The record-union., 1897-08-23
THE GHOST OF CATOL|CA.

written for the "RecOrd- Union" by
Elwyn Irving Hoffman)
Antoine Verega was as merry and
light hearted a fisherman as ever cast
a net under the sunny sky of Italy and
about the last man one would select as
capable of being frightened by anything
supernatural Yet frightened he was,
and badly, one night when he went
down to the shore where his fishing
boat was fastened. When the robust
young Italian had come in that after
noon from his usual trip there was very
little wind, and he had tiled his boat
somewhat carelessly in consequence.
But about II o'clock that night the
wind raised, and soon quite a sea was
running. Antoine was awakened by the
whistling Of the wind, and the dull,
heavy roar of the waves not very far
below him, and he lay in his warm bed
for a little while listening to them.
Then he became uneasy in mind regard
| ing the security of his boat. He re-
membered how hastily he had tied 1T,
and he knew that there was great dan
ger of it's being washed away-more
| than one poor fisherman of Catolica
having lost his boat under like circum-
! stances.
To lose the boat meant bankruptcy
| for Antoine, and was not to be thought
of for moment, as that in its turn,
meant the loss of Marie, and Marie was
more to Antoine than a dozen boats.
Just as he reached this stage of the
argument a blast of wind, fiercer than
any yet, shrieked around the little
three -cornered cottage, and made it
tremble to it's foundations. Then it
died away almost as suddenly as it had
| come, and in the lull succeeding An
tone could hear plainly the sullen
boom, BOOM" of the great waves on
! the rocks of 'the point They had a
most ominous sound, and Antoine tum-
bled out of bed at once.
When he had wrapped himself up
we'll in his heaviest clothing he started
for the shore, mumbling somewhat dis
content edly because of the necessity,
and hurrying as fast as he could over
the rough ground. The wind was very
violent too, and it buffeted him un-
mercifully as he stumbled along in the
darkness He had taken no lantern,
for he knew the path well. and the
dashing, roaring waves. sounding now
above even the wind, We're good enough
guidance
Past the queer little church, where
he was soon TO be married to -.Aarie,
he went; thence past the priests house,
and thence past the little cot where
Marie and her mother lived; then he
neared the shore and emerged upon the
smooth sand. As he went by Marie
Majortina's home he looked up and saw
a light in the window. Ah,' he
thought to himself, they are sitting
UP. thinking of Rolando. Poor Marie!
Poor mother! How their hearts must
be torn on such nights as this, and
Rolando away off on. the sea in that
leaky old tub of Gianinellrs. / will
stop in when I come back and comfort
them; they will be glad TO have some
one to talk to-
As he tramped on he was not a little
anxious himself. for Rolando was Ma
rie's only brother and Antone's best
friend More than a year before he had
sailed away with old Gianinelli in his
ship. and they had not heard from him
since then. The ship was, indeed, an
s.old tub" and should have been con-
demned long before. but it's master
still had confidence in it and had Of
fered Rolando good pay If he would
make trip with him. Despite the
warnings of Antoine and the tears and
pleadings of his old mother and his