Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1897-04-10

t~"S u11rTfk.S:. keep the Dolphin
ieSEYCy moving at quiet
S.MSNsTSS rate, and the passen
@STvs gers are gathered or
:QT: deck to enjoy the
. matchless evening,
A short distance away stand two
lovers Edmund Prescott and Flor
ence Hnrris-!ooklng out upon the
ocean and meditating and conversine
upon the scene.
''How different this sky from oul
northern firmamentl" remarked the
latter, after a pause. 81 can hardly
recognize my fsvorite constellation,
The Southern Cross is beautiful, but
then miss the others. Ursa Major
has entirely disappeared, and as fol
the Minor Bear scarce star of him il
visible"
At this observation, which was in
tended for no particular ears, Adol
phus Fitzgibbon aroused himself.
"Aw-what's that, Miss Harris:
Aw! have you seen bears at sea?"
eyes, and monkeys, too," was the
quick but good-natured reply.
All of us laughed, while Fitzgibbon
looked very silly, then grinned huge
~, then seemed to mediate 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 fifteen
minutes.
I was reclining on the deck, abou,
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.
had been an invalid for years, and
was now recovering from very severe
spell Of sickness.
l was lazily drawing at my Havana,
putting the thin. fragrant smoke from
my mouth without removing the cigar
and gazing upward at 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 6
distant waterfall.
Ipresume I had lain thus for nearly
an hour, and my cigar had burned al
most to my mouth, while the Ions
column OF ashes was still unbroken
when something struck my ear like
the sound OF a bell. It was not unit
I had heard it several times that il
seemed really to affect my senses.
All at once I gave a start, the ashet
dropped upon my bosom, and I arose
to a sitting position and gazed arount
me.
"Hark!" said l.; "didn't you hear
that bell?"
"Just what have been trying tc
make Edmund believed" laughed
Florence Harris. ''He persisted il
not believing it,"
"Listen |" l said, raising my hand.
And Immediately there fell death
like silence.
And while thus intently listening,
there came across the sea, faint bu,
distinct, the soft. distant sound OF &
bell. We scarcely breathed for {
minute. The strange, solemn sount
was repeated at regular intervals. a.
il swung by the hand OF some ex
hausted sufferer, or tolled by the swell
of the ocean.
The captain by this time had ap
preached and stood in the attitude u
attention.
"We must be near the land," ven
tured to soy, rather in the form OF ar
inquiry than that of an assertion.
"No, SIR" respon led the captain.
"The nearest island is good SOC
miles away, and this doesn't come
from there, should think"
"What can it be?" asked several in
the same breath.
1.-The sound comes from that direc.
tion," said Florence Harris, pointing
toward the equator.
'Perhaps it is on board ship"
again ventured.
"Don't think it is, replied the cap.
tain, with shake OF the head.
"What can it be?" asked Florence.
To this no one vcntured to reply
for several moments. In the mean.
time the tolling OF the bell had be.
come quite distinct, and Adolphus
Fitzgibbon gave yawn, a groan, a
kick. and awoke.
"Aw-yes-aw-I was about to sug.
gest-aw-that the tea.bell should
ring-aw-aw-aww he stsmmered,
oonfusedly rising to his feet, and
pitching back and forth. Then, see.
ing us all in the attitude OF attention,
10 asked, "What-aw-the dooce is
the matter?"
"It's the Bell Of Doom !" exclaimed
Backstay Bob, a tall, SCARED sailor,
from his position at the wheel.
''Pshaw! you're childish" replied
the captain. "Whatever it is, we are
rapidly approaching it, for notice how
much louder il 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
captain took his night glass and gazed
long and intently IN that direction.
When he lowered it he said:
''I can just discover a dark body
rising and falling on the waves, bnt
nothing more. Backstay Bob, you
have got the best eyesieht Of any one
on board. See what you can make oi
it,"
Bob resigned his place at the wheel
to one OF the men and came forward
and took the glase. He held it to his
eye for several minutes without speak.
ing, and. to aIl appearances. without
even breathing, while we waited his