The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1908-03-19
opYRloHr 1907, BY MCCLURE. PHILLIPS CO.


and watch for signals. Report at once
any discovery or unusual incident.
however slight"
/ Not so easily was a crew obtained.
Having In mind the excusable super
stition OF the men. Captain Parkinson
was unwilling 10 compel any of them
TO the duty. Awed by the mystery Of
their mates disappearance, the sailors
hung back. Finally by temptation OF
extra prize money complement was
made up.
At 10 o'clock of a puffy, mist laden
morning n new and strong crew Of
nine men boarded the Laughing Lass.
There were no farewells among the
officers. Forebodings weighed too
heavy for snch open expression.
All the fates of weather seemed TO
combine TO part the schooner from her
convoy. AS before, the fog fell. only
TO be succeeded by squally rain show
ers that cut out the vista into a check
erboard pattern OF visible sea aud inn
penetrable grayness. BEFORE evening
the Laughing Lass, making slow way
through the mists, had become separat-
ed by league Of waves from the
cruiser. One glimpse Of her between
mist areas the Wolverine caught at
sunset Then wind and rain descend
ed in furious volume from the SOUTH
east. The cruiser Immediately headed
about. following the probable course
of her charge, which would be beaten
far down 60 leeward. II was a gloomy
mess on the warshlp. In his cabin
Captain Parkinson was frankly seasick
"a condition which nothing but the
extreme of nervous depression ever in
duced in him.
For several hours the rain fell and
the gale howled. Then the sky swiftly
cleared, and with the clearing there
rose great cry OF amaze from stem
TO stern of tl1 Wolverine. for far To-
ward the western horizon appeared
such prodigy as the eye Of no man
aboard that ship had ever bcheld.
From a belt of marvellous. glowing
gold rich and splendid steamers Of
light spiraled up into the blackness Of
the heavens
In all the colors OF the spectrum
( they rose and fell - blazing orange.
silken. wonderful. translucent blues
and shimmerirg reds. Below a broad
/ band OF paler hue like sheet lightning
fixed to rig1ity. wavered and ripplcd.
] An the auroras of the northland blend
ed in one could but have paicd away
before the Splcndor Of that terrific ce-
lestlal apparllion.
ON board the cruiser all hands stood
petrified. bound IN structure Of speech
less wonder. After the first cry 81
! lence lay leaden over the ship. II was
| broken by scream Of terror from for
ward. The quartermaster who had
been at the wheel came clamberlng
down the ladder and ran along the
I deck. his fingers splayed and stiffened
before him in the intensity OF his
! panic.
"The needle! The compass" he
shrieked
Barnett ran to the. wheelhouse with
Tendon at his heels. The others fol-
lowed. The needle was swaylng like
a cobra's head. And as a cobra's head
splits venom, It spat forth a thin steel
blue stream of lucent fire. Then SO
swiftly II whirled that the sparks scat
tered from It in tiny shower. II
stopped, duiyeTe,i aud curved itself
upward until II ratified like a fairy
drum upon the glass shield. Barnett
looked at Trendon.
"volcanicf" he said.
"'Nine eyes have seen the glory Of
the coming of the Lord" muttercd
the surgeon IN his deep bass. as he
looked forth upon the streaming. "a
diant heavens. Its like nothing
else"
! In the west the splendor and the ter
ror shot to the zenith. Barnett whirled
the wheel. The ship responded per-
fectly.
II thought she might be bewitched.
too" he murnured.
"You may head her for the light
Mr.. Barnett" said Captain Parkinson
calmly. He had come from his cabin.
all his nervous depression gone in the
face of an imminent and visible dan
ger.
Slowly the great mass OF steel swung
to the unknown. For an hour the un-
known guided her. Then fell black
ness, sudden, complete. After that ra-
dance the dazzled eye could make
out no stars, but the lookout's keen
vision discerned something else.
'Ship afire"' he shouted hoarsely.
"Where away"
1.-TWO points to leeward. near whore
the light was, sir"
They turned their eyes IN the direc-
ton indicated and beheld a majestic
rolling volume Of purple light. Sud
denly a fiercer red shot 1t through.
"Thats no ship atire," said Trendon
volcano in eruption"
"And the otherT' asked the captain
"No volcano, sir"
Poor Billy Edwards wins his bet"
said Forsythe I'm low voice.
God grant he's on earth to collect
IT," replied Barnett sOlemnly.
No one turned in that night When
the sun of June : rose IL showed an
ocean bare Of prospect except that on
Tho far horizon whore tho char ri show