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10 THE BURITNGTON FREE PRESS : TIIURSDAT NOVEMBER 8, 1906. T H PILLAR of fT LIGrl T ..... ii..i ..i. YNE found Enid rosy red and Inclined to be tearful. Tho dy ing light of day whs still strong enough In the service room to Aiutn mjijuil i.uui rut icu :tim Inclined to be tearful. The dy- Y I lng light of (lny whs still strong "" 1 Aiiniinli In 41in rnfclnn iiAmti 4 .a permit these things to be seen. "No bad news, I hope?" he Inquired. though the sight of Stephen Hriind . cntod at his desk and placidly writ-1 lng was reassuring, The question steadied her to an ex-1 tent. "It Is nothing of any consequence." pirn said and darted past lilm. Urand looked up from his journal, lie smiled, though the American thought there was u hint of pain in hi" yos. i "I am going to lose one of my girls." ho said. "Oh, no; this is not a loss by deatli, but by marriage. If I wero u Frenchman 1 would describe It as gain ing a son. Enid has just iccelved what Is tantamount to a proposal." "By Hag wagging?" I'yne was natu rally astounded. "Yes. You would not expect one of the people from tho Chinook to be eo entorprlslng." J "I don't know," said I'yne, punctu ating each word with a deliberate nod. "Well, in any case, I would not have forwarded the application after an ac quaintance of eighteen hours," ob- ' served Urand, with equal deliberation. 1 "They're two powerful flue girls," , said I'yne, steering clear of the point. "They have just been telling mo how Miss Enid happened along. It reads ! like n fairy tale." "She was given to nic by the winds j and waves, yet she Is dear to me as 1 my own child. 1 shall miss her great-1 ly if all goes well here." j "I've cottoned on to both of them something wonderful. But, if I nin , not Intruding Into private affairs, how comes it that Ml.ss Enid Is being tele- ' graphed for? Of course I can under- ' stand the gentleman being in u hurry. I would feel that way myself If the conditions were favorable." j Pyre could be as stolid as a red In-, dlan wh"n the occasion demanded It. 1 Urand found no hint In his face of tho hidden thought In his word'. ' "Hnve they said nnythlng to you of It man named Stanhope?" inquired the lighthouse keeper, resuming tho entry In his diary after a sharp glance up ward. "Y-yos. They pointed him out to me this morning; In the navy, I think; fel low with a title antl that sort of thing." "No. His mother Is Lr.dy Margaret Stanhope, being an earl's daughter, but his father was a knight. He has been paying attention to Enid for a year and moro to my knowledge and to his mother's exceeding Indignation, I fan cy." "That Is where we on the oilier sldo have the poll of you." "Have you? 1 wonder. However, J.,ady Margnret's views have not trou bled me. I will deal with her when the time comes. At present It looks fairly certain that Master Jack has bottled matters on his own account. I may be mistaken, of course. How do you Interpret this?" He closed tho journal nnd handed to , r.vne a memorandum taken down let ter by letter by a sailor as Urand read the slgual: , "Mother sends her love to Enid." i "Did mother ever convey her love , to Enid before?" nsked Pyne. j "No." ! "Then I call that neat. I take off 1 my hat to Stanhope. He and mamma havo had n heart to heart talk." Urand leaned his bend on his hands, with clinched fists covering his curs. There was a period of utter silence un til the lighthouse keeper rose to light the lamp. r.vne watched him narrowly. "I may be trespassing on delicate ground," ho said at last. "If I am, you are not tho sort of man to stand on ceremony. In the States, you know, when the authorities want to preserve a park section they don't say, 'Please do not walk on tho grass.' They put up a board which reads, 'Keep oil.' We never kick. We're used to It." "My notice board, If required, will be loss curt, at auy rate," replied Brand, nud they faced each other. Though their words were light, uo pleasant conceit lurked In their minds. There was a question to be asked and answered, and It held the Issues of life end death. "What did you mean just now by paying, 'If all goes well here?' Is there nny special reason why things should uot go well?' Tho young Phlladelpblnn might have t been hazarding nu Inquiry nbout n 1 matter or trivial Interest, so calm was he, so smooth his utterance. Rut Brand hud made no mistake lu esti mating this youngster's force of char acter, nor did he seek to temporize. He extended an arm toward the reef. "You hear thnt?" ha snld. "Yes." "It may boll that way for weeks." "So I have been told." "By whom?" "Mr. Emmett told me." "Ah! Ho and I have discussed the mntter already. Yet I Imagine that neither he nor nny other mnu In the plnce save myself grasps the true meaning of the fact." "I've been theorizing," said Pyne. "It occurred to me that tbls light Isn't hers for amusement." Uo looked up at tho lamp nnd smiled. The pillar In thso days must have boen u haunt of Illusions, for Urand, like Constance and Pyno himself In tho case of Mrs. Vanslrtart, thought he caught nn expression familiar to hln eyes long before ho had seen that clear cut, splendidly Intelligent face. But there wan uo time for Idle specu lation. IIo glanced Into tho well of She stairs to make sure that n one was ascending. Then ho approached nearer to Pyne and said lu an Intense whisper; ... Ry ... Louis Tracy, Morning" Copyright, 1D0S, by IMwaril .1. Clcdc i. .1 iiii I haw i -u - .. i .. is tiling out, iiuil now ..., ...1... I .I....t.t...1 t i will leu juu niiiii t uuc ui-wiut'u. i will take the vntch from 8 until 12. At 12 you will rulluvu mo and 1 will r-n l.nlnH- I rx tni1ltn nfftt'lalnnu (1 till wntor sufiieient to innltitnlu thu llvus of my daughters, you and myself for u few hours longer thuu the others. By right, If I followed the rules I have promised to obey, 1 alone should live. That Is Impossible. A Spartan might do It, but I cannot nbandou my girls and yet retain my senses. 1 trust you because 1 must huvc a confederate. If the weather does uot break before tomorrow night wo must barricade the stairs and light If necessary." Ills face was drawn and haggard, his eyes blazing. He shook as one In the first throes of fever. He seemed to uwnlt his companion's verdict with an overpowerin;,' dread lest any attempt should be mado to question tho Justice of his decree. "Yes. 1 figured It out that way, too," snld I'yne. "It's queer, Isn't It, to be In siiph n llv when there's nil sorts of 1...T.. .fttl.l,, nll u, 4 dnfilrV Wi. 1 might as well be In a mine closed up by an exploalon. And, I'll tell you what, I'm real sorry for you." Urand, collapsing under the strain, sank Into n cluilr. "It is an awful thing," he moaned, "to condemn so many men, women and children to such a death." A spasm of pain made Pyne'a lips tremulous for nn Instaut. IIo had for gotten Elsie and Mamie. Put his voice was fully under con trol when he spoke again. "You can count on me In the deal In nil but one thin?," he snld Tho older man looked up fiercely. What condition could be Imposed In tho fulfillment of n duty so terrible? "I urn hero by chance." went on Pyne. "One of your daughters may havo told you that Mrs. Vunlttnrt came from New York to marry my un cle. Anvlnw you would know she was dear to lilm by his message today. She I is sort of in my charge, and I can't do-1 sort her. It's hard luck, as I don't care i a cent for her. She's the kind of wont- nn old men ndore-fasclnntlng. birdlike : creatures -when the cage Is gilded." jJIIlim iniiir, n inn irui. ,iuu iuv:n ' r i ... 1, ,., n.l ,w.A1 up to tne iiiumiiiii; Hini-e. nun ni.t nnds wero on l e lamp he o surer iu,;' 1,ook hl" 1,tml whcn 11 bo,;a,ne i " to all hands but refrained, be nanus wiro on mi. tamp ut. un sum ..,,,,. . ., u..t ,.lwi, ,,ni.t wnu , ....... of himself It gave him strength lur; , ing ine luirricuuu, auu il wuuiu strengthen hltn now. "There can be no exceptions," ho said linrshly. Pyno waited until the lighthouse keeper rejoined him. "I o -'it to have put my proposition hefor IX : first and uindo n speech aft erward. ' he said. "Constance nud Enid will Join you here when you sny the word, but I will bo on the other side of tho bnrrlcade." "Nonsenfc!" cried Urand. "You have no right to thrust away the chance that Is given you. You saved all these peo ple once. Why should yon die use lessly?" "What! Suppose it pans out that way. Suppose wo live a couple of weeks and escape. Am I to f;,cu tho old man nud tell him the truth? No, sir. You don't mean It., You wouldn't do It yourself. What nbout that shark the girl? told me of? I can guess Just What happened. Ho wanted the light refreshment In the boat. Did you scoot 1 back when you saw his fin? I'm a heap younger than you, Mr. Urand, but thnt bluff doesn't go." "Thank heaven, we havo twenty-four hours yet!" murmured Urand. "It will bo all tho same when we have only twenty-four seconds. Let u llx It that way right now. Don't you cr tho full of the tide Pyne promised see, It will be easier to deceive tho , to keep the light In order If Urand girls? And there's another renson. Unr- would endeavor to sleep until day licade and bhoot us you like, it will be i break. Host was essential to him. Ho a hard thing fo keep threescore des- j would assuredly break down under tho perato men boxed up down below. strain If the tension wore too long When they begin to diet on culza there maintained, nnd a time wns coming will be trouble. A few of us, ready to i when ho would need all his strength, take chances, will bo helpful. Some of ! mental and phvslcnl. them may have to die quick, you know." I Urand closed his eyes in sheer af fright. In thst way he tried to shut out a vision. "He It so," he gasped. "May the Lord help us." It was the responsibility that master ed him. Judges on the bench often break down when they sentence a criminal to death, but what judge, hu mane, tender hearted nnd God fearing, ever pronounced the doom of seventy olght people snatched from a merciful death to be steeped In horrors? At last his Iron will predominated. The knowledge that the path of duty lay straight before hlni cheered his tot- turcd soul. No man could say he erred In trying to save his children. That was a trust ns solemn as any conferred by the Elder Brethren of the Trinity. He placed a hand on Pyne's shoulder, for this youngster had become dear to him. "Hnd I a son," he said, "I should wish hint to be like you. Eot us strive to forget the evils that threaten us. Brooding Is melrss. If need be you will take charge of the lower deck. There Is starvation allowance for three more days nt tho worst, but I hate the thought of starting the now scale to morrow," "It may not be necessary." "Candidly, I fear It will. I know the Cornish coast too well. When bad weather sets In from the southwest nt this season It holds for a week at the lowest computation." "Is there no other way? Can noth ing be done out there?" "Able men,- the best of sailors, tho most experienced of engineers, havo striven for half a century to devise some moans of storm communication with a rock lighthouse placed as this Is. They huve failed. There Is none." "That's good," cried Pyne pleasantly. "Where Is your pouch? I fuel like n smoko. If I hailu't fired that question at you I should have wasted u lot of tlmo In bard thinking." Brand hnd to Bchcmo thnt night to reach the storeroom unobserved. Tho Falcon, stcnnilnR valiantly to her ob servation post near the buoy, nlded lilm considerably, tie permitted tho nUht watch to Rather In the service room while he supplied the men with tobacco and stationed the officer on the gallery to observe tho trawler In case she showed nny slgnnl lights. Since the nttcmpt on the lock Con stance gave tho key to her father after each visit, for tho rest, tho Inmates of thu pillar wero sunk In the lethargy of unsatl?flod hunger. Constance nnd Enid, utterly worn out with fntlgue, were Bniind asleep In tho kitchen, nnd the tears coursed down the tnnn'.s fnco as he anted the part of a thief In se curing tho measured nllowance of flour and bacon for one meal. The diet of r" -all1 "Hud I a tun I hIwuUI ntsli hint to hi W:e you." one hungry meal for eighty-one people gave twenty-seven huugry meals for three. He ought to have taken more, but he set his teeth and refused tho ungrateful task. It Is ofttlmes easy for a mnn to de cide upon n het course, but hard to fol low It. "A wee!;!" he murmured. "Perhaps ton dnvs! That is all. Prav heaven 1 Mny not go mad before they die!" I'yne, wntohhig the light, know that Urand had succeeded. The Falcon went, (irndimliy the watch dispersed. "Where Is the hoard?" asked I'yne, making boll'-ve thnt they were playing some comedy. "Ill.lden In the kitchen lockers. I rU,j,i obtain onlv distilled water. You mmt pnrsunde the girls in the morning ,llat something went wrong with the apparatus." As oiitiortunMv offered Urand trans- ferred the tins to tho lockers of the rtTVlce rOOIll Pyne, who missed noth- f Mm.e(1 ; "Not much there," he commented. "I will take no more!" was the flerco "You ought to." "I refuse, I toll you! Don't torture nie further." "Any chance of n row In tho morn ing? The purser and Mr. Emmett mount guard when the storeroom U opened." "I acted my role well. I built up the vacancies with empty tins." "My sakcii," cried Pyne pityingly, "you deserve to win through!" "I think my heart will break." mut tered Urand. "Hut look! The lamp! It needs adjusting." Indeed, a frefh gnle seemed to bu springing up. The wind vane having gone, 1 1 to Index wns useless. It was I not until a burst of spray drenched tho j lantern tint Urand knew of a change j taking pl.ieo. Tho wind wns backing ' rot'.nd toward the north. Tl.r. Imnnmutr,,, fr.ll ultrrl,,!.. 1 tended either more wind and dry 1 weather or less wind, nceonipnniod by ' rain. Who could tell what would hap pen? Fair or foul, hurricane or calm, all things seemed to be the uugovern- uble blundering of blind chance. When the rock was loft In peace aft- "Here have I been snoozing In odd corners ever since I came aboard," urged the American, "and I have noth ing to do but starve quietly. It's ri diculous. My funeral Is dated; yours Isn't. You can't bo on deck nil tho time, you know. Now, Just curl up ' and count sheep Jumping over a wall, or any old game of the sort, until your eyes close of their own accord." Brand yielded. He lay on tho hard boards, with a chair cushion for n pil low. All the ntjs rescued by Con stance were now needed In the hospi tal. In loss than a raluute ho was sound nsleep. "That was a close call," mused Tyne. "In another hour he would have crack ed up. He's a wonder anyhow." The lighthouse kecpar slept until long after daybreak. Pyne refused to al low any one to disturb hint. Boon after 7 o'clock tho watch re ported that two vessels were approach ing from the bay. One wns tho Fal con, nnd the sailors soon raado out that the other was the Trinity tender from Plymouth. When they were both nenrlng the buoy Brand was aroused. It was evident that the brief rest had cleared his brain and restored his self confidence. Instantly be took up tho thread of events, and his first words showed bow pleased he was that some one of nuthorlty In the lighthouse serv ice should bo In active communication with him. Through his glasses he distinguished Stanhope on board the Trinity steam er, standing by tho side of tho Inspect ing officer of tho south coast lights. Other officials were thero, but near Stnnhopo was a tall elderly man, un known and certainly a stranger In Pen stance. The Falcon was now chartered by press men, so the civilian on the official boat was evidently a person of con sequence. Indeed, Brand Imagined, long beforo Tyne wns ablo to verify the Impression, that the newcomer was Mr. Cyrus J, Traill, whom be hnd faffed to notice In tho poor light of tho pre vious evening. Ho knew quite well thnt the experi enced chief of the lighthouse sorvlco would appreciate fully the disabilities under which he Inbnrod. with eighty one mouths to feed front a stock al ready far below tho three months' maximum. Tho (list telrgrnphed question be trayed the prevalent anxiety. "Hope nil Is well?" What was he to say? Was It not best to spcuk boldly nnd let men know the truth, not nlono ns to their present desperate plight, but revealing tho measures he had devised for tho pro tection of the light? He could not mnke up his mind to launch out Into a full explanation that lnstnnt. So he signaled: "Every one nltve, but many cases of grnvo collapse," , Stanhope was again the slgnnter evidently he bad arranged matters with the admiral at Portsmouth so Urand expected tho prompt reply: "How nre Constance and Enid?" "Quite well and cheerful." The tall man near Stanhope bent I closer. "Are .Mrs. nnsutnrt ami ry'ie nil right?" Urand nssumed that the lady was In no worse condition than others. Con stance, telling htm the state of the sick during a hasty visit, had not mentioned her name. So ho sent the needed assurance nnd went nn forlornly: "Suppose no effort can be made to j open communication?" , To his great surprise the answer came: "We nre constructing a raft. When the tide falls this afternoon we will try what can be done." Ah, how glad ho was that he had not obeyed his earlier Impulse and horri fied tho nnx!nti3 rescuers by a prophe cy of lingering death for many, with the prelude, perchance, of murderous excesses committed by men on the verge of mndnos. If that story bad tn be told he would not flinch, but It was n graceful thing that the hour of Its telling might at least be deferred. A long message followed, a string of loving words from relatives ashore tn those known to be Imprisoned on tho rock. During the merely perfunctory reading off of the signals his active mind was canvassing the probabilities of succe!t or failure for tile venture of the afternoon. It was high water about a o'clock, and, in his judgment, with j the wind In Its present miarter, about northwest by wist, the cross seas which would sweep tlie reef nud engulf the lighthouse at hull' tide would ren der ll wildly Inipn'--iblc for nny raft ever built by man'-. handM 'o live In the immediate viciim.t of the rock. However, the i--,ue lav with others now. lie knew that they would do all i that brave men would dare. lie was tempted to make known the Inspiring cause he feared ultimate failure. Uu nentli his feet was a human volcano. Stirred too deeply, it might become ac tive nud dangerous. So the apathetic multitude In his charge, hungrily .1 waiting n scanty morsel of food w'.n'h only provoked what It failed to .ratify, must rest, content with the. Inug s.UUejuent writ ten out by t,he p.ursrr undrend )y lfim ut the door of each room. Pyne took to Mrs. V.vnslttnrt the news of his uncle's presence' on the Ltenmer. "If you would like to see hint," he said, "I have no doubt Mr. Iiir-ud will let you stand on the p.ihery for a lit tle while." She declined, excusing h Tsolf on the I ground of wenkue.ti. "In this high wind," sl said, "it will be very cold out .there, and any further ! exposure would make me very ill." j "That's tine enough." ho agreed, , though lie wondered why she raised no I question eonoerniin the mo-vsnue she wished hlni to convey to Mr. Traill. Had she forgotten thu u:c h',v of her words overnight? lie hud crrled her instructions quite fallhfully to Brand nnd the latter nulled at ..10 '"aiitiisy. "Tim" enough to Hiink of such things when wo are assured of the lady's de parture," he wild, and they left it at that. Thinking to Intero-f h,-r, Pyne told her of the crowd on the Falcon. "Moftly reporters, Urand .hiuks," ho said. "What a story they will build up In the New York p.ip'-rs! It will be more fun than a box of monkeys to I get hold of this week's news .111 I read ' all the flapdoodle tin v are I'vititing." But Mrs. anslttart wn not to be roused from her melancb.dy. She dreaded the leant physical suffering. Privation wns a new thing in her life. Today she was luert, timid, a woman who cowered away troni the door and was obviously anxious that he thould j leave her to the quiet misery of the packed bedroom. As the day passed, a wearisome Iter ation of all that had gone before, a new feature In the relations of tho crowded community made Itself disa greeably apparent. Mcu drew apart from each other siugly or in small groups. An Inconsolable gloom settled on the women. By some means the knowledge spread that they might all starve to death In the heart of this cold dungeon. They began to loathe It, to upbraid Its steadfastness with spoken cursos or unrestrained tears. The sanc tuary of one dny was becoming tho tomb of the next. No longer was thero competition to look at land or sea from the open windows. Everywhere was settling down a pall of blank, horrible silence and suspicion. Even Constance yielded to the com mou terror ouco when the men of tho watch escorted tho bearer of a tray load of provisions to the occupants of the coal cellar. "Enid," she whispered, "did you oeo tho light lu their eyes? What is It? Does hunger look that way?" "lt must be so, yet 'it Is almost un believable, They are far removed from real starvntlou." " "One would think so. But it Is so hard to realize things beforehand. And they have nothing to do. They are brooding all tho tlmo. Wo nro slaves to our Imagination. Many n sick per son Is allowed to eat far less than theso men huve been given, nnd thu deprivation Is not felt nt all." "What will become of us, Constance, !f wo are detained here for tunuy days?" "Dear one, do not nsk me. We must not think of such things," "Hut dnd Is thinking of them. T Mnrrt Moreover, It will beat tho soa watched his face when I took him u ,,,., Mnn nnV0( thg may mean sal scrap of food Just now, and"- vallon! Tie those weaklings and sum- "Hush, dear. Let us prny-aud hope." , ,noll ovcry HOi)cl. I1)lm to uep There was a clatter of feet down tho with n whoop. Pvne vanished. Ho Iron stairs. Tho men of the watch mnt constnnc-u on the stairs, comlne to were hustling to unbar the Iron door. A solidly built, circular raft had beeu lowered from tho Trinity tender. An assistant keeper, wearlug n cork Jacket, with a rope about his waist, was clinging to n stumpy mast In the center. Two stout guide ropes wero manipulated from tho deck of tho vos- j sol, nnd the tint, unwieldy muss of timber wns slowly drifting nenror to tho lighthouse with tho tide. The door of the column opened to ward the east, so the wind, with Its pelting sheets of spray, was almost In tho opposite quarter, and tho stout Kr.it.lto shaft Itself afforded some do- - (free of protection for the entrance. I The scheme signaled from the ateamer was a good one. Notio but n lunatic would endeavor to npproach tho rock Itself, but there was n chance that tho enough to the door to permit n grapnel to be thrown ncrois the rope held by ! tho gallant volunteer on the raft. 1 It was his duty to nttach tho two ropes nnd thus render It possible for n stronger line to be drawn from tho vessel to the pillar. There wan no oth er way. Tho lighthouse did not possess it rope of suilloiotit length to be drawn back by the raft without the Interven tion of some human agency. This was precisely the puny, half do- 1 spalrlng dodge thnt the reef loved to ( plaj' with. Catlike. It permitted tho I queer, flat bottomed rrnft to approach 1 almost within hall. Then it shot forth r.. cl.i.v of turlo'W surf, tho heavy raftj ,v.is picked up ns If It were u floating . feather, turned clean over and Uuug! nany fathoms out to sea, while both , f i's guiding cables were snapped villi contemptuous ease. The assistant keeper, kept nfloat by MH Jacket, was hauled, half drowned,' back ihrotigh the choking froth, while tho wave which overwhelmed tho raft "tried up u spiteful tongue nnd ulmost' .. cceeded in drugging out several of I men stationed In the doorway. With a clang tho iron shutter was , ilied Into Its place, and when tho tllor was rescued the Trinity boati steamed away to try to secure the ' IMft. j So joyous hope gave way once moro . fo dark foreboding, and tho only com fort was the faint one to be extracted from the parting signal: "Will try again next tide." CHAPTER XIII. ISCIPT.1NE slackened Its bonds that night. For one thing. Mr. Emmett fell 111. Although In urod to hardship In the ele mental strife, being of the stocky mar iner race which holds the gruff Atlantic in 110 dread, he had never before beeu called on to eat sodden broad, to drink condensed steam flavored with varnish and to chew sustenance from the rind of raw bacon. These drawbacks, add ed to tho lack of exorcise and tho con stant wearing of clothes not yet dry, placed him on tho sick list. Again there were ominous whispers of unfair division In the matter of food. It was not within tho realm or accomplishment that the purser, Con stance, Enid and others who helped to apportion tho eatables could treat all alike. Some fared hotter than others in quality If uot In quantity. The un fortunate ones growled nnd tnlked of favoritism. A crisis was reached when the sec ond ollle.er mustered the night watch. When one sheep leads the others will follow. A stout Cermnu from Chicago nsked bluntly: "Vere's do goot of blayln' nt mound In' j'tirt? De-e Is bud von ting to gart, nnd dnt Is dor kldchen." Community of Interest caused many to huddle closer to him. Hero was one who dared to say what they all thought. Their feet shuffled In sup port. The otlicer, faithful to his trust, wns tempted to fell the man, but he thought Hie circumstances warranted moro gentle methods. "Why nre you dissatisfied?" ho stern ly demanded. "What do'you suspect? Are you fool enough to Imagine that you nro being cheated by people who are dividing tlndr hist crust with you?" "How do ve know datV Dose girls doy nre chokln' init Mr. Pyne all der day. Doy can'd do dnt und be hungry like us." "You unmitigated ass!" said the dis gusted olllcer. "There Is food here for throo iinnrih, Thov hnvi foil oitrhtv one of us for two'davs aud will keep us going several more dnvs. Can't you figure It out? Isn't it a miracle? Here! Who's for guard and who not? Let us null fooling." And the doubters wero silenced for tho hour. Tho hymn singer endeavored to raise a chorus. Ho was not greeted with en thusiasm, but a fuw valiant spirits came to his assistance. A couple of hymns wero feebly rendered and again silence. "Say when," observed Pyno calmly wheu ho entered the service room to Hnd Brand trimming the spare lamp. "Not tonight," said Brand. "Why not? Hell may break loose at any moment downstairs." "What has occurred? I heard some thing of n dispute when the watch mus tered ut 8 o'clock." "Things are worse now. One of tho men found n gnllon of methylated spirit In tho workshop." "Good heavens! Did ho drink any of It?" "He and his mates hnve emptied tho tin. Eight nro helplessly drunk, tho others quarrelsome. The next thing will bo a combined rush for thu store room." "Rut why did not the second olllcer tell me?" "Ho thought you hnd troubles enough. If he could depend on the remainder of the crowd he would rope tho sinners. Snys he knows a slave knot that will make 'em tired." Brand's eyes glistened. "The fools," ho snld, "and just ns tho weather Is mending too." "You don't mean that?" "Listen." He glanced up at tho glass dome. Heavy drops were pattering on It. They looked like sprny, but Pyne shout ed gleefully: "Is It rain?" "Yes. I was Just roIiir to summon tho watch to help In filling every ves sel. By spreading canvas sheets we can gather n large supply If It ralus 1 RfK, ),pr fa Ijpforp ,.Ilf, c,(rff1ched her weary Hmba on the hard floor of the kitchen. She never knew exactly what took plnce. It might have been polltcnosj!, 1)nt lt fct um.olnmonv lll!L. ft aqueeze, nml p,.,, faco wrt)- extraordinarily cnt i0 hers ns be cri-ii- "It's mining. No more canvas whis ky, (let it hustle on with every empty ressel." Ho need not have been In such n whirl, however. When the wlinwftr pnmn If itM tiof inflf VPPV tnlll, ,,.,,1 tt',m ,,nr ,nnnv ,,lfilcultles In the way of garnering tho ,,r(... i,i,.qt.,i ,..,,. t . ,irHf ,,, ,hp nKhtll0lH0 wn8 PX,rpy designed to shoot olT nil such external supplies; In the second, the total quantity ob tained did not amount to more than (mil n frill 1i ii 15ut " tlld " Meat deal of good In otllur wn.V8' u brightened tunny faces, lt caused tho drunkards to bo securely trussed like plucked fowls and dumped along the wall.i of thu entrance pas page, and lt gave Urand some degree of hope that the rescue operations of the next day would be more success ful. When (be rnlu cleared off the moon dickered lu a cloudy sky. This was a further omen of bettor fortune. Per haps the jingling rhyme of Admiral Fitroy's barometer wns nbout to bo Justified: I.ont? foretold, t-oni; lnrt; Short notke, Soon past. And tho hurrlo.mo had glvon but Flight wnrning of Its advent. "I feel It In my botie-t that we shall all be as frisky as lambs tomorrow," raid Pyno when he rejoined Brand after the scurry caused by the rain had passed "We must not bo too sanguine. There Is a chance now. I won't deny that, but the sea Is treacherous." "This reef licks creation. At Bap Harbor, In Maine, whero a mighty big sea can kick up In u very few hours, I havo scon it go down agnin 1P.;g magic under n change of wind." "That Is quite reasonable. Any ordi nary commotion has room to spread It self In the tideway. Here the tide Is j broken up in'o ocean rivers, streams with boundir. I s as definite ns tho Thames. Tito inalu body sweeps up Into the bottle nock of the channel. Another tributary comes round tho north of the Scllly Isles and runs Into the tidal str':ini again exactly (U this point. The result often Is that, whllo little pleasure boats can safely run out into the bay from Penzance, there Is a race over tho rock that would break up a stranded battleship." "Say, do you like this kind of life?" "I have given my best years to It." Pyne was smoking a pipe, one which nrand lent him. The tobacco was 11 capital substitute for food, especially or. he had established a private under standing with Elsie nnd Mamie that . I flint -i,n-rt i r lilm T-llo,i (inaal. 1 . ' , . . V. , Die auu niuuiu a piece or msam no carried In his pocket. This nrrangonicnt was to be kept a strict secret from all, especially from Miss Constance and M!s Enid, whllo the little ones themselves did not know thnt th sh" drnitoiis whom Pyno feared so greatly gave them surrepti tious dose", from the last tin of con densed milk, retained for their esclu- ' slvo benefit i "Do you mind my snylng that you ' are a good bit of uu enigma?" he haz- 1 arded between puffs. I "It may bo so, but I like the service." ' ".lust so. I was never so happy as when I took n trip as fourth engineer on a trnmp in the gulf of Florida. Rut that dliiu't signify beluc tied to a long' , nosed oiler for tho remainder of my days." "Are you a marine enelueor?" In quired Urand, with some show of In terest. "I hold a certificate Just for fun. 1 had a luechnnlcal twist In me and gave lt play. Rut I am nn Idler by profes sion." The lighthouse keeper laughed so naturally that the youugor inun was gratified. Polite disbelief may bn n compliment. "An Idler, eh? You do not strike me as p'oporly classed." "It's the fact, nevertheless. My 1 grandfather was pleased to In von a fl;"' dollars in real estate on tho sheep tarux where Manhattan avenue now stands. My uncle has half; my mother I ,lnl1 -' '""or nnir. "Are both of your parentR dead?" "Yes; years ago; lost at sea, too, on my father's yacht." "What a terrible thing!" "It must have boon something llko that. 1 was only six years old at tho time. My uncle lost his wife nnd child, too. when the Esmeralda went down. It nearly killed him. I never thought he would marry nguln, but I suppose he's tired of being alone." "Probably. By tho way, now that you mention It, Mrs. Yanslttart wished to see me yesterday. I could not spare n moment, so I sent her a civil mes sage. She told Constance that she thought she know me." "Hardly likely," smiled Pyno, "It you have passed nearly the whole of your life In lighthouses." "I did not quite mean to convey that Impression. I knew 11 man of her late hifband's niime, tunny years ago." "She Is a nice woman In some ways," said Pyne reflectively. "Not quite my sort, perhaps, but n lady all the tlmo. She Is not an American, Cttmo to the States about '00, I think, and lost her hubby 011 n ranch In California, Any how, tho old man Is dead stuck on her, and they ought to hit it off well to gether. Tho Vanslttart you know didn't happen to marry n relative of yours?" "No. Ho was a more acquaintance." "Odd thing," ruminated Pyne. "It has Just occurred to mu thnt sho re sembles your daughter your elder daughter not so much In face as In style. Same sort of graceful figure, only n ttillo smaller." "Such coincidences ortcn happen In tho huuiau family. For Instance, you nre not wholly uiillk Enid." "Ilttlly gee," said Pyue, "I'm too run down to staud flattery!" "Likeness Is often a matter of envi ronment. Charnetertflfles, mannerisms, the suIUv dliUiK'tlous of class aud so cial rank, soak In through tho sk'n quite ns setislhly us they nre ronfurn 1 by heredity. Take the plowman's sen and rear him lu 11 royal palace, turn thu Infant prince Into n peasant, at 1 who shall say when they roach man s ostote, 'This is the trun king.' You v"t remember it wits said of the F.mpor " Augustus, T'rbem Intorltlain ln'o, tnnrinoream reliqult file found II oily brick; he left ll marble i. Tho sail o tioblo result may be obtained In ovtry healthy child nronerlv etiucated." Tho college bred youth had not enter ed Into nny general conversation Wit j Urand beforo. Ho had tho tin t no t j conceal his astonishment at tho limiiiur of his friend's speech. "You fling heredity to tho winds, then?" ho nsked. Brand rose to his f"ot, as was hu ,1 ty when deeply moved. "Thank God, yes!" t.o ctled. A faint hoot came to them through the chortling of the wind. "One of our visitors," shouted Bran "and hero we are g(nslplng as t' oin, 1 snugly seated In armchairs ut the fire side." He hurried to thu jralh-ry, putting on nil oilskin coat. "We must win through, and I guc t I'll play ball with my father-in hu " quoth Pyne to himself ns he followed. This time it was the Fuh-ou alone, nnd she signaled wilh a lamp that it was deemed best to defer ictivo opera tions until the following afternoon. Th.' title at dnwu would not suit. She wont off, and the two men r" turned to the grateful sb-lter of tl i service room. Urand forbade further tab; Pj . must rest now and relievo li'm at , o'clock. The youngster nei V 1 u feather bed; ho wits nslocp In u- ui Ingly quick time. Titer" i.s a suppe Ie.-J hunger which keeps people 11 wu.p at night with n full larder In the 1 u Tho crude article differs from t! r turcd one so greatly that the r 1 . ' hungers of necessity cannot sl-cp too much. Thus far tho Inhabitants of tho light JiOtise had boon given quite enough nutriment to maintain life. There wis no reason why any, even the most deli cate, should bu in real dauger during the next forty-eight hours. But sciei. title reusonlng nnd tho unlmnl InstlarM if mankind clash at times; In thnt lay the danger whoso sullen she low w is deepening tho lines In the corners of Brand's eyes. rjvory hour the olllcer on duty nrl some men of the watch islt'd h m 1 report that all was well iiel,w. Son i of the loss drunken mutineers wo pitifully sober now; tha others w e maudlin. Beyond the few words c changed on this and kindred top cs hi wns left nlono with Ins though' s throughout the silent wauh. Ijn--slept heavily. (Jlauolng at times at the youngster's stalwart lizure ni 1 firm, handsome face. Brand found h! -self reviewing the buried years. H thought of the dcys when b t . looked forth o;i the world with t. stern enthusiasm of triumphant you' 1 Long forgotten ghosts wero rtsu1 rected, shattered Ideals built up naia. He wondered. If the decades rollr 1 back, would he decide a second time to abandon tho fine career which lny at his foot nnd withdraw his grief and h s talents to tho Fccluslon of lonely rocks and silent headlands. Ho had been happy, as men count happiness, during tho decade" Na cloud had arisen to mar the complex content of his life. The blossoming of the girls Into delightful womanhood w;ts an Increasing joy to him, and lt w us passing strange that his little hou N hold should bo putuged into 11 win - , pool of events in the very hour whin j their domesticity seemed to bo mo t I assured. The changeful moods of tie I elements found no counterpart In U I nature. lie, knowing the sea, did njt j expect It to remain fixed In one asp ( f. Whether in calm or storm, the con I trury would surely happen ere in itiy days had passed. But llfo was a d," fcrent thing. How enmo It that nt tho very close of so many years of asso ciation with the fickle ocean she should play such a trick on lilm nnd his daughters, Infold them with perils, snatch them from the quiet pleasures of tho life thoy had planned for tho fu ture and thrust upon them, even if they escaped with their lives, a pub licity which he, at any rate, abhorred and even dreaded? Ho harbored no delusions on th1 point. He knew thnt the drama of the Gulf Rock was now filling tho coluniuJ of newspapers nil over the world. Ho anil his beloved girls would be written about, discussed, described In fulsotuo language, pictured by black and white nrtlsts and eulogized by wideawake editors eager to make much of a topic dear to the public mind. On the rook they wero undoubtedly In grnvo danger. Death confronted them death at once extraordinary and ghastly. No tyrant of tho middle ages, with nil his paruphernnlhi for wring ing truth or lies out of cringing wretches, had devised such n fate as threatened If the Inconstant sea shou d choose to render the reef altogether unapproachable for many days. Yet C help came he and those dear to hl'n were already steeped In unavoldabio notoriety, bringing in Its train certa'n vague disabilities which he had striven to avoid for over twenty years. And all this because one fierce gn!a out of tho ninny he had ondur d sprang Into being at a moment whn tils mates wore Incapacitated and h 4 daughters happeuod to pay hltn a sur prise visit. "It Is an Insnno freak of fortune," ha muttered, "so Incomprehensible, so ut terly out of focus with common events, that if I wero 11 superstitious mnn I should regard It ns betokening the np proach of some great epoch In my life. Surely, a merciful Providence won. 1 not bring my girls here to subject the .1 10 1110 lingering toriuie ui iiuuhi-i h-i i thirst. I must not think of lt furthot. That way lies madness." Thero was at least one other troubled soul on the rock which divined soma sinister portent in the storm Mrs. Vanslttart, even nt this moment, w.i.t staring Into tho black void with quos. t ionliig eyes. Ho resolutely threw back his neitil as If ho would hurl Into the outer dark ness tho gibbering phantom which whispered these words of forebnd 11-. Although the lamp needed no attenth 11 Just then, he climbed to the trlmtulmx idngu meroiy iu , . 1 . 11 -lipn-leal action, He car fully examined tin adlnsUnuut. aud, to Judge how th