The Saint Paul globe., 1900-04-02

hear the sullky sob of the sea, like some
thing large and timid, gasping to the
rude shock Of the stem. The ocean hiss
ed a little. here and there, but the light
wind could not give life enough to the
glance Of the curl Of sea to strike
through 1T to the eye, even though one
looked straight down over the rail.
Hardy slowly made his way aft, and on
approaching the pinnacle discerned the
captain standing in the faint sheen close
to the helmsman
II never remember a thicker fog" said
the captain, and he asked questions
about the lookout the dog and the side
lights. Then walking out of the binna-
Gle haze he struck the bulwarks almost
abreast, and Hardy followed and stood
alongside.
Whenever am in this sort of thing
said Capt Layard "I think of the blind.
1t is terrible to wake of a bright morning
to the eternal darkness of ones life. |
should fear the presence of visions In
that everlasting gloom. 1t would be
haunted with phantoms, and as thick set
with wild, grotesque, horrible, brassy
faces as the human eye when morphia
closes the lid"
My father is, as you know sir, a
doctor" said Hardy, "and I've heard him
speak Of the blind He declares they are
less to be pitied than the stone deaf The
captain pshaw'd. "He would say" con-
tinued Hardy, contrast the faces Of the
two Affections. They both force the
minds eye more deeply inwards but in
the one there is the pain of attention ever
strained and a baff1ed, helpless look.
whilst the other is mild and restfuI, as
though it had found peace in its com
munes with God.'
Your father may be a very clever
man. said Capt. Layard, ''but 1 have
no faith in doctors. I have never met a
doctor who did me any good, and have
been Ill in my time, believe. They let
my wife die"
He paused as If in some passage of deep
emotion. In this interval Hardy thought
TO himself what an extraordinary con-
Versation for the quarter deck of a ship
close upon midnight in a dense fog!
Some banging fold Of canvas tapped
aloft. In voice as changed as though
he was acting, the captain exclaimed:
That's the speech of sail that asks
to be furled. The glass is high, and
there's no foul weather anywhere. If the
breeze freshens by ever so little, or if
this light air draws ahead, call me- sir.
There was positive refreshment in this
plain speech of the sea. to Hardy who
on replying to the captain found that he
had gone, and in the streaming faint
ness lowering in the companion Just
caught sight Of his head disappear
ing.
Seven bells had been struck, and Har-
dy was beginning to think it would be
eight bells soon, which must signify shell
ter, freedom from the dwarfish drerch of
the vapor, as fine but as penetrating as
rain in Lilliput, warm blanket. half a
pipe, and then oblivion for an off shore
spell Of nearly four hours, when on a sud-
den the dog barked. The tones were deep
and constant, and to the first roll of those
organ notes the loose wet canvas beat the
maSts aloft in a sudden heave Of the
whole fabric, and an element Of alarm
and even of fearful expectation snEn-o!
the black void and thickercz1 II. and
seemed to close it rc;Imd about Till the
smoKtr.g corUf or light on forecastle and
quarterback dimmed into the preternat-
ural faintness Of the salt sea glow when
it shudders fathom deep under sorae
smooth tropic surface.
The dog continued to bark, and there
was an importunate vehemence in his
notes, bounding pulse of urgency, as
| though the noble creature, with instincts
| superior to mans, knew that matter of
! life or death was concerned in his SEN
| tinel bugling. Voices sounded forward,
| you heard a hurry of feet; again the ship
leaned, and the sails smote the mast with
| an alarm sound of metal; and to the ac-
compartment Of this midnight concert,
made CHASTITY by blackness, by The over
whelming blindness of fog and by the
presence Of danger, Hardy rushed for
ward taking his chances of what might
be in the road.
Jump for a port fire. one of you," he
shouted. sending his cry slap into very
web Of seamen's growing voices, the own.
ers of which were no more to be seen thar
the ships keel. What Is 1t, Sailor?"
And now he was alongside the dog, and
with his hand on It's head felt III the di
rection OF the creatures muzzle and
falpd it was delivering Its notaa straight