Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1898-02-10
A PHANTOM VOICE.

A HHANlUM NUlCE.
The vast circle Of the horizon is un-
broken, yet here is no solitude, for birds
in thousands sweep circling about, from
the huge albatross, flying past at his so
miles an hour, to the little swallowlike
Mother Carey.
The scene for the time is peaceful.
The laundering storms which lash
oceans face into fury and fill the air
with hurrying wrack and sweeping rain
are stilled.
But though the surface of the water
is smooth, save for little ripplets like
those on the summer face of river, the
great bosom of the south Atlantic heaves
in mighty pulsations to the long, rolling
pillows, which follow in a stately, end
less procession and tell of some distant
hurricane past or to come.
Above, the great dome of heaven is
cold, steely blue, fiecked here and there
with cloud masses, snow white as AL
pine peaks. rejecting in their shadows
the colors of ocean S face.
The sinking sun flashes sparkling
glory over the scene, and the great
cloud forms change tint after tint As
he declines westward above him shafts
of light shoot up half way to the zenith
Rolling on the swell lies boat
Three of it's crew appear to live; of the
others the living souls have fled.
Two crouch with bowed heads The
third, young fellow in his first man
hood, looks wistfully round. The great
birds fit by him with bright eyes. They
do not settle yet.
Once as great billow lifts the boat
skyward he thinks he sees, far away to
the east, silvery speck. What is it--a
ship? Had the God of that cruel blue
sky heard his prayers? For he had BEEN
praying as few ever pray and seemed to
have feeling that he had been heard
Anxiously he waits for a huge wave to
rush past and lift them again to the
same altitude. but it comes not, and the
sun sets.
They have robbed their dead comrades
Of their coats, and now the three huddle
together for warmth and meager COM
fort, for another awful night is before
them. Will dawn see them alive? The
nearest succor is so miles away.
In highly decorated apartment. half
diyan, half sitting room in appearance,
thin, wiry man sprawls on couch.
He is smoking a Burmese cheroot, one
of a stock be laid in last voyage, but be
does not appear to be in that calm,
peaceful frame Of mind which is neces-
sary for the full enjoyment of the blessed
weed-nor is he.
Captain Abel Cushman of the Ameri-
can ship Paul Revere has fine craft
under him, a strong crew, good officers;
has made a smart passage this far, and
yet is greatly troubled An hour ago he
woke from his after dinner nap most
scared to death. /" A young man,
stranger, had stood over him and said,
"Steer west by south. Even when he
had opened his eyes there stood the
stranger, who, as the skipper lifted
himself up, vanished.
This happened some half hour since
"Waal, swan to gracious'' said
the captain. 'sWest by south, hey?
Naow, what in thunder did it mean?''
He began pacing up and down his lit
tie saloon, muttering and thinking.
Many old sea yarns anent similar cir
cumstances came into his mind, and
strong feeling was creeping over him
that he must obey this supernatural or
der. And yet merchant skipper does
not care to pose as a fool in the eyes of
his crew.
"What will the boys think?' he NUT
tered. "Cnsh, my sonny, guess you s
bewitched. .
His rowing eyes fell on book which
lay on little side table. Aimlessly he
took it up, and as he did so-was it
mere fancy?-again the voice spoke,
sSteer west by south. He dropped the
book, whispering in wonder, WAL, /
dew ~
The volume had fallen open and lay
at his feet. AS he picked it up he saw
it was Bible.
s:Cush, he Whispered to himself,
s.that was spoken on the gorspels. =
He turned over the pages and looked
at the fly leaf:
"EIiphalet Coleby- From his loving
wife, Mizpah.
His brows contracted. He was trying
to remember the method of some modern
"sortes' which the old women at home
used to practice something to do with
a key.
Presently he again muttered to him
self, There ain no harm anyhow"
Opening the book at random, he laid
it on the table and placed forefnger
on the open page. Then he looked at
the verse thus selected.
There came out two women. and the
wind was in their wings. =