The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1912-05-21
By Morgan Robertson

but her fear ana contempt, ! may pe
rewarded by the love and companion
ship of her soul. DO love her soul:
Has her soul beauty Of face and the
figure and carriage Of a Venus? Has
her soul deep blue eyes and a sweet,
musical voice? Has it wit and grace
and charm? Has it wealth Of pity
for suffering? These are the things I
loved. l do not love her soul, If she
has one. | do not want it. ! want
her-I need her" lie stopped In his
walk and leaned against the bridge
railing, with eyes fixed on the fog
ahead. He was speaking his thoughts
aloud now. and the first officer drew
within hearing, listened a moment anu
went back. Working on him." he
whispered to the third officer. Then
he pushed the button which called the
captain. blew short blast OF the
steam whistle as a call to the boat
swain and resumed his watch on the
drugged lookout, while the third OIL
Ger conned the ship.
The steam call to the bcatswain Is SO
common sound on Il steamship rs to
generally pass unnoticed. This call af
fected another besides the boatSwain
A little nightgowned figure arose from
an underberth In saloon stateroom
and, with wide open. staring eyes.
CROPPED its way to the deck unobservcl
by the Waterman. The white. bare
little feet felt no cold as they battered
the planks Of the deserted promenade.
and the little figure had reached the
steerage entrance by the time the cap
tain and boatswain had reached the
bridge.
"And they talk" went on Rowland
rs the three watched and listened. "of
the wonderful love and care of a mer.
ciful God, who controls all things, who
has given me my defects and my ca
mcity for loving and then placed
Myra Gaunt In my way. Is there
mercy to me in this? AS part OF a
great evolutionary principle. which
develops the race life at the expense
Of the individual. 1t might be consistent
with the idea of a Coda first cause
But does the individual who perishcs.
because untitled to survive, owe any
love or gratitude to this God? lie
does not! On the supposition that he
exists, l deny It! And on the com
plctc lack Of evidence that he does
exist. l affirm to myself the integrity
of cause and effect, which Is enough
to explain the universe and me. \
mercful Coda kind. loving, just and
mercful Cod lie burst into fit OF
homogeneous laughter. which stopped
short as he clappcd his hands to his
stomach and then to his head. "What
ails me-" he gasped. II feel as though
had swallowed hot coals--and my head
and my eycs-I can't see" The pain
left him in a moment, anu the laughter
returned. whats wrong with the
starboard anchor? It's moving. Its
ehangsg. It's a-what? What on
earth Is It? On end-and the windlass
and the spare anchors-and the dav'
its-all alive--all moving"
The sight he saw would have been
horrid to a healthy mind, but it only
moved this man to increased and uncon
trollable merriment. The two rails be
low leading to the stem had arisen
before him in n shadowy triangle, and
within 1t were the deck fittings he had
mentioned. The windlass had become
thing of horror. black and forbidding
The two end barrels were the hulging
lightless eyes Of nondescript mon
ster, for which the cable chains had
multiplied themselves into innumcrabl'
legs and tentacles. And this thing was
crawling around within the triangle
The anchor davits were many headed
serpents which danced on their tails
and the anchors themselves vrithed
and squirmed in the shape Of immense
hairy caterpillars, while faces appeared
on the two white lantern towers, grin
ming and leering at him. Wit hi'
hands on che bridge rail- AMI tears
streaming down his face. he laughed
at the strange sight, but did not si"'k'
and the three. who had quiet.y ap
preached, drew heck to await, "l'e
below on the promenade deck the i'il'
white figure, as though attracted b ms
laughter, turned into the stairwa. .eai-
ing to the upper deck.
The phantasmagoria faded to iank
wall of gray fog. and Rowland f"lha
sanity to mutter, They've d7a@-e'l
me-" but in an instant he stood la the
darkness Of a garden, one thai b; iiao
known. In the distance ware the
lights Of house. and close to lin va.
q young girl. who turned from I'm anu
fled, even as he called to her.
By a supreme effort Of VII ne
brought himself back to the present %
the bridge he stood upon and 10 ms
duty. "why must 1t haunt NE through
the years." he groaned. drunk 'heh,
drunk since? She could have sa.ei
me, but she chose to damn me- ne
strove to pace up and down, but sag
gered and chung to the rail, while y.
three watchers approached again. anu ,
the little white figure below cNlipe''
the upper bridge steps.
The survival Of the fittest' he ia l,.
bled a. he stared into the log. nus
} and effect It explains the unisels
ssAx-A ~. hand an0 SpOAS