The Wichita tribune., 1898-09-03
Bentley's Ghost.

Did | ever tell you the story Of Bent
ley's ghost? Well, it all happened
during my second voyage to Rio in the
Vixen. Mark Bentley had taken pas
sage with us, and livelier young man
you never saw. He was going to enter
the establishment of his uncle, Nicho-
las Barton, of the firm Of Barton &
Clippinger brokers and shipping mer-
chants, and as old Barton was getting
up in years, and had no nearer kin,
1t was generally understood that young
Bentley would be heir to his large for
tune.
We had been out a week from New
York when Mark disappeared. Over
board-that was all we could make of
it, sir, and there wasn't man aboard
the Vixen but was shocked at the in
cident. The whole thing was a mys-
terry, for there wasn't soul could tell
for certain what had become of Bent
ley. But as he was not on board, there
and that was he had fallen overheard
and been lost.
But as he was a young man who
never took strong drink, and as there
had been no stormy weather since leav-
ing port, the mystery about poor Bent
ley's disappearance seemed all the
more puzzling.
The night of Bentley's disappearance
was very dark, and about three in the
morning, as / was taking my turn at
the wheel, / thought | heard a splash
forward, and l was pretty sure some
one had gone overheard. | threw a
couple of life buoys over and gave the
alarm; but, bless you, they only pooh
pooed at me, and the mate f1ared I'D
and says to me:
"Spriggins, you'd better take less
grog, and you won't see men going
overheard like this"
Well, they don't make so light of me
when it is discovered that Bentley is
missing, which is not till some hours
after; but Captain Strong refuses to
lay by, swearing a good deal that such
an accident should happen aboard him.
But if passengers will go staggering
overheard in fair weather." says he,
cor, what's more likely, commit sui
eide, [ am not to stand by whole day
to look for a corpse lying at the bot
tom of the sea-"
So, with sails set, we continued our
course to Rio. Off the West Indies a
heavy squall struck us and carried us
far out of our course, and for the next
week the weather was about as rough
as one would want to see. Aside from
a small leak which was sprung and
some cabin skylights which were
smashed by falling yards, the Vixen
suffered no damage to speak Of.
l think it was the night after the
storm had blowed itself out that Bent
ley's ghost was first seen. It was we'll
on in the night, and | was taking my
turn at the wheel, when all of a sud-
den Magsby comes on deck looking
white as a sheet. Magsby was man
Of about forty who had taken passage
to Rio, and barring the fact that he
drank a good deal of liquor, l knew
nothing about him. Well, he comes up
to the pinnacle, and leaning On the rail,
looks as if he might go over, so white
and shaky was he.
After standing there for a momen.
and saying nothing, he asks:
"Do you believe in dead mems
ghos&s?"
Z can't say" I replied, being as I
never saw one"
We'll" says he, after a moments
silence, IF l didn't see Bentley's ghost
in my cabin just now, then never saw
anything in my life"
OF course, I thought he had only
been drinking a little too much, and
had imagined he had seen a ghost. So
| only smiled and said that I guessed
he had been dreaming or had had a
nightmare.
''No, sir he said, running his hand
over his face, as if to brush something
away; 1T was no dream, and | say to