Two dead men boarded a spectral ship
In the astral Port of Space;
On that ghost-filled barque, they met in the dark,
And halted, face to face.

'Now whither away'--called one of the ghosts,
'This ship sets sail for Earth.
On the astral plane you must remain,
Where the newly dead have birth.'

'But I could not stay and I would not stay,'
The other ghost replied;
'I must hurry back to the old Earth track
And stand at my loved one's side.

'She weeps for me in her lonely room,
In the land from whence I came;
Oh! stow me away in this ship, I pray,
For I hear her call my name.'

'You must not go, and you shall not go,'
The first ghost cried in wrath.
'Your work is planned, in the astral land,
And a guide will show you the path.'

'But the one I love'--'I loved her too,'
The first ghost stood and cried;
'And year on year I waited here,