The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-08-06

debt, wrapped up in heavenly halo of
senatorial steam, haunting the precincts
of Fourth and Townsend streets, and the
cloudy presence of some coming event
akin TO a general tie-up is ever hutteT;Dg
around the corridors of that sacred pile.
The Mdwinter Fair was troubled with
gauZy bank of uncertainty as to general
admission prices to threaten its financial
success for awhile, and the approach to
the gates at night was sc somber from en-
velOping ocean fogs and lack of lights that
the stranger often imagined he saw in the
fog's dark folds the shadow of some gen.
tleman with a sandbag concession.
Captain Willox Of the lnverurie saw his
mist spirit in the driving spray that be-
spangled his deceiVing passengers, and out
Of The moisture stepped the hollow mock
cry Of doctor"
Max Pepper thought he viewed the
specter of pure ballot through the
smoke Of the prospective Democratic
primaries, and Judge pbell lost a Pop
ulist nomination by trusting too much to
the veil he tried to throw over dislikes for
signing party platforms.
How many bay pilots and river pilots
have thought they saw the ghOstliKe form
of some departed friend appear before
them as the fog rolled across the windows
of the pilot-house? They tell strange
stories of their experiences, and in one
case captain OF Stockton boat imagined
10 saw a beautiful woman waving her
white arms majesticatly above her head.
Higher. higher rose the white transpar-
ent mist out of which was wrought the
figure that held him spellbound. His
senses were stupefed by an odor OF in
cense-no, it could not be; the scent was
too strong, too lifelike, too genuine to be
heavenly. But the figure was there,
wriggling and twisting in the glow of the
steamers lamp. now throwing sash of
white moisture toward the steersman, then
fading away only TO return again, and
with it that strong overpOwering per-
1umery of unknown origin.
Yes, it was the scent that gave the
spirit away, for when the pilot descended
from his house armed with FREAK a
small boy with a cubeb, who had been
Willing. the dreamy hours OF midnight
away on the bench beneath the steering
gear, disappeared rapidly in the direction
of the vessels stern.
One must forgive the ommander of the
steamer San Rafael for reSorting to prOfan-
fly for mental relief when, on one occa-
sion, he mist0ok a Sausallto ark for an
unknown rock envelOpsd by fog, and, in
endeavoring to avoid a collision, he nearly
ran down Timothy Hopkins yacht. A
Iusty Briton with a pipe and box of to-
b&ccO trying to drive away mosquitoes
caused all the trouble.
During warm spells stout citizens man.
ufacture their own mis- wriathS. Who
has not seen Senator Williams hopping
his forehead on warm night. while from
the band of his removed hat rises the
flmy yapor of possible political honor?
Sam Davis thought he. witnessed the
ghost of the receipts of the 40 Camp
being evolved from his Nevada sweater,
but during an accidental fire the looked
for spirit had gone up the fue in smoke.
Grover Cleveland has tried to make the
Senate perspire freely enough to give the
try Tnuf ha oin Ell -
free-trade measure, but the sun OF am
bilious Democracy did not shine warmly
enough for the purpose.
With ships the mist-wraiths do not stand
on ceremony. They are not dreaded nor
despised by sailors except when land is
near, and this perhaps accounts for the
reason that the mystery of LIE Marie has
not long since been solved. Captains did
not like to approach the coast 10 satisfy
themselves of the true character OF the
queer rocks that the fogs turn into full
rugged bark They just content themselves
with talking about it and with talking OF
the adven lures they have had at times
with tangling vaDOrs.
One captain tells of how a certain ships
carpenter chased mist-wraith all over
the vessel. thinking it was the tortured
soul of a boardDg-master, for the thing
burned in the wateT-iadened atmosphere
like a blue alcoholic fame Up the rig
ging and out on the yards went. the car
penter, until he finally ended by catching
the thing at the end of the bowsprit 1t
was only filmy-looklng ST. Elmo's light.
90 the salt Lit his pipe by it aud returned
TO make a note of it in his private log, for
he was a sea lawyer.
The self-same captain that told this
story-Without apologizing for its ending
related another little incident in connec-
zion with nebulous appearing things. A
certain ship ran short of provisions and
the crew we're nearly starved. The stew
ard. colored gentleman, with mouth
life eodfsh, suffered more than any
hody on board. 1t was the irony Of fate
that made the cook be threatened with
death from hunger. The matter preyed
nnon him considerably. He started out to
lnok for the ghost of repast.
The night was calm and beautiful. and