People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1894-09-14

was scarce a flap Of cloth to be .
heard up in the dusk. where the
heavy single top sails and the fore
and main courses glimmered in pallid .
spaces against the delicate gloom. |
The hush of the night seemed 10
enter like a spirit into the fabric Of
the ship after eight bells had been
struck in the second dog-watch and
the men off duty had gone below.
There might be the fitting shadow
of man in the forecastle, but his
naked feet trOd with velvet softness;
the dim and drowsy rumble of hC-
man voice past the galley. as OF
sailor delivering a yarn with heavy,
half closed eye-lids. seemed to
deepen to the ear the perpetual still
ness that came floating through the
gloom to every sense, off the wide,
invisible surface of the sea like some.
thing determinable by the faculty OF
hearing.
| walked the deck with Captain
Christian till three bells had been
struck-half-past nine ! cannot I'M
derstand that any mariner should be
able to tell sea story more humOr-
ously and dryly than he. He had
used the ocean for years, had filed
every grade from the position OF boy
to that OF commander. had visited
parts Of the globe much less familiar
to mankind in those days than in
these, had scores Of briny expert.
ences to regaIe one with. and was as
profitable a man TO listen to as any
man could desire to be thrown with
But at three bells his servant put
the grOg upon the table; he caught
sight of the decanter and glasses
through the open sbylight, and pro-
posed that we should go below and
proceed with a game of chess that we
had started on 4 day or two pre-
yiOusly.
Hot it was in the cabin, though
there was the heel of a windsail to
breeze down over our head, and
with every light lee and weather roll
Of the ship there entered a gush of
cool, dew-laden night air through
the open ports. The captain and /
sat with our eyes riyeted upon the
chess board. He held a large meer-
schaum pipe between his teeth, and
a lumber of ruddy grog was at his
elbow. Nothing was audible except
now and again the dull, creaking
sounds of cargo straining in the
hold, or Il yearning gurgling OF
water, sounding like a giants sob,
through an open portfolio, to tho
stoop OF the ship upon the gentle in
Clination of the soft, half-breathless
swell of the sea. Suddenly my at
tention was attracted by the head OF
a man staring through the open sky.
light 1t was the red-headed second
mate.
Below there, siro he quietly
called.
What is it97 demanded Captain
| Christian, expelling a cloud O.
smoke, without lifting his ewes from
the chess-bOard.
There's a strange, faint sound
sir, far away on the sea, off the star
board bow. it seems.
Sound, dye say"
LAY, sir faint dribble of noise. =
whats ii like?" asked the cap
tain, keeping his eyes glued to the
chess-board.
Why, It's like the voice of wo
man singing, sir" answered the sec
ond mate.
Very odd" exclaimed, starting
Anything in sight Mr. Jansen
exclaimed the captain, now cooking
his winking eye up at the skylight
as he asked the question.
Nothing" answered the secon,
mate. But, then, sir It's thick a
thunder all around
We'll" exclaimed the captain, a
the noise continues or approaches lie
me know and with that he drew
himself together, as it were, Will
first long pull at his glass an,
then several contemplative puffs a
his pipe, to consider afresh his mex
move on the chess-board. A fey
minutes later Jansen's head shove.
again
fro BE CONTINUED.