Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1900-06-07

to my notion. The Sea Witch war as
tight little craft as ever sot foot Oh,
and the captain war a gentleman to
the marrer of his bones. We had about
half dozen cabin passengers aboard,
and one Of these-a tall, pale sort of
sorrowful-looking young gentleman
TUX my fancy at once. He had a soft,
kind way of speaking, and he didn't
seem to set himself above an homes,
Jack Tar. like he war made of differ
ent clay. had many talk with him,
| for he used to stay on deck, ez if he
didn't like to be alone, specially after
dark. He was very Earned and clever,
and he told me many queer things that
I'd never heern before. But"-Bills
voice sank to mysterious whisper
che never told me he was jonah
"a Jonah?" echoed the listeners, in
tones of awe.
1--WE had bout the cussedest wealth
er that wage I'd ever seen," contin-
ued Bill. as if he disdained interrupt
ton. ''Twan't as much foul weathe,
as cussed weather. The wind KEEP
a-shiftin' roun' as if it didn't know
cl'arly which way to blow. and the
gales would bust on ez if they had a
spite agin' the canvas; while the way
the thunder would crash. and the light
MIN dance roun' them mastheads. was
enough to make the toughest hide
creep. And the mermaids, or" Bill
az ded. solcmnly, something else. kept
a-singiny, at the stern of the ship-a-
singing death-songs every night"
Have you never heard nothing
here?" asked one of the men, in a
hushed voice.
cts no matter what we've heard
here" answered Bill, significantly.
I'm talking now bout what war
heard there. Ennyhow the singing
want meant for nothing-for the Sea
Witch struck on rock one night,
when the Sky was so dark we couldn't
see how near we war to shore, and the
best half of the men aboard went to
the bottom with her. Folks never can
tell cl'arly what or how things happen
at sech times. It's jes' ez if so many
lives We're thrown out of bag, and
everybody grabs for his own. 1 only
know that caught hold, somehow, to
a broken spar. an was ,a-hanging to it
for life and death. when 1 seed the
white face of Mr.. Riggs-which Riggs
was the name of the tell, pale gentle
man that had sort O. TUX to. l saw
his white face a-shining out of the wa
ter beside me. and 1 grabbed him and
held him fast. He was Arranging,
though 1 didn't know it when touched
him. to long, narrow box, and when
dragged him from it, it was Orful to
hear. That air box, shipnlates. was q
coffin. and that air coffin held his dead
young wife, eZ he had run away from
home with Il year before.
Gle told me all afterward. while he
war lying in the hospital. whar they
TUX him when he was dragged ashore.
| want much the wuss or my wetting,
but that and sorrow together were his
death. He told me- wEan he was a-lay
ing there dying thai he married her
ag'in her fathers will and under her
fathers cuSS. and that cuSs had fol-
lowed him and stuck to him to the last.
She had cried out when she was a-dy-
ing. that she couldn't rest without her
father pardon, and that he must take
her home and let her father say he'd
forgive her poor clay. And it was for
this that the wage was cuSsed-it was
for this the Sea Witch went to the
bottom: because no craft could carry
that air dead woman, that was under
meath a fathers cuss. Her sperrit was
Abandoning round that air ship, for
Mr. Riggs told me, with his dying
breath. his wife followed him by night
and day"
The moon glided out from a mass of
cloud as the story ended, and Herbert
Give turned to throw his burned cigar
end into the troubled waves. AS he
did so the tlutter of woman's dress at
the companion-way attracted his atten-
ton.
He glanced toward the spot, and saw
aye, he could have sworn it-as plain
ly as he had ever seen in life, the pale,
beautiful countenance. the floating
golden hair, of Sybil Wraye!
The white-hooded cloak he had so
often seen her wear was thrown back
around her shoulders. Their eyes met,
and then-then. ere he could spring foc-.
ward to her side. she had melted from
his sight. The moon had passed be-
meath rugged storm-cloud, and all
was darkness again.