The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1896-09-03

which l shall never forget-reIsroachful
pleading, accusing, condemning. fair
ly shivered and turned away my eyes.
1t was a look to haunt man his life
long. Put when turned again the eyes
had glazed, and the magnificent white
eagle was stretched out III the motion
less beauty of death.
when l took my prize home, NY
host said, sadly, and more than half
seriously: I am sorry you killed the
bird. lie will haunt you to the day of
your death l laughed carelessly, yet
somehow my heart misgave me, and it
was weeks before could get over GER
tain apprehensive uneasiness that pur-
sued me even IN my dreams.
"Ispent the ensuing winter and spring
in Stockholm; but with the return of
another summer my friend in the coun-
try invited me most cordially to repeat
nv visit at his fine old estate, and as l
knew he really wanted me to come,
had neither heart nor reason to decline,
"The weather during July was eN-
ceedingly warm, and during our fire.
quent fishing trips to Lake Fryksdal
nv friends and | often refreshed our
selves by taking dip in the clear wa
tiers. One afternoon, as we were fish
ing off shore near the place where
had shot my eagle, l said to my host
with bantering triumph: We'll, year
has passed, and haven't seen the ghost
of that sacred eagle yeti
"'Never mind was the reply, you
will see it yet. Mark my words. 1t
will come TO you some time when you
least expect it.
81 laughed and proposed that we take
a swim, as the sun was getting up very
warm, and the fish were not biting at
all My friends assented, so we I'M
| dressed and plunged into the lake.
| dove straight down, and, catching hold
of the jagged end of a large rock, opened
my eyes to look about me for a mo-
ment.
"Never, if I live to be a hundred, will
the sight that met my eyes at that in
slant be effaced from memory. Coming
| toward me, silently, and yet with in
credible swiftness, was the bleached
and snowy skeleton of a gigantic bird,
with wings outstretched! 1t made no
ripple, no pulsation of the water. 1t
seemed to have no means of propulsion,
| for the ghostly wings were rigid and
motionless. Yet on it came, swift and
still; and, to my Mortified imagination,
| in the whited sockets of the skull
cleaned those same reproachful con-
demning eyes which the dying eagle
had turned upon me year ago.
"To say that I was fairly paralyzed
with fear but inadequately describes
my condition. Though beginning to
| suffer for lack of air, l could not to
save me have let go my grasp of the
rock. 1 was fascinated, unclaimed.
Every muscle in my body was rigid and
| beyond control of the brain. And still
| that horrible, mysterious specter was
coming toward me, and l could neither
avoid it or ward it off.
How long l chung there, suffocating
| and helpless, l know not. only know
that, just as the water-ghost was about
to strike me in the face, 1.-THE, white
| form flashed in between, a strong hand
| seized my arm and / was dragged forc-
| bly, up to the surface of the water.
| Then l lost consciousness, and the next
| thing remember was being rolled over
and over on the back and punched in the
ribs, and then opening my eyes on the
pale, anxious face of my friend who had
dived down and saved me.
when, an hour or two later, told
him the story of my deep-water APP
arition, he smiled incredulously, even
as he said: Did not tell you you would
see it some time?'
But the mystery was solved a few
days later, when, picking up a Stock
holm paper, read the following para
graph:
"a CHASTITY TROPHY.
"a recent writer tells what may be
truly regarded as one of the most curious
| incidents of natural history In some Of
the Swedish lakes. he says, large birds
of prey are in the habit OF swoopng down
on the pike basking at the surface of the
water. In these cases, If the pike be more
powerful than the bird, the latter unable
to eXtrlcate his talons, is borne to the bot
tom and drowned. Incredible as the story
seems, Eckstrom, Rev. Mr.. Moller aad
other writers, state that the flesh of tho
pike heals with the talons of the bird III
its back. while the bird becomes converted
into skeleton. which is carried about by
the pike. One skeleton, which had long
been exhibited by a pike in Lake Wetter.
had acquired a greenish tinge and was
regarded by the fishermen as q harbipger
of misfortune"
Detroit Free Press.