The Wreck of the South Pole and Other Strange Tales — page 54: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

The Wreck of the South Pole. 47 Then we chatted together about a variety of things and I had nearly let the incident slip from my mind when a note fluttered down from I know not where, and fell at his feet. “Ah, there it is,” he said, opening it. “Yes, he will be here to-morrow,” and passed the note to me. It was not in Costa’s handwriting. The agent really did appear the next day and I met him, although Mr. Costa warned me not to approach near or attempt to touch him. From which I gathered that his visit to us was made in his astral body. A land without railroad and without telegraph and yet where business was carried on as rapidly as in my own land. No conveyances because people had no need of them. Messages were sent swifter than by electricity, for what can fiv faster than one’s thoughts? Notes were pro- jected by some mysterious force to their destination, even though it were miles away. I alone was isolated and cut off from communication with the rest of the world. *k K *K ok *K oK ok >K It was decided that by the third day a boat could be built to make the trip to the island, and that day being fixed upon for the excursion, Winnie asked the next morning before the agent arrived: “Father, have you noticed what kind of weather we will have that day? It would never do to start out on a pleas- tire excursion and have it rain.” Connicloool SS (©)