Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-04-05
A PHANTOM VOICE.

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 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 wraok and sweeping rain
are stilled.
But though the surface Of the water
is smooth, ave for little ripplets like
those on the summer face Of a 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 Of 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. rejecting in their shadows
the colors Of oceans face.
The sinking sun flashes o 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 a boat.
Three Of its crew appear to live; Of the
others the living souls have fled.
Two crouch with bowed heads. The
third, q 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 a great billow lifts the boat
skyward he thinks he sees, far away to
the east, a silyery speck. What is tia
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 a 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 tho
sun sets.
They have robbed their dead comrades
Of their coats, and now the three hubble
together for warmth and meager COM
fort, for another awful night is before
them. Will dawn see them alive? The
nearest suocor is SO miles away.
In a highly decorated apartment, half
divan, half sitting room in appearance,
q thin, why man sprawls on a couch.
He is smoking a Burmese cheroot, one
Of q stock he laid in last voyage, but he
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 ia he.
Captain Abel Cushman Of the Ameri.
can ship Paul Revere has q fine craft
under him, a strong crew, good officers;
has made a smart passage this far, and
yet ia greatly troubled. An hour ago he
woke from his after dinner nap :" most
scared to DEATH" "A young man, a
stranger, had stood over him and said,
ssSteer west BY SOUTH" Even when he
had opened his eyes there stood the
stranger, who, al the skipper lifted
himself up, vanished.
This happened some half hour since.
"Waal, / swan to graoiousI'' said
the captain. "West by south, hey?
Naow, what in thunder did it meanf"
He began pacing up and down his lit.
tie saloon, muttering and thinking.
Many old SEQ yarns anent similar cir.
cumstances came into his mind, and a
STRONG feeling was oreeping 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 thinka'' be mutt
tered. "Cush, my sonny, l guess you's
bswitohed."
His rowing eyes fell on q book which
lay on . little side table. Aimlessly he
took It up and a. be, did so-was il
mere fanoy?-again the voice spoke,
s'6teer west BY south" He dropped the
book. Whispering in wonder, "sWaal, !
dew"
The volume had fallen open and lay
q bio fset. Al he picked Il up he saw
It wal ! Bible.
"Cush, he Whispered to himself,
"that wal spoken on the gorspelln
He turned over the pages and looked
ct the fy Leaf:
"Eliphalet Coleby. From his loving
wife, Mizpah."
His brows contracted. He was trying
70 remember the method Of soms modern
..sortes" which the old women at home
used to praotioe-something TO do with
: key.
Presently be again muttered 70 him
sslf, ssThere Amt no harm anyhow.
Opening the book At random, he laid
u on the table and placed : foreflnger
On ~ cpen spasa. Then he looked at
lie vsssetkusseelected.
There came ont two women, and To
Wind Sass ~ thelsNwihskH
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