Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1890-02-26
Eternal Expiration.

Gbolu 6APAoeAVh'
She was the only pc rson on board
who had not been i'll, for we had had
an awful journey. was just getting
over it, and spent my time lying limp
ly in folding chair on the deck, and
whenever she grew tired of being ador-
ed by the rest of the male contingent
on board and would anchor herself by
me-for l was motionless and power
less-I would tell her sad stories of
the deaths of kings and others of every
sort and kind, and this continued after
| was on my feet, and during the four
days that we wandered about Etruria
decks together, or sat under the lee of
the funnel, getting gradually covered
with blacks, which always strike me
as the many times more unpleasant
substitute for dust at sea. | told her
a somewhat vivid collection of stories
echoes of the boulevard, of the Quar-
ter Latin, "reminiscences of old student
days, and of the torrid east, from
grave TO gay, from lively to severe.
But none of the stories that | told
her came up in weirdness 10 the one
that was told me by ghost.
You may laugh, perhaps, and if she
ever sees these lines, so may she; but
what | tell you, or am about to tell
you, strange and incomprehensible,
though it may seem, is the absolute
truth, so sure as you sit there.
We had been walking round the
decks one evening, in the little inter-
walls between dinner and supper, arm
in arm, battling against the wind, peri
odically going between the ships
boats to the side to watch the phos-
phorescence of the waves, which gave
the sea, as it rushed past us, the ap-
pearance of continuous sheet of
living flame. You probably know
the Etruria and the way the ships
boats stand in rows round the decks,
one above the otherl
We had completed our tour of the
decks several times when suddenly
the prettiest hand in the world tight
ened its grasp Oh my arm ever so little,
and voice at my side whispered:
Good gracious, look there"
l looked in the direction indicated,
which was that of the upper boat on
the star-board side, nearest the bows.
The boat, with its tarpaulin cover,
looked much as usual, but seated APP
parently in the stern, and closely muf-
fled in tarpaulin, sat the figure of a
man.
| have been accustomed during
times Of war and peace to wander
about in the dark good deal, and
can generally distinguish things pretty
clearly, so that the fantastic shapes
which things assume disguised beneath
the cloak of darkness no longer scare
me as they did once, but I~confess
that, having stood for an instant to
make it clear to myself what it was
up there, cold feeling of terror came
over me at the sight of this hopelessly
lonely creature sitting, as it were, in
mid air, looking out to sea. The
face was turned away from us, and
we were so close underneath that we
could only just see the head and shout
ders. / am accustomed to making
excuses quickly, and said at once:
"Why don't you see it, it's only the
two blocks by which the boat hangs
from the davits, which with their tar.
paulin coverings thrown over them,
in this light, look like man. Isn't
it odd?"
The calmness with which | made
this statement treasured my compan-
ion, and after looking at il for al in
slant, we moyed on. But tacitly, as
il we're. by common consent, we walk
ed up and down the larboard deck,
and did not go round to the side
where the lonely boatman kept his
solitary watch again. Soon after a
man came up with message from
her mother, saying that she was want
ed to 60 down to her supper, and she
went.
Immediately betook myself for
ward on the starboard side, and came
and stood as before, underneath the
boat where the lonely figure was seat
ed. BY this time the moon had risen
and was behind me as | stood OH the
deck, clearly illuminating the figure
in the boat.
BOAT ahoyl" cried, or rather
said. No notice.
"Who are you. in Gods name ?"
said l.
A kind of long-drawn sigh came
from the figure above as it moved aud
slowely turned its head in my direc-
ton.
What sight Had l the slight
est idea at what ! was going to see, !
should have thrown myself overheard