The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-11-15


 staying in the topworks of the little steamer and unshipping her own rud- der. Then, on her first voyage, she had been knocked down In a West India hurricane and partially dismasted, making a big bill for repairs at St. Thomas, and so on, hard luck without end, including a peculiar habit or never being around and ready when freights were unusually high and tonnage scafce.
 Such, in brief outline, was the woeful record of the saucy three-master Aurora, as submitted by various members of the investigating committee seated around cassidy. stove. But the worst was yet to come-the darkest cloud was yet to be added to the general gloom in which common report had enshrouded the Au- rora. Wentworth, the calker, came in just at the conclusion of the committees s report and announced that while he was ready and willing to calk the matches and ports of that strange three-master, considering that one mans money was as good as anothers, he'd be eVcrlastlngly cussed if he would stay aboard of her s minute after sundown, she being Ina nted," if ever a vessel was. The story had been told around the boarding houses of the Devils Half Acre that former master of the Aurora had been murdered in his cabin by Portuguese sailor, who had been tempted by great wad of bills the captain was counting, and that every night since then, at ex- actly eight bells in the midnight watch, the captain appeared in shadoWy out line, seated al the cabin table counting his money, while any one who happened to be on deck at the time would see an- other specter knife in hand, run along the rail to the main rigging, jump onto the pier and vanish in the darkness.
 The shivery subject of ghosts was dis cussed at length, and the schooner Au- rora was getting rather bad name, when in came Captain Babbidge. As president of the Investigating committee and master of ceremonies, the facts con corning the Aurora were promptly laid before the captain, who listened patiently as he filled his pipe. At the conclusion of the yarn the captain merely grunted and remarked something about the world being full of crazy folks. "Yes, sir he continued, after @ dozen strong pulls at his pipe, "crazy's looms, specially on the subjick O ghosts. Had them kind O folks long O me in diff rent vessils. No harm into 'em, mebbe, but terrible teJus to hear 'em tell bout spcrits n things they claim to see O nights. Never see nothin'-nothin' t all. O course. All mag ina ton.
 "Now. take this three-master. Bet any man here she ain't got no sperits nor ghosts nor nothin' n never had. barrin' in bottles, n all this talk bout her hard luck don't jibe very well with the looks of her. Onlucky vessils don't look so slick s this one. Don't know her Cap'n, but bet a dollar he's q man that tends to business n don't take no stock in ghosts. Look at me! Where'd I be f b'leeved in ghosts? I'd ben into the poorhouse or the lun'tic 'sylum 30 years ago! Ship noates with ghosts? Well, I should say l had. that is, 'cordin' to what they claimed forrards, n even one O my mates was scart blue over some kind Of spook that used to make reglar trips in the old Ocean Wave.
 "yvhen the man that used to go In the Ocean, Wave cut his throat with razor ,cause his wife run away with Boston barber. the mate brought the vessel home here to Bangor n the owners sent for me to take her, offerin' me 55 per cent to sail her. Freight bein good, n the Ocean wave bein' only six year old n a good vessil every way, l took up the oner' n when folks heerd bout my goin' in her thev all shook their heads n told me I'd better stay ashore, cause there Want L no ,,,c,r for no one in ha'nted vessil. They said that the mate that fetched her home soid he couldn't get no one to look into the Caun stateroom after dark, cause ,s ,bev did they'd see the Cap'n layin' there in his bunk, with his throat cut n :. hioody razor in his hand. They couldn't see how a man was goin' to turn into that bunk n get any sleep.
 "Well, I told 'em if the Cap'n O the Ocean Wave wanted to slit his gizzaro that was his business, n if I wanted to nt, inc vessel on shares that was mine. So took the schooner, shipped new ora,,, n sailed for Moo York. Jest as we ,,,as towin' out O Bangor, bumboat man oor,a ,longside n had some talk with the ,,,ats m fore we got down to Odom r aaea the mate he come to me n says, says he:
 ".can,n. I'm told this one's hanted. n # that's so I want to get out Of her quick u,.. off to hold that crew, so l took the mate helow 'n pinted out the Cap'n's state- room you see that bunk? says I. Well, tbe only ghost board O this one stays right in there-me n him hunks together. ue never gets on deck. You jest give this stateroom wide berth n you'll never run foul of him. Now, you've r,gred as mate fer this trip, n want you to turn to n tend to bisness n keep your mouth shet bout spooks. or we'll be ieft without man to turn hand
 "The mate-John Green his name was ha looked at me curis like n then give sort n scart look at the suicides bunk. If was SO foolish that laffed right in his face n then he got kind O 'shamed n went on deck without sayin' a word. Didn't hear nothin more bout ghosts that day. Crew seemed 10 De all right huff, considerin what mixed lot they