The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1898-02-10
A PHANTOM VOICE.

The vast circle Of the horizon is I'M
broken, yet here is no solitude, for birds
in thousands sweep circling about, from
the huge albatross, flying past at his 60
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 wraok 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 Allan tic 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 a
cold, steely blue, flecked here and there
with cloud masses, snow white as AL
pine peaks. reflecting in their shadows
the colors of ocean s face.
The sinking sun flashes sparkling
glory over the scene. and the great
ClOuu 0tOSk tii11. SaS
he declines westward above him shafts
of light shoot up half way to tie zenith.
Rolling on the swell lies beat.
Three of its crew appear to live; Of the
others the living souls have fed.
Two crouch with bowed heads The
third. young fellow i'll his lirst man
hood, looks wistfulIy round. the great
Y>;rdr h;,,, rFl,ox,
do not settle yet.
Once as q great billow Lifts the boat
skyward he thinks he sees, far away to
the east, a 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 lie had been heard.
Anxiously he waits for hinge 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 conn
fort for another awful night is before
them. Will dawn see them aiiFG2 The
ACI-GSS SSASSCL Al 'S away.
In q highly decorated apartment, half
diyan, half sitting room in appearance,
a thin, wiry man sprawIs On couch.
He is smoking q Burmese cheroot, one
| of stuck he laid in last voyage, bnt he
does pDs appear to be in that calm,
peaceful frame of mind which is necss-
sary for the full enjoyment of the blessed
| xeeal-nor is he.
Captain Abel Cushman of the Ameri-
can ship Paul Revere has q fine craft
| under him, a strong crew, good officers;
has made smart passage this far, and
yet is greatly troubled. An hour ago be
woke from his after dinner nap Sc most
| scared to death" A young man, a
stranger, had stood over him and said.
"Steer west by south" Even when he
had opened his eyes there stood tho
| stranger, who, as the skipper lifted
himself up, vanished.
This happened some half hour since.
"Waal, I swan to gracious!" said
the captain. "West by south, hey;
Napw, what in thunder did it mean"
| He began pacing up and down his lit.
Gle saloon, muttering and thinking.
Many old sea yarns anent similar Cir.
cumstances came into his mind, and a
strong feeling was creeping over him
that he must obey this supernatural Or
der. And yet merchant skipper does
not care to pose as fool in the eyes Of
his crew. ....
"What will the boys Think" be NUT
tered. "Cush, 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 il
mere fancy?-again the voice spoke,
"Steer. west by south" He. dropped the
book, whispering in wonder, "Waal,
devil" -
The volume had fallen open and lay
at his feet AS he picked it up he saw
| it was Bible.
''Cush," he whispered to himself,
"that was spoken on the gorspels. +"
He turned over the pages and looked
at the fly leaf:
"Eliphalet Ccleby. From his loving
| wife, MizDab.
! 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 amt no harm anyhow
Opening the book at random, he laid
it on the table and placed foreinger
on the open page. Then he looked at
the verse thus selected,
There came out two women. and thu
I, wind was IN their wings =