Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1908-10-30
By the Sea.
foriginall

One summer moonlight night | was
by the waves. | would rather be near
them on moonlight nights than at n
other time. especially when broken
clouds give the sky aud the waters
variety. | never go to the hotels. l
get as far away from them as | car.
stopping usually ut some fsherman's
cottage. On this occasion | had
pitched a tent on the beach and in
habited II alone. | was lying under
my canopy, the flaps thrown aside so
that from my bed-blankets only
could look out on the ocean. There
was the sky. light clouds slowly drift
ing across the face of the moon. the
line of the horizon dividing the lighter
from the darker hemisphere. The ocean
plane met the path of moonlight broad
ening toward me from affair, the waves
lazily rolling in and bursting on the
shore.
/ have wondered since If the music
Of the waters put me to sleep and |
awakened or whether I did not sleep.
At any rate, my attention was ar
lColGu ny SOlltlnlnk Muittt III iCucl
lighter than the sand. down near the
verge. l watched it There was an
occasional futtering about it, like a
woman's skirts gently moved by q
breeze. 1t appeared to be about the
height of a human figure, though really
In my perception Of 1t there was no
such thing as size, and was gently
swaying like a very young tree shaken
by the wind.
Presently 1t moved. Then l was con-
scious that it was coming toward me.
l had no superstitious fear. l was SIM
ply curious. AS the thing approached
1t came gradually out of nebula into
the form Of a woman There was a
certain grace of movement, a lightness
which. mingled with a slight rising and
falling, was confusing. Had the figure
appeared on the water surface l
should have thought my eyes were
TRANSPORTING a sail that was rising and
falling on the waves.
It was only when . came near
that | distinguished the outline of a
girls f1gnre-not a summer visitor, one
of palmer mold. doubtless a fisher las
sic. She stopped a few yards from
me, turned and looked out on the
ocean Then, turning again without
appearing to notice OF care who was in
the tent, she asked:
"Is that a boat out there?"
what are you doing out here at this
time of night? Do you know what
time 1t ISL"
mo"
l drew my watch from my vest
pocket. l slept in my clothes. Its
half past l."
"Is it?" She manifested no interest
at the hour. She stood looking out at
sea, apparently watching for another
sight at the boat.
There it is. Heavens, how they
bend to the work."
l raised myself on my elbows and
strained my eyes to discern if | could
see what the girl saw. Surely there
was no BOAT out where she was look
ing. The dark face of the ocean was
expressionless except where the noon
light trailed over it.
81 see no boat" l said.
Its In the trough of the sea now"
"There is but a slight trough. Even
If q boat were lost to sight between
the a 1t would reappear in a few
moments"
She stood peering out on the ocean.
A cloud foated over the moon. She
said with a moan, a note Of despair.
rafhor II caama1 tn mo.
"Oh, how black!"
The cloud was denser than any that
had obscured the moon before. The
last words l heard spoken by the girl
were, They're coming" and she began
to move toward the ocean, fading away
In the shadow of the cloud. When it
passed l looked for her, but she was
nowhere to be l lay thinking,
wondering, for awhile, then. lulled by
the waves, fell asleep.
When l awoke the sun was rising
out of the ocean, while the waves were
FLASHING languidly. The first thing l
thought Of was the girl of the night
before. I drifted between many opin-
ions. Possibly l may have dreamed it
all. But never before had l dreamed
about one a stranger to me whose face
and figure l could remember. while
hers I remembered distinctly. Was
she not some girl who had beer de-.
mented by misfortune?
l went to breakfast at a isherman's
cabin. 1t was a rude place, the only
decoration being a Autograph of the
Virgin Mary, but l got there plenty o.
sea food. The fisherman was prepar-
ing to go out in his boat while his wife
waited or me- l was full of my dream.
or whatever It was, and related it.
The man stopped his preparations
and listened with a look of horror.
making the sign of the cross, while his
wife turned and covered her eyes with
her hands.
I looked at them wOndarinr1v II