Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1879-01-10

er0l manner at the present moment In
few minutes he was extended on the deck the
most utterly limp and detected of doacons,
and vowing with energy, IL he ever got out
of this ere you wouldn't catch him again.
OF course, my chum and l were not seasick.
We were prosperous young Sophomores in
Bowdoin college, and would have scorned TO
acknowledge such weakness. In fact, we
were in that happy state Of self opinion where
we surveyed everything in creation as birds
do from above, and were disposed to patron
ize everybody we met, with pleasing con
viction that there was nothing worth knowing
but what we were likely to know, or worth
doing but what we could do.
Captain Stanwood liked us. and we liked
him we patronzed him, and he was quietly
amused at our patronage and returned it in
kind. He was II good specimen of the sea
captain in those early days in Maine; n man
in middle life tall thin, wiry, and active,
full OF resource and shrewd mother wit
man very confident in his opinions, because
his knowledge was all got at first hand, the
result of careful use Of his own five senses.
From his childhood he had followed the sens,
and rs he grew older made voyages TO Arch
angel, to Messina. to the West Indies, and
finally around the Horn and having carried
a very sharp and careful pair Of eyes, he had
acquired not only q snug competency of
inductions which stood him in stead Of an
education. He was master Of u thriving farm
at Harpswell, and, being tethered somewhat
by love of wife and children, was mostly sta
tionary there, yet solaced himself by running
n little schooner to Boston, aud driving
thriving bit of trade by the means With
that reverence for learning, which never de
serts the New Englander, he liked us the bet
ter for being cOllegiaus, and amiably couced-
ed that there were things quite worth know
ing taught "up to brunswick there" though
he delighted now and then to show his supe-
riority in talking about what he knew better
than we.
Jim Larned, the mate, was a lusty young
ster, sisters son whom he had taken in
training in the way lc should go. Jim had
already made voyage to Liverpool and the
East Indies, and felt himself also quit. an an
thority in his own way.
The evenings were raw and COOL and We
generally gathered round the cabin stove
cracking walnuts, smoking and telling stories,
aud having "A jolly time generally. 1t II due
to those old days to say that most rospccta-
bic Puritan flavor penetrated even the recess
es of those coasters sort of gentle Bible
and psalm book aroma, 80 that there was not
IA word or joke among the men to annoy
the uscrptibiities even Of deacon. Our
deacon. somewhat consolcd aud amended,
lay serene i'll his berth, rather enjoying the
yarns were spinning. The web OF course
was many colorrd, of quaint and strange
and wonderful. and ~ the night wore on it
was dyed in certain weird tnts Of the super
natural.
well" said Jim Iarned, folks may say
what they're a mind to there are things that
there's no sort o way o 'countin' for, things
you've iist got TO say, We'll, heres suthin to
Lot I Ey,pNr Y,tl,i,,f a, .,u - aud
come 10 question any man up sharp, youll
find hr's seen one thing O that sort himself
and this ere I'm going to tells my story
Pour years ago l went down TO Aunt Je-
rushys at Fair Haven. Her husbands in the
oysterin business and | used to go out with
him considerabl Wei, there was Bill Jones
there real bright fellow, one Of your open
handed. lively fellows, and he took fancy
to me and to him, and he and | struck up
friendship. He run an oyster smack to New
York. and did considerable good business
for young man. Well, Bill had fellow on
his smack that never liked the looks of he
was from the Malays OF some foreign crittur
or other spoke broken English had eyes set
kind o edgcways n his head homcly as sin
he was, and always mistrusted him Bill,
used to say. You look out for that fellow;
don't you trust him. If | was you I'd ship
him oil short metre But Bill he only
laughed. why says he, 4 can get double
work for the same pay out of that fellow
and what do | care if he amt handsomeE |
remember how clipper an CHEEKY Bill looked
when be was sayin that, just as he was 60
ing down to New York with his load O oys-
tiers. Well. the next night l was sound
asleep in Aunt Jtrusha's front chamber that
opens toward the Sound, and | was walked
right clear out o sleep by Bills voice scream
ing to me. got up and run to the window
and looked out, and heard it again. plain as
anything: Jim jim Help! Help! 1t
wasn't common cry neither it was screech-
ed out as If somebody was numbering him. |
tell you, it rung through my head for weeks
afterwards"
'Well, what came of 2" said my chum,
as the narrator made a pause, and We all
looked nt him in silence.
"Wel RS nigh as we can make it out, that
very night poor Bill was murdered by that
very Malay feller leastways, his body was
found in his boat. He'd been stabbed, and
all his money and watch and things taken,
and this Malay was gone nobody knew where.
That's all that was ever known about il"
but surely" said my chum, who was Of a
very literal aud rationalistic turn Of mind,
lit couldn't have been his voice that you
heard he must have been down to the other
end of the Sound, close by New York by that
time"
"Wel," said the mate, "all know is that
WAS walked ont of sleep by Bills voice call
ing my name, screaming in a real agony. 1t
went through me like lightning and then
find he was murdered that night Now, l
don't know anything about it, | know l
heard him calling me; know he was muir
dercd but how it was, or what 1t was, or
why it was, l don't know
These ere college boys can tell ye, said
the captain. ''Of course they've got into
Sophomore year, and there amt nothing in
heaven or earth that they don't know"
mo" said l, II say with Hamlet, There
are more things in heaven and earth, Hora-
ito, than are dreamed of in your philoso-
ply"
"Wel" said my chum, with the mir Of a
what shakes my faith in all SUI
pernatural stories is that | can't see any use
or purpose in them
wal if there couldn't nothin' happen nor
be except what you could see n use in, there
wouldn't much happen nor be-" quoth the
captain.
laugh went round at the expense of my
friend.
WAL now, I'll tell ye what, boys" piped
the thin voice of the deacon. folks mustn't
be too presulnptuous; there is providences
permitted that we don't See no use in, but
Jim Larned's been tellin' is good deal
like what happened to me once, when l was
up to Umbagog, in the lumbern' business" "
"Hullo!" I" called out jim, "heros the dea-
cons story l told you every man had one
Give it to u.s. deacon Speak out, and don't
be bashful."
oval, really, it amt what l like to talk
about" said the deacon in a quavering, un-
certain voice but don't know but may
as well, though.
ut was that winter l was up to Umbagog.
l was clerk, and KEEP the counts and books,
and all that, and Tom Huly-he was survey
or and marker-he was there with me, and
we chummed together. And there was Jack
Cutter-he WIS just out o college he was
there practicin' surveyin' with him. We
three had kind O pine-board sort O. shanty
built out on a plain near by the camp it had
u fireplace and two windows and our hunks,
and each of us had our tables and books and
things,