamental chains. Beyond
the embankment lay the wide, desolate
waste of sands, stretching away Ior
miles and miles on either hand;
The tide was far out. so TAR tnas only
sort of pale gray CLEAN on me nofiIon
showed where the sea was just beginning
to creep over the shoals ana sanupanks
off the Southport coast. seven miles
away TO the right. across me estuary Oh
the RibbIe. the steady light from the
Lytham lighthouse kept vigiiaht watch
and ward over the dangerous Horse
Rant that treacherous. dangerous shoal
On which many good ship has gone to
its doom of shipwreck and death.
Nellie was leaning out of the swindow,
her elbow on the sill, her eyes fixe,I on
the misty. soft darkness outside. 1t was
rs dark inside as out: we had no thought
of lighting the gas that long summer
evening.
How still it is..r she said, dreamily.
s.What spell Of solemn silence the
night lays on everything.
As If TO contradict her words, faint
sound like a far-off voice seemed sudden
ly to rise from the sands below, and
swept by withs a prolonged mournful
cry.
What is that?r she asked, startled.
..Some one calling down on the sands. :
/ said. 1.-The intense stiffness carries the
sound great distance at night.
II heard such wild legend this morn
ing she went on, presently, connected
with those great deserts OF sand that
stretch over toward Lytham. Old Joe,
the boatman, says they are haunted by a
phantom voice"
..How thrillingi'-I remarked, skeptic-
ally. What dOts il say?"
Don't scott. JEAN" said Nellie. little
vexe,Ily. .It's a most pathetic, dreadful
legend. Years ago, before there was a
town here at all, people used TO cross the
sands between here and Lytham on
horseback. One stormy evenings travel
er had crossed as usual, and had almost
reached the shore. when suddenly
bright light appeared, lowering tor
m0meifupver spot yard or two away.
and u mished. At the same moment
IL pitcU unearthly cry echoed all
around. The horse became wild with
terror, and broke loose, throwing his
rider TO the ground. When he recovered
himself. he found lying on the ground ut
lis feet the boly of Il beautiful young
girl. She was quite dead. with a ghast-
ly wound in her side, from which the
blood had flowed all over her white dress.
The traveller staggarh away to the near
GIRLS body laid per room. That
wrecked Oh the Hose Bank, anil only
one man. the captain, saved. He WAS
taken to the same house where the lrav-
eI.r had already found shelter, and. by
ss,,l,e mistake. MAS put in the room where
the murdered girl was lying. At the
SIGHT of her he gave an appalling shrek,
a,rI fell ,lcwn senselesS When he re-
vIyesl. he was questioned, and confessed
that the beautiful young girl was his
wife. whom In 4 moment of rage and
jealously he had stabbed TO the heart and
east into the sea. And the sea had given
M her victim. ana the waves had cast
him on shore. and the murderer and his
victim were face tO.fce. AMI now they
say the voice of the murdered giIl
haunts the place where she was found.
Ic seem, 10 rise from the sand. and goes
sehoinc and -wailiug along, calling, cssl-
ing, us if in mortal agony. The Old
boatmau saws people have followed 1t.
believing some one was in peril. and have
been forced OH and OH. till the tile has
oyer;alen them and they were drown
ed"
What a horrible tale." | sail with Il
shudder. Il wish you had not told it to
me.''
And ne saws" went on Nellie un
needing my remark, THAT whoever hears
the voice is III risk of great peril or dan
Ger. or some kind Of sorrow or trouble is
about TO happen him.
Nellie's voice had uuconsciously taken
a tone OF awe. The still. sombre dark
ness. the midnight hour, AMI the weird,
melancholy legend, had infected us both
with AN underlined sensation of oppres-
sion and fear, presentment OF dread and
evil.
We kept our places by the window.
looking out into the deep, velvety dark
ness. with the tar-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
md imploring, as if in unutterable dis
tress. 1t seemed to mingle with the
boom of the distant sea, now rising, now
falling, lonely, desolate wall, thrilling
through the darkness like soul in NOR
tai agony. 1t was dying away in the
distance in low, faint sob. when Nellie
suddenly sprang back into the room.
"Oh, Jean, look!" she cried, Look,
the phantom light!r Ta
/ leant out of the window. and gazed
out along the promenade. Flashing
through the somble darkness like great
star was brilliant, beautiful light. 1t
came rapidly toward us from the right.
floating in the air. and iIlu-
minating the space before it for several
yards. 1t advanced very swiftly. with a
steady. forward motion, floating alone
about yard from the ground. AS # ,
came nearer we perceived, looming dim
" behind it, giant shadow, weird and
with outspread wings and
misty, underlined form, while a sharp.
ustling, whirring sound accompanied its
Progress.
AS the phantom approached, the desc
ate moaning rose again from the sands,
nd swept along i'm low, shuddering cries.