The sun., 1901-01-07

locked the Doy III. !. -, d,
.What happened during that night !
got straight from Jack myself. 1t seems
he went straight to sleep and never woke
till the faintest bit Of daylight was steal
ing into his window. Then he was
aroused, poor chap, by low murmur Oh
voices, and. sitting up, he saw. on the
hearth two figures talking together-one
n girl with long black hair and the other
a young man who held her hands and
was bending his face down to hers.
Both of 'em was dripping wet, and he
could hear the trickle Of the water as 1t
fell on the big stone hearth they were
standing on. Their faces were turned
from him, but in the girls hair was tan
gled quantity Of seaweed. :.
"Did tell you Jack was plucky lit
tie fellow2 He was, to the backbone.
He said to himself that what he saw
was an optical delusion,' i believe he
called it, that there was nobody but him
self in the room-there couldn't be be-
cause the door was locked. What do
you want-who are your he cried. And
with that he jumped out of bed and
came straight toward the two figures.
As he advanced they retreated toward
the window, and when he reached the
window there wasn't anything there,
| though the window was shut except for
little space at the top.
"Well, Jack went to bed and lay think
ing it over for .an hour, then fell asleep
again. He was perfectly healthy, Jack
was, and hadn't much idea of the super
natural.
''But now comes the strange part of It,,
for as he was dressing the next morning
what did the boy find but a pool Of salt
water on the stone hearth In that little
hollow you can see from here that hns
been worn In It and lying in 1t bit Of
fresh seaweed In which was tangled n
long black hair. Then, as Jack told me,
his own hair began to rise in good ear
nest, and he was scared.
80 that morning after breakfast he
takes the bit Of seaweed to his uncle
and asks him il he'd ever seen any
like it.
"The professor looked at the piece OF
wet weed, and his color went like the 60.
ing out of lighted taper. It's an un
common variety he said, 'as it's never
found except on the bodies of drowned
people. Where did you get 1t, Jack?
And he looked at the boy wildlike. for
was a-watching of 'em from the passage
way.
81 found it in my room,' blurted ou
the boy. There was a couple Of people IL
there last night, uncle. dripping wet
"'What do you mean?' gasped his un
Gle, looking at him strangely.
"'Come and I'll show you,' he says, il
spite of the fact that was shaking m.
fist at him from the hallway. So togethe
they went up to the seaweed room, fol
lowing to explain why I'd taken the liber
ty to lodge Jack there. But the professo
never noticed me. He followed Jack int
the room, white to the lips, and kneelinl
down examined the little pool of water OIL
the hearth. It's sea water he whisper
ed, after moment. What did you see
boy? Tell me everything
""There's nothing much to tell, uncle
went on Jack, in his Straightforward,
way. The girls hair was down her bacl
all wet, and full of seaweed. And see
Here's long black hair In the seawee,
l found
"The professor looked, then gave cr
such as ! hope never to hear again an
fell back on the floor unconscious. II
came back to life, but never was wei
after, and he died six weeks afterward
Before he went he became communica
tive, and the secret of his wife's deat
came out. He and his wife were In
small boat, the last two to leave the sink
ing vessel, together with few other pas
sengers and one sailor. The professor
being man of authority and a we
known seaman, was In charge of tn
boat. Just as they were pushing off the
saw figure clinging to the mast jus
above the water. 1t was Mrs. Linwood'
cousin and former lover. At this she erie
to her husband to put back to the shi
and rescue him and took on so nt his daI
ger that the demon of jealousy entere
her husbands soul, and he swore It woul
be impossible to go back and that to tax
another person into the boat would sin
it. At that moment the mast disappear
, ed, and as 1t did so the young ma
sprang into the sea waving a farewell {
, his cousin. Then. with one look at tn
, professor that he never forgot to his dy
ing day, Mrs. Linwood jumped overboar
and probably sank immediately-at leas
the body could not be recovered.
Eyes, 1t was strange thing, those tw
coming back-if 1t was they-to thi
room. Those who have book learning ca
make It clear. perhaps, but I'm only a
ignorant old woman and don't unde
stand these deep things. | can only te
it to you just as it happened" ."-Chicag
, TimesHeruld.