The record-union., 1897-08-27
A LOCK OF HAIR.

He was sitting on log opposite the
Postoffice, waiting for the coming of
the stage that brings mail to the PENN
sular villages. He looked at me with
frank curiosity. You are resorter,
amt you?" he asked-'resorter' is the
peninsular title for a summer boarder.
l admitted that l was Mrs. Knut
blossoms resorter and had arrived on
the Richgood boat.
Every summer We have 'em, he
said proudly. Last year there was
six resorters in Abraham, coming and
going. Won't you set down on this
Logo" he asked. THE stage II be here
in bout twenty minutes can hear it
jingling along the bay road now"
He was the picture of venerable old
age as he sat there in the sunshine.
His hair was like the whitecaps on the
bay, his color was of the rich brown
that comes on a fair skin long ex-
posed to wind and weather and his
eyes We're yet of a brave blue. He
wore an old coat, jeans pantalOons and
gay carpet slippers-the favorite foot
gear Of the peninsular sailor when
ashore.
You've been a sailor?" I ventured
as We sat looking across the bay TO
where the cliff came UP from the water
like IN uncouth giant fresh from the
bath
Been a sailor! Well, I should say
So he answered with good natured
derision. I'm Captain Zenos Hall.
and boy and man, I sailed the lakes
e., /. a
the Calisty NJ Jones, the best three
master that ever put into this har-
Dor. She was a boat You don't see
her like since them blamed steamers
are spelling the lake trade 1t don't
take no sense to run them-just stand
on tie bridge and see that you don't
run in shore Now. there's fine p'ints
about running a sailing vessel-you
don't have an old propeller chuning
away whether there's a fair wind or
a calm
You must have had strange adven-
lures in your day?"
Adventures and wreclxings and ev-
cry kind Of time" he responded. i've
been en- a schooner that caught aflre in
the middle of Superior and I was
wrecked in the wust squat that ever
blew en- Erie. but about the queerest
thing that ever happened to me was
right over there at Eagle Island" He
pointed to the low, crescent shaped is
land that lay near the entrance Of
Abraham Bay THAT it was true
makes II all the queerer"
I answered that a true story was
often stranger than those in the maya
zines.
Now you're talking sense" he re-
piled heartily, "for there never was no
truer story going than this one and
ag'in there wasn't no queerer one But
p'rans you wouldn't care to hear it %
he concluded artfully.
I protested that my life would be in
complete until I had heard this yarn.
Well, he began, settling himself
comfortably on his log. about fifteen
years ago when I was sailing the Ca
listy NJ Jones. I was running between
Green Bay and Escanaby, carrying
flour and provisions. I wasn't living
here in Abraham then, but I ust to put
in at Eagle Island whenever the wealth.
er got rough, for it's the best harbor
in the whole Green Bay-inside that ba-
sin you're just as quiet as if you was
in the arms Of your mother We was
on the down trip. light, and out by
Chambers Island the wind went down
and I saw it was going to be dead
cam. SC I said we'd put into Eagle
harbor for the night Tt was dark by
the time we'd got our anchorage and
ct supper. but the mate and crew took
the yawl boat and went ashore. They
hadn't more'n got out Of hearing when
the cook said he was about out Of but
ter and he pulled over to the village
in the dingey to get some more.
] was left alone, and set on TOP of
the cabin a-smoking and looking at
the path the moon made on the water.
for the whole bay was as smooth as
II oil had been poured on it. I thought
I heard a noise forward-a splashing.
a gurgling. I listened a bit and then
I Went as far as the foremost.
amt a-feared of squalls or human be-
ings. but 7 saw something that made
me shake like I had a chill I saw
two hands gripping the gunwale, and
they We're dead hands They was lit
tie, but they had long, crooked nails,
and a broad thumb that looked as if
It could choke the breath from a mans
throat I watched 'em clutching the
rail, and in a minute head came up
and the eyes looked straight into
mine As I said before, I amt no cow
ard, but them eyes just drew out my
grit. They was long and not very
wide open, and the color of blue steel
But the mouth was worse, For it was
the only red in the white face and the
upper lip was short and showed the
little. sharp teeth-the mouth was
smiling-but it made your heart sick.
And the head had long, yeller hair that
was dripping wet and all tangled up
with weeds and shells. While I was
staring it come over me that il was a
woman-a dead woman.
When she'd got on deck she walked
aft, paying no more attention to me
than if I'd been the capstar. Then
two men came crawling up the side
They wasn't pretty to look ait. and one
had a blue scar clear across his cheek.
but after I'd seen the woman I could
stand. them. All of EN- had the faces
of drowned folks and where they
walked the deck was sloshing with wa
ter. I crept behind as they went aft,
and I saw 'em all go down the cabin
stairs. Then l stretched out on the
roof and looked through the skylight,
They was setting round the table