The Opelousas courier., 1897-06-05


' matchless evening
A short distance away stand tw
lovers-Edmund Prescott and Flo1
ence Harris-looklng out upon tn
ocean and meditating and conversln
upon the scene.
"How different this sky from on
northern frmament!" remarked tn
latter, after a pause. II can hardl,,
recognize my favorite constellation
The Southern Cross is beautiful, bu
then I miss the others. Ursa Majo
has entirely disappeared, and as TO
the Minor Bear scarce a star of him i
visible"
At this observation, which vas in
tended for no particular ears, Adolf
plus Fitzgibbon aroused himself.
"Aw-what's that, Miss Harris
Aw! have you seen bears at sea?"
"Yes, and monkeys, too," was tn
quick but ~good.natured reply.
All of us laughed, while Fitzgibbor
looked very silly, then grinnel huge
ly, then seemed to meditats some
scathing witticism, then concluded he
would not, and stretched out upon
his side with his back toward the
lovers, and pretended to, or really
did, fall asleep within the next ffteer
minutes.
! was reclining on the deck, about
q dozen feet from where the lovers
stood-not with any intention of lis.
tening to their words, but simply be.
cause I had taken my position first,
and was too languid to change it. I
had been an invalid for years, and
was now recovering from very sever
spell of sickness.
I was lazily drawing at my Havana,
putting the thin, fragrant smoke from
my mouth without removing the cigar,
and gazing upward st the brilliant
stars as they slowly sailed overhead.
I was in that delicious, dreamy state,
half-asleep and half.awake, hearing
only the murmur of the voices around
me, as one hears the faint sound of a
distant waterfall.
presume I had lain thus for nearly
an hour, and my cigar had burned al
most to my mouth, while the long
column of ashes was still unbroken,
when something struck my ear like
the sound of a bell. 1t was not until
I had heard it several times that it
seemed really to affect my senses.
All ct once l gave a start, the ashes
dropped upon my bosom, and I arose
to a sitting position and gazed around
me.
"Hark!" said I; "didn't you hear
that bell?"
'tJust what I have been trying to
make Edmund believed" laughed
Florence Harris. "He persisted in
not believing it."
"Listen r"I said, raising my hand.
And Immediately there fell a death.
like silence.
And while thus intently listening,
there came across the sea, faint but
distinct, the soft. distant sound Of a
bell. We scarcely breathed for q
minute. The strange, solemn sound
was repeated at regular intervals, as
if swung by the hand of some ex-
hausted sufferer, OF tolled by the swell
Of the ocean.
The captain by this time had ap-
preached and stood in the attitude of
attention.
"We must be near the land," I ven
tured to say, rather in the form of an
inquiry than that of an assertion.
"No, sir" responded the captain.
"The nearest island is a good 800
miles away, and this doesn't come
from there, I should think"
"What can it be-" asked several in
the same breath.
"The sound comes from that direc.
tion," said Florence Harris, pointing
toward the equator.
.Perhaps it is on board a ship,"I
again ventured.
"Don't think it u.s." replied the cog.
tair-Yith a shake Of thehead.
"What can it be?" asked Florence.
To this nc one ventured to reply
nor several moments. In the mean
time the tolliug of the bell had be.
come quite distinct, and Adolphus
F~itzgibbon gave a yawn, a groan, a
kick. and awoke.
"Aw--yes-aw-I was about to sug-
gest-aw-that the tea-bell should
he stammered,
confusedly rising to his feet, and
pitching back and forth. Then, see
ing MS all in the attitude of attention,
he asked, "What-aw-the dooce. is
the matter?"
"It's the Bell of Doomr" exclaimed
Backstay Bob, a tall, Scared sailor,
from his position at the wheel.
"Pshaw! you're childish" replied
the captain. "Whateyer it is, we are
approaching it, for notice how
much louder ii sounds"
Such was the case. The bell was
now heard clear and distinct to the.
south. and was approaching nearer
every moment. Shortly after, the
took his night glass and gazed
.ong and intently IN that direction.
When he lowered it he said:
II car just discover = dark BODY
Using and falling on the waves, bnt
lothing more. Backstay Bob, you
lavesgot the best evesight Of any one
board. See what You can make of
Bob resigned his place al the wheel
Q one of the men and came forward
nd took the glass. He held it to his
ye for several minutes without speak
ng, and. to nil appearances, without
ven breathing, while we waited his
Foyd With the deepest interest.