The Newport miner. [volume] (Newport, Wash.) 1899-current, 1912-10-03
AN ADVENTU f
AT The SEASIDE
Strange Vision That Ap-
peared to a Lone Camper.

love the solitude of the mountains.
But it Is not solitude to me. 1t is rath-
err a panorama embodying spirit that
must be felt, not seen. love the sol
itude of the sea, but it has an ever
moving soul. now whispering soft
words, now roaring in anger.
One summer moonlight night | was
by the waves. | would rather be near
them on moonlight nights than at any
other time. especially when broken
clouds give the sky and the waters va
riety. l never go to the hotels. | get
as far away from them as | can, stop
ping usually at some fsherman's cot
tage. On this occasion | had pitched
q tent on the beach and inha bited 1t
alone. | was lying under my canopy.
the flaps thrown aside so that from
my bed-blankets only could look
out on the ocean.
have wondered since If the music
of the waters put me to sleep and
awakened or whether / did not sleep.
At any rate. my attention was arrest
ed by something white. at least lighter
than the sand, down near the verge. |
watched it. There was an occasional
fluttering about it, like a woman's
skirts gently moved by a breeze.
Presently 1t moved Then | was con-
scious that it was coming toward me.
had no superstitiOus fear. | was sim
ply curious. AS the thing approached
it came gradually out Of nebula into
the form Of a woman. There was
certain grace Of movement. lightness
which, mingled with slight rising and
falling. was confusing. Had the fig
ure appeared on the water surface |
should have thought my eyes were
TRANSPORTING a sail that was rising
and falling on the waters.
It was only when she came near
that I distinguished the outline of
girls figure-not summer visitor. one
Of palmer mold. doubtless fisher las
sic. She stopped few yards from
me, turned and looked out on the
ocean. Then, turning again without
appearing to notice or care who was
in the tent, she asked:
"Is that boat out there"
II see no boat" l replied.
There! l can see it on the crest Of
a wave. Now it's gone"
What are you doing out here at this
time of night? Do you know what
time it is?"
NO
drew my watch from my vest peck
ct. 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.
/ 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.
81 see no boat" | said.
Its in the trough of the sea now
There is but a slight trough. Even
If boat we're lost to sight between
the waves it would reappear in few
moments"
She stood peering out on the ocean.
A cloud foated over the moon. She
said with moan, note Of despair.
rather. it seemed to me:
"Oh. how blackr'
The cloud was denser than any that
had obscured the moon before. The
last words heard spoken by the girl
were. They're coming" and she be-
gan 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 seen. lay
thinking. wondering. for awhile. then,
lulled by the waves. fell asleep
When | awoke the sun was rising
out of the ocean. while the waves were
FLASHING languidly. The first thing
thought of was the girl of the night
before. 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 | could remember. while
hers I remembered distinctly. Was
she not some girl who had been de-
mented by misfortune?
I went to breakfast at a fisherman's
cabin. 1t was a rude place. but I got
there plenty of sea food The fisher
man was preparing to go out in his
boat while his wife waited on me-
was full Of my dream. or whatever it
was, and related it.
The man stopped his preparations and
listened with a look of horror, while
his wife turned and covered her eyes
with her hands.
looked at them wonderingly 1t
was plain that I had struck some
blight in their lives. Should I probe it
by questions or spare them? What had
[ to gain by forcing recital that would
give them infinite pain? If there was
any connection between them and my
apparition it needed no strong imagi-
nation to replace it.
Lying in my tent during that day.
wOve the story. | saw a ship out on
the bar. the waves beating furiously
against it. The shore was lined with