Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1913-06-22
The Red Spot
on theWater
;
:.
! "A Story of the Borderland
Il. of Immortality
I,
BY F. A. Mitchell


poems as Keats La Belle Dame Sans
sAlereI the beautiful woman without
mercy or Heine's water fay, not be.
cause we believe either the woman
Ter the fairy to have existed, but be
cause of the sensations aroused by the
weird pictures drawn.
+ Nevertheless there is a class of peo-
pre- among us who are not disposed to
break down the barriers between the
natural or the supernatural And have
we not societies for psychcal research,
composed of earnest and many of
them extremely intelligent persons,
Who make 1t their business to gather
information about supernatural APP
.pearanccS?
l. Personally l am neither convinced
nor uncQnvinced as to the feasibility
Qf. such Investigations though | have
mad an experience calculated to throw
hue 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
el' to make for himself or herself an
explanation to fit the case.
I During the spring worked hard in
order TO get ahead with my office
duties that | might enjoy vacation
,daring the summer. Nevertheless
When ! left home about the LIST of
July never felt better in my life. |
..iention this because the state of ones
ilealth is an important factor in com
ing to an explanation of such happen
flnss as the one that came to me. 1t is
"a well known fact that persons suffer
ms from bodily Ills are more ant to
5a3 ghosts than persons in good health.
f The scene Of my outing was on the
coast of New Hampshire. stayed
It hotel where there We're a great
many young ladies and but few young
men. | thought at first that l would
oe n clover, but since l knew no one
70 introduce me was obliged to see
mem going about in each others com
2a1y, ignoring me completely.
was told afterward that there was
ac2"cely any of them but would have
3aen glad to meet a manageable man,
IL
men of bachelor. Why l should
lave been so completely ostracized I
aont know. l am of opinion that it
vas the spirit of clique so strong in
these girls that it overpowered their
natural disposition to mate
after trying in vain to break
through the shell that kept me away
frcm them l undertook to amuse my
sell in other ways. was fond of
coating and spent a part of my time
on the water. took long walks.
did not battle, for the water was too
cold.
4 few miles up the shore from my
hotel was a cliff a hundred feet high
A path led around it's edge. fenced by
I raj! over which one could look down.
Immediately below was fiat rock
surface against which the waves roll
ed, then detected, pushed off in an
ether direction. surged in through a
cleft, then out again. All day long
Ills process continued, and as watch
ed It l could not but wonder why.
And why was I there looking down
apoa it? All was query. no answer
Nevertheless the place was fascinat-
-ns 70 me, and went there often. One
evening, when at twilight the great
y.cEe of the moon was rising out of
-ne water. l thought would like to
so 20 the cliff and see it as it would
appear under the different light. The
youig ladies Of the hotel were walk
IN, i'll 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 NOON
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
she had not been introduced. and even
It she had l did not belong to the set
II 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
it ! 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 wave. resem-
bling for all the world leviathan
Of the sea. would sluggishly lumber in.
roll against the rock. seem astonished
at having been stopped, swim over to
a 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,
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
better view of it. When wave pass
ing the place where it floated was In
shadow the red spot was not visible;
then when the moon struck full upon
It it was like blood.
was suddenly conscious of the pres
7