West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1879-01-25

o." - "NoNhVis lue Wlnu nAd shifted
ana blew fresh. Before nightwas over
~ hoWled, the sea surged with a thun
derous thud against the lighthouse.
wa'lS' ana spray ratified like rain upon
the lantern.
\ good thing for sam he got ashore
In tme-you'd have had a longer land
spell else, Jack" said Steve 10 Jessie :
lather, who had Just come OIL dutN
yawning and shivering. There'U he
no getting between this and there for a
while TO come. This nasty weather
looks as If II would hold, aud we haven't
seen the worst Of it yet by long way."
| wish I'd never come back" an
swered Jack, moodily rubbing one
hand across his forehead and the other
across his loins.
Why, what's the matter. old chan %,
exclaimed astouished Steve. "StuF
aud nonsense, man. You've had 2 good
deal TO go through, poor FELLOW. and
now you re Just tagged out. Come along
and have your breakfast, and then turn
n and have Jolly good snooze. TN see
to little Jessie when she wakes"
Steve hustled about, while Jack
lolled listlessly on the seat into which
he had dropped when he came down
from his watch.
| couldn't eat mOrsel of ANYTHING.
II 1t was TO save my life, but Pm as dry
a sand" he said. Just now was
all of shiver, and now feel IA il |
was turning into tinder-regular burnt
stun"
He pettishly upset the coffee. and
selling a water-monkey, drained il. and
then began to shake like man who has
the palsy.
. Come along, old fellow" coaxingly
said Steve, beginning TO look alarmed
The sooner you turn in the better"
And he got him b. bed.
Little Jessie could not understand
why Steve dressed her instead of her
father, and lispingly scolded him for
his clumsy blunders.
Dic'lous," she said stamping her
little foot, when he had made some. in
a mans eyes, very venial mistake i'm
the arrangement OF the mysterious tapes
and buttons which appertain to the
costume of infancy.
1t was soon evident that Jack was
" down with the fever" He had
brought it with him from the shore.
aud his mates looked blankly one al
another. and very pityingly at poor,
wondering little Jessie, who could not
make out why they should want to keep
her from her father, nor why he should
roll his eyes so, and grind his teeth,
and fling about his arms "a if he wanted
to fight, and talk 40 funnily when she
did get to see him
Up and down went the lighthouse
bell in forloin hope of psetting aid
from land; but so wild was the weather.
that Alice and Steve could not make
sure that their signals were seen. They
could make out no answer TO them
and, besides, they could not help feeling
that IL would be impossible for the peo-
pie on shore TO give them any help even
it they knew they wanted il.
Lighthouse duty, under OEdinary cir
cumstances, would not be severe tax
on the energies OF two men, hut il was
n very different matter when the man off
duty had to keep some kind Of watch
over 2 sick comrade One night Steve.
who was sitting with Jack, nodded off
to sleep. The sick man slipped from
his bed ran up the laddep-staircase like
a cat, and before Alick, who was sitting
under the blaze of benefisent light that
was flashing its rays over the weltering
waste OF waters, could lay hands on
him, he had wrenched open the door
and let in the fierce wind which seemed
TO yell with fendish triumph as he flung
himself over the balcony rail.
When little Jessie awoloe next morn
ing, and began her day as usual with
call for Dad da, dad-da," Alick and
steve, big brown, bluff men though
they were. had hard work 10 keep from
crying. They could not tell her that
her father had thrown himself into the
gray and white boiling chaos IN which
no living thing could he seen, except
few tiny petrels, fearlessly skimminp
the spray-scattering Gests Of the tre-
mendOus billows. The men made much
Of Jessie, and when she had shaken her
little frame and swoNen and smeared
her pretty little face with a wild hurst
of grief, she recOnciled herself TO her
father death, even as she had done 10
her mothers, clung 70 the rough hands
that petted her, and when not with
one or other Of the keepers in her wax
ing hours, cOmfOrted herself with the
company OF "COxswain" and her kitten
She was afraid 10 90 down to the dark
cavern in which, in spite Of the tumult
of the rushing winds and waters, she
something's fancied that she heard "Nan-
dikin bleating, and the cock most
VIGOROUSLY growing.
But there was more grief in store for
her. A6ck began 20 look at her and
talk just az her father had loved and
talked. lie, too, was down with the
fever Steve had TO do everything for
still the winds and waves rushed ON as
If they were bent on sweeping the
strong lighthouse before them Ike
straw. Jessie had gone to sleep win
her curly head nestled into "Cor
swain's' warm, shaggy side, when aud
denly she was unpleasantly aroused
Her living pillow had started up
bumped her head upon the floor. and
having filed up his honest nose. was
bowling most dismally. Steve. who
was getting very excitable-so diFeren
from the easy going fellow who had
lifted her out of the boat and carried
her up the Lighthouse Rock, that Jessie
was growing more and more afraid of
him-cam down, and kicked poor Cox
swain into the lower regions There
be went ON hswliDg, and Steve. who. I'M
the. course Of his heavy nightwatch.
had many times hurried down to look
after his mate and see that Jessie slept
when he came down in the morning. af-
ter putting out the light, found AHck
hanging hall out Of bed and quite dead