The Saint Paul globe., 1900-04-02

hear the sull1y sob of the sea, like some
thing large and timid, gasping to the
rude shock of the stem. The ocean hiss
ed 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 I 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, land I've heard him
speak of the blind. He declares they are
AS@0o " NC PlllOO lllcIH Tic SlOu6 U0d1. LIE
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 baffied, helpless look,
whilst the other is mild and restful, as
though it had found peace in it's COM
munes with God.'
Your father may be a very clever
- said Cont r
no faith in doctors. 1 have never met a
doctor who did me any good, and 1 have
been i'll 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
Versatlon Tor the quarter deck of ship,
close upon midnight, in dense fog!
Some banging fold of canvas famed
aloft. In voice as changed as though
he was acting, the captain exclaimed:
That's the speech of a 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 lust
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 are1ch 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 d sud-
don d0rr how o1
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 entered
the black void and thickened it, ard
seemed to close it round about till the
smoking color of light on forecasts and
quarterback dimmed into the preternat-
ural faintness of the salt sea glow when
1t shudders a fathom deep under sorae
smooth tropie~ surface.
The dog continued to bark, and there
was an importunate vehemence in lis
notes, bounding pulse Of urgency, as
though the noble creature, with Instincts
superior to mans, knew that a matter of
life or death was concerned in his SEN
tinel bugling. Voices sounded. forward
you heard 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,s he
shouted. sending his cry slap into very
web of seamen's growing voices, the own
ers of which we're no more to be seen than
the ships keel. What is it, Sailor?"
And now he was alongside the dog and
with his hand on its head felt III the di-
rection of the creatures muzzle, and
fnnnd 1t was delivering Its notes straight