Vietnam or Thailand ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Updated: May 21, 2025
But when a woman goes into a trance and a sperit comes teeterin' out from the dark behind the stage and drops a white robe over her, and she begins to occult, or whatever they call it, and speaks of them in high places, and them with fat moneybags, and that ain't been long in our midst, and has come from no one jest knows where, and that she sees black shadders followin' 'em, along with wimmen weepin' and wringin' of their hands well, when a woman sets on the town-hall stage and goes on in that strain for a half-hour, it ain't the kind of a show that I want to be at not with my wife and yourn on the same settee with me."
And then, all at once, as I stood peering into the shadows to leeward, I remembered what Williams had said about there being too many "shadders." I had been puzzled to understand his real meaning, then. I had no difficulty now. There were too many shadows.
But as I stood a-thinkin' of this, the sun come out from under a cloud and lit up the caravels with its golden light, and lay on the water like a long, shinin' path leadin' into glory. And a light breeze stirred the white sails of the Santa Maria, some as though it wuz a-goin' to set sail agin. And the shadders almost seemed alive that lay on the narrer deck.
And after that I was quiet for a while, listening to the run of conversation on the subject. Presently, my glance fell upon Williams, the man who had spoken to me about "shadders." He was sitting in his bunk, smoking, and making no effort to join in the talk. I went across to him. "What do you think of it, Williams?" I asked. "Do you think the Second Mate really saw anything?"
I fancy I am sometimes, and having uncomfortable dreams, like one does after cold boiled beef for supper, and keep expecting to wake up with a pain in the chest. But I don't, for there we are sneaking along in this silent way with our tall shadders seeming to watch us. Ugh! It's just as if we were going to do something wicked somewhere." "It's all so strange, Sam," said Frank quietly.
'N' hot days, when th' hands was chaffin' 'n' singin', th' black wheels 'n' rollers was alive, starin' down at me, 'n' th' shadders o' th' looms was like snakes creepin', creepin' anear all th' time. They was very good to me, th' hands was, very good. Ther' 's lots o' th' Master's people down there, though they never heard His name: preachers don't go there. But He'll see to 't.
"Then, even if she didn't have a king, she had slaves; oh, dozens and dozens of error-fairies, to do her will. Creepin' shadders they was, too, till somebody listened to 'em and give 'em a backbone.
At last I couldn't stand it to look around on them baking plains; I laid down on the locker, and give it up. But by and by Tom raised a whoop, and there she was! A lake, wide and shiny, with pa'm-trees leaning over it asleep, and their shadders in the water just as soft and delicate as ever you see. I never see anything look so good.
To most a seen of happiness, but to me they seemed like shadders; the Reality of life, my beloved pardner, wuz lost, lost to me. A pleasant lookin' female standin' by, seein' the emotion in my face, and wantin' to cheer me up, I spoze, sez: "Have you tried the Loop de Loop?" I answered with a sad dignity, "Yes, I've done considerable tattin' in my day." "Mebby you'd like to try the Bump de Bump."
Jus' as well not to let the shadders know we has maps. I've gut my copy here hidden in the grass. S'posin' the hut is in the center; this here docyment mentions two peaks one 'kissed by the sun' which I take it is the highest, and t' other where 'the trees climb highest. Now at sea we often lays our course inshore by jus' sech marks.
Word Of The Day
Others Looking