Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1889-11-13
A FRIENDS WIFE,
OUT OF THE DEEP.


OUT OF THE DEEP.
| Many astounding things had heard
| from my old friend Professor Vernon Is
| lips, but the most astonishing was the in.
| formation impaired one day that he in
tended to marry. He was hale old
bachelor iD the neighborhood of fifty, while
I was young man who had but recently
attained my majority.
The young lady he was to marry was
the orphan child of friend aud only seven
teen years old. Despite the difference in
their ages she was really very fond of him,
and the old man seemed to renew his youth
when in her company.
The professor married her, and they
settled down to life of contentment and
peace. was constant visitor at the
house, and conceived a genuine admiration
tor the charming girl whom he had mar
ried.
The professors mother died a short time
after their marriage, and be was called
away to England to look after the settle
ment of the estate.
His wife did not want him to GO without
her, but he said he would not inf1ict sea
voyage on her when she could be so much
more comfortable at home in my care. So
he went away alone.
unknown for years. The wrecks along the
coast were many. Ths Sibyl was not
heard of in the English ports. Anxiety
grew into terror, terror into certainty.
We waited week after week for news
1t came at last. A sailor-one of the crew
of the Sibyl-came to light.
went to see him.
He had seen my dear old friend enter q
boat, and had seen that boat dashed to
pieces on O black rock, in mid-ocean, in
the midst of an awful tempest.
''If there ever was fine old man, he
was one," said the sailor; "brave to the
last-and the last words l heard him say
were: y want to get home to that little
wife of mine if it is Gods will"
l took the sailor to the old house whsre
Mrs. Vernon watched and waited, and he
told her the story. She heard it and wept
bitterly. After that she was ill for long
while But when once again saw her
face at the window of her lonely home it
did not seem wrong for me to intrude my
self upon her. We were both Soung. l
loved her very fondly, and l won her love
in return. A year from the time of the
loss of the Sibyl l asked her to marry me,
and she gave me her hand.
II am not afraid that so true a friend
do not think my dear old husband would
be angry if he could see us from heaven" !"
So we were married. We went away
upon little journey afterward, and it was
in about a weeks time that we stopped for
little at certain country hotel. In its
rambling passages lost my way one night
in going to our room, and stood bewildered
at the head of long entry, shading the
candle with my hand, when a figure ap-
peared at doorway just before me, which
l had not seen open, because the room be-
hind it was in darkness. Had it been an
unknown figure it would have occasioned
no surprise, but as it was, my blood
eurdled in my veins with horror, for it was
no living maa, but spirit from the other
world-the old professor, and no other.-
His face was pallid as that of one lying in
his coffin. He did not look at me, but re-
treated into the darkness.
A moment after a waiter came hurrying
along the entry and guided me to my room.
He thought me intoxicated, l suppose. He
had good reason to do so, for staggered
from side to side as we went.
l found Nellie sitting by an open win
dow. The long day had been sultry, and a
storm was rising. Already low-muttered
thunder was heard afar, and little flashes
of blue light leaped up and down the
horizon, as though demons showed their
faces and vanished.
81 feel sad tonight, Percy" she said.-
SIT may be the state of the atmosphere,
but am very sad. fancy there is trouble
in store for us. dread the future. What
does it mean?"
81 am no prophet" answered, sadly.
l took her hand. We sat together in the
darkness. The storm arose. Such storm
I had never seen before. 1t was too sultry
to seek our pillows, and as l sat there
something seemed to say to me: ''Your
happiness is over" Time seemed to have
gone back ward. Nellie was the professors
wife, not mine, / would not have touched
her lips for a kingdom, yet loved her
none the less.
The lightning struck nearby fifty times
at least. | saw great oaks riven to the
centre. 1 saw fire fame up down in the
village.
Then one great flash filled the room with
light and the whole house trembled as with
an earthquake.
Nellie started to her feet. started to
mine, but shs did not fly into my arms, as
would have seemed natural, We only held
out our hands to each other. People were
hurrying through the house, when it was
still enough again to hear such sounds
There were screams and cries of terror.
left Nellie alone to discover the cause. 1t
was this: An old man had been killed
struck dead by the lightning in his bed
A crowd was in the room. sailor, with
a good, weather beaten face, wept as he
talked to the crowd.
"It's hard for him, mates" he said.--
"We've just got home. We were lost in
the steamer Sibyl more than a year ago,
and we're cast on desert island-f0ur OF
us. Our two other mates died. The old
gentleman and me, we lived. He seemed
pretty we'll broke down, and l was taking
him home. He was mighty anxious to see
his wife. He was fonder of her than ever
I saw a man. But his eyes had been very
bad, and mis- hand shook terrible. He
couldn't write. guess he'd have got all
right when he met her, though he was the
bravest old fellow ever | saw. l loved him.
A gentleman ho was. Prof. Vernon, that
was his name; and his folks are down at
S-town."
I stepped forward then, and told them
that knew the dear old man.
81 loved him, too" said, and my tears
fell over his dead face.
81 loved him! loved him! truly" 1
added. "Forgive me, dear spirit, for my
unmeant crime"
l sent my little Nellie home, telling her
that would explain everything when we
met. She obeyed me with strange willing
ness.
After the funeral wrote and told her
all. Her answer was:
"Stay away until send for you."
So it was a year before ] saw her again,
and went with her to church in the great
IL f.. A. 4