The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-12-08

"There they come" whispered sallor'
half dead with fright, but the newspaper
man saw nothing but the moonlight on
the water, and the dark sides OF the
grim craft.
The very fact that he saw nothing
served to all the more firmly convince
the sailors that they did see something,
and that it was warning to them.
"'Cos why?" said an old salt. you're
not sailor, an don't need no warnin'
to keep away from her. We do, an SO
we see 'em." All of which was self evil
dent to every Jack present, and cause
of wonderment to them that any reason
able man should take any other view of
the case.
A crew was shipped and at last the
Inflated vessel sailed, Captain Patterson
not in her, the mate in command, master
for the first and last time. The cook did
not go in her, as he had on previous &C.
casions, for stout hearted IS he was he
preferred to stay ashore. The men who
did go were brought from Boston, all but
one, and he was young fellow who was
anxious to get back TO his nome at
Prince Edwards Island. One more trip
and he would go back, turn farmer, till
the land his father had owned, and re-
ioice by his presence the heart of his
mother, "for he was her only son, and
she widow"
The day when the Arcadia sailed was
charming, but before the next night
there was tempest on the waters. Jack,
snug on shore, shook his head and
said She'll 90 down. for it was plain
to him that the darkness and the temp
est, the binding storm, and the great
waves, were only SO many aGenc1 es OF
the evil one, unknown to Jack as Davy
Jones, by which he was about to take
the doomed vessel to himself. to vex
Jack no more. And wrecked she was.
Dashed on coast that proved fatal bha1
night to many another stout craf5
Others were left a wreck, the Arcadia
struck, recoiled, and went back into the
darkness and the storm, hurled by
receding wave, and back from the dark
ness and the storm she returned no
more.
Yet with her end there was not to stop
of the strange series OF events connected
with her. Back from a little fishing
hamlet in Prince Edwards Island, the
widow, the mother of the boy who was
lost when the Arcadia went down, wait
ed for some news from her son.
She did not know he was dead. but
lived hoping that he would return. AT
last more than year after the going
down of the fated schooner, she pur-
chased some small article at the village
store, and it was wrapped up III a piece
of Portland paper, and reading 1t over,
not perhaps having much else TO read,
she met the name of her boy.
A very pathetic letter was sent by her
to the man whose name was given as
the shippingmaster. He replied giving
her all the information he could and at
least administering this much comfort
that in lis last days ashore her boy had
thought constantly of her, and had gone
on board happy because it seemed to
him that the time would be short before
he would be with her again. lake 1t all
| in all the story of the schooner was
| strange and tragic. Apparently destined
| to ill luck from the time her keel was
laid, and yet remaining a memory OF
trouble, of fighting, of disaster and death,
with rather more than touch of the I'M
earthly about it all.