The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1929-02-01

does tnick weather bother the keep
err"
Sues face s0bered.
you're all wrong II you think my
| father loves storms now, Erickson
No, he starts off smart enough. Talks
lot about wind making him feel
| healthy. You've heard him. He cant
keep 1t up long. He lost his last com,
mand night like this. The schooner
Susan, out In Huron. Mother wasn't
| along. She was ashore with me. 1
was in public school. The fog twisted
him all up Since then he always gets
nervous. He's an old man, Norman.
Lots of men get cautious when they
grow old"
81 know" Norman said humbly. He
added: my father doesn't. It'd be
better If he did. But was just think
ing :. about myself. never
supposed wind bothers the keeper"
"It doesn't bother me-" the girl an
swered
Steve Sutton swung open the door.
"Fog's breakin' little." he said I'm,
easily, "gettin' full of holes"
His breath was short. Norman and
Sue both stared at him. 1t looked
more like sweat than fog on his face.
"What's the matter. Steve?" Sue
asked. "What frightened your"
Sutton tried to smile. There was
no color in his scaly face. He ran
his tongue around his lips; then
crossed to the boiler, opened its door
and spat into the fire as If his mouth
were bitter.
81 seen her," he muttered. "Seen
her plain. She was off there" He
pointed lakeward. Fog busts hole
in itself and there she is plain
Just a-flashin' like. rum"
"Of course you ran" answered Sue.
Norman raised his coal scoop.
"What did you seer" he demanded
1.-The Kitty H." Sutton answered
sourly. "It's the second time seen
her. Three times. and it won't be me
here to see her again."
whats the Kitty K.T
"It's silly towards story" Sue
Stocking exploded. "Sutton, Fun
ashamed of you. I've told you be-
fore that all the talk about the Kitty
X. is trash. ghost ship? Rubbish.
Who ever saw her? No woman. Some
lazy old men with nothing better TO
do" She arose angrily and buttOned
her slicker. "You make me dis
couraged with human nature" She
paused with her hand on the door.
"Here comes father"
Captain Stocking pulled in breath.
lessly. "Some night" he remarked.
"Steve saw the ghost Ship" his
daughter said. She looked at Sutton
with contempt go on, Steve, tell
him. The poor old Kitty K"
81 did see herp'
Captain Stocking spoke obviously
"It's bad night, Sue. You better
go stay in the house. No use traps
ing around Where you see the Kitty
K, Sutton?"
North, off the Teeth. Plain. Sam'l
Only I see her, then | don't see her.
"You saw the lights of Madrid Bay"
Captain Stocking guessed, through
holes in the fog
Sutton shrugged ill-humoredly. at
wasn't nothing human and live ! seen,
Saml. Think I can't sight a ghost
ship and know lit"
swell, they do say :. :" Captaini
Stocking scratched his head. /
"Of course they do" Sue broke In,
"a LOT of supplemented old men say
anything. I'm going to walk. 1t will
be good for me- like wind. | like
to feel 1t. | might look for ghosts.
Steve You're not busy. Norman.
Come with me? Wipe your face first..
it's covered with SCOT"
Norman looked at her admiringly.
He wiped his face on a towel and
followed her to the door, conscious
that Steve Sutton was glowering dis
tastefully at him. He laughed when
they were out In the air. His heart
warmed with new sense of man.
hood He felt like an Erickson for
once. Dead shipsl Even he knew
enough not to believe In dead ships
And here was Sutton. who talked
loud and spiritedly on calm days of
his adventures afloat and ashore,
trembling now In a corner, claiming
he had seen ghost. Even Keeper
Stocking acted uneasy as cat.
Fog lay thick upon the face of the
lake. Great winds tramped across the
land. Flying sand stung Norman's
face that still smarted from its burn.
tn hn
deep breath. Queer the way this girl
liked wind. She even walked as If
she liked 1t.
They strobe along silently; the air
was too noisy for talk. Spray whipped
down the wind. The fog signal snored.
The assistant keeper felt Sue grip
his arm. He could not hear what she
shouted. But she turned suddenly
and ran back to the signal house. He
raced at her heels. Within the door
she waited for him. her face white. =
Norman. did you see? Didn't you
sect"
"See what?"
"a light. Norman. out there on the
Teeth Just once. wavering -
she swung angrily on Sutton, who had
interrupted mo. no. It wasn't your
silly ghosti II was a ship. A live
ship having troublew
you're seeing things. too. Sue,"
her father chided her gravely. "It's
an awful easy thing to do.
"Im not blind !" his daughter fiared.
And I'm not craZyi''
"Fll go back and look" Norman
offered. He glanced at Sutton and
laughed 'You got the fidgets, SUIT
ton. talking. talking. always talking.
There's things TO be scared Of "A
know II as well as any one on this
f.aaSf Ruf if,s moi uhnSfs l,hoSts