Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1913-12-03


/ the cold waters Of the lower bay?
Can there be seated upon the various
islands passed by the ferry steamers
Loreleis whose witching songs lure the
respondent to doom?
No" resumed the captain, "it is the
romance hidden in every human sou!
which asserts itself in persons who
are temperamentally weak and forces
them to the performance of this last
despairing act in circumstances which
might be deemed theatrical, but which
are, in fact, extremely natural There
is the clouded sky, dense darkness,
myriads of white caps flying swiftly
by, resembling a shroud whose color
and form are ever changing; the
steamer blowing it's way through the
foam crested waves, the silence of the
black night, broken only by the
rhythmical hum of the machinery and
the dreary sobs escaping from the ex-
haust pipes.
Pretty soon there is hubbub a
scream or two, some shouts, and a
smothered cry as a woman springs
over the rail, to be swallowed up by
the waves, leaving no trace behind.
The romance of life, begun perhaps
under happy auspices, has found its
fulfillment in a plunge and the word
'Finis' is written when the body after
having lain on slab in the morgue
for many days without being identified
is deposited in Mother Earth. The
tragedy of life has come to close
and then comes-obliyion.
The captain was reminded Of the
incident of a young couple who one
day several years ago went aboard
Staten island ferry steamer in the
greatest haste At their heels came
clerical looking man. evidently min
lister Just as the boat pulled out OF
the slip carriage was driven wildly
into the ferry house and an elderly
man, springing therefrom, ran to the
end Of the slip, shouting for the ferry
to return.
"Of course we kept right on"
laughed the captain. Il was wonder
ing what had occasioned the chase
when the clerical looking gentleman
came to me and asked if | would be a
witness to a marriage. | couldn't re-
fuse, and he led me to the Womens
cabin, where stood as fine looking
couple as ever were spliced. A wom-
an passenger consented to act as
bridesmaid while 1 served as best man
Il later heard that the young bride
was the daughter of a wealthy man
who had refused his consent 70 her
marriage with clerk in his employ
But love laughs at locksmiths, they
say, and in this instance the laugh
was on the old man. who was shaking
his fists at us in rage as he STOOD at
the end of the ferry slip. | net the
couple several times after that event
and I'm happy to say that the ola man
had become reconciled to his son-In-
law and that all turned out happily IoE
all concerned, as the novelists say.
II could tell you a score OF similar
occurrences, but you might weary oL
the telling of them in detail. You see
and hear all sorts of queer things one
of the oldest animals in the woflu
is the fresh air crank. who persists IL
walking about on the upper deck IN al
sorts of weather in the belief that tne
air is doing him good. One OF theSs
chaps used to take his air in this way
and the colder and foggier it was Inc
better he was pleased. He Woula
stand out bareheaded in the mist VIII
his coat open, his head thrown up
ward as if he really enjoyed 1t an
Meanwhile others shivered under sher
ter and fancied they were watching
lunatic. One day this chap failed 10
show up and ! learned he had ul9u
of pneumonia. Some how Eadn 'n'
slightest sympathy for him