The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1913-06-24
The Red Spot
on theWater
A Story of the Borderland
of Immortality
By F. A. Mitchell
By F. A. Mitchell


The day of witches, vampires, fairies
and the like Is over We read Of the
Lorelei of the Rhine and peruse such
poems as Keats La Belle Dame Sans
Merci" (the beautiful woman without
mercy or Heine's water fay, not be
cause We believe either The woman
or the fairy to have existed, but be
cause of the sensations aroused by the
weird pictures drawn.
Nevertheless there is a class of peo-
pie among rs who are not disposed t.
break down the barriers between the
natural or the supernatural. And have
We not societies for psychical research
composed of earnest and many OF
them extremely intelligent persons
who make it their business to gather
information about supernatural APP
pearances?
Personally | am neither convinced
nor uncOnvnced as to the feasibility
of such Investigations, though | have
had an experience calculated to throw
me on the affirmative side. That ex-
perience ] will give just as it occurred
or, rather, as it communicated itself
through my senses, leaving each read
er to make for himself or herself an
explanation to fit the case.
During the spring | worked hard in
order TO get ahead with my office
duties that | might enjoy a vacation
during the summer Nevertheless
when | left home about the LIST OF
July | never felt better in my life. |
mention this because the state of ones
health is an important factor In com
ing to an explanation of such happen-
ings as the one that came to me. 1t is
a well known fact that persons suffer
ing from bodily ills are more apt to
see ghosts than persons in good health
The scene of my outing was on the
coast of New Hampshire. l stayed
at hotel where there were a great
many young ladies and but few young
men. | thought at first that / would
be In clover. but since | knew no one
to Introduce me | was obliged to see
them going about in each others com.
pany. ignoring me completely.
was told afterward that there was
scarcely any of them but would have
been glad to meet a manageable man.
and l considered myself a fair speci-
men Of a bachelor Why | should
have been so completely ostracized
don't know. l am of opinion that il
was the spirit of clique so strong in
these girls that 1t overpowered their
natural disposition to mate
After trying in vain to break
through the shell that kept me away
from them | undertook to amuse my
self in other ways. | was fond of
boating and spent a part of my time
on the water. | took long walks. |
did not battle, for the water was too
cold.
few miles up the shore from my
hotel was cliff hundred feet high.
A path led around its edge, fenced by
a rail over which one could look down.
Immediately below was a fat rock
surface against which the waves roll
ed, then DETECTED. pushed off in an
other direction. surged in through a
cleft, then out again. All day long
this process continued. and as l watch
ed It | could not but wonder why.
And why was | there looking down
upon 1t? All was query. no answer.
Nevertheless the place was fascinat-
ing to ME, and went there often. One
evening, when at twilight the great
globe of the moon was rising out of
the water. | thought | would like to
go TO the cliff and see it as it would
appear under the different light. The
young ladies of the hotel were walk
ing In couples and platoons, with their
arms around each others waist, back
and forth ON the piazza, and as they
saw me start off. evidently for a MOON
light walk, | thought ! could detect
usefulness in the faces of some who
saw me depart. If any of them would
have liked to be my companion she
was obliged TO restrain her desire, for
she had not been introduced, and even
If she had | did not belong to the set
of her associates and she would have
been shocked at herself to become in
Innate with any other.
The distance to the cliff was about
three miles. and when had traversed
1t approached the rail cautiously, put
a hand ON it, then stood looking over
The moon was exactly in position to
cast its rays into the recess In the
rocks below. Slowly a wave, resem-
bling for all the world a leviathan
of the sea. would sluggishly lumber in.
roll against the rock. seem astonished
at having been stopped. swim over to
q perpendicular surface on the other
side. glance and move on into the cleft
But what is that red spot on the wa
ter beside the rock? Is it an afghan, q
shawl or some other wrap that has
fallen from the cliff. or has it been
washed in from some boat out on the
ocean? So intent on it was | that
leaned over as far as | dare to get u
better view of it. When wave pass
ing the place where it foated was il
shadow the red spot was not visible
then when the moon struck full upon
1t 1t was like blood
/ was suddenly conscious of the pres
ence Of some one beside me. Why !
know not, for | heard no sound, not q
footstep nor even Q person breathing
drew back and turned my head
There. leaning upon the rail in the
same position as |, was young girl.
1t occurred to me that she must hs
,ne of party that had come-probably
from the hotel where I was stopping
for moonlight walk. looked quick
" over my shoulder for her compan-
ions, but saw no one. There were only
the rocks here and there covered with
verdure, the trees standing back, the