The Florida agriculturist., 1879-10-22

turned with frightened look to
Laurence. ,.
Bring your boat round here, Lau.
renee. For the love of heaven, do.
See those heavy clouds darkening
round the sunset it will be dusk be,
fore we know it,"
"Lizzie, you know what l have
most at heart in this world. Promise
me that, and / will do everything for
you. 1fnot-why, this nights work
will lose your father his place as light
keeper"
Laurence, you-you would not be
SO base /"
q have told you the alternative
you have only to decide" helanswered
indiferently. {.
"Never p s.-.,
He looked at me for minute with
intense malice, in his eyes; then
turned deliberately and walked away,
leaving me alone.
Alone among the ragged rocks,
with the rush OF the merciless, never
wearing tides filling my ears with
horrible iteration. l called after him.
but he never turned bis head; and
then, clasping my hands, L sank down
among the stones, careless of the
spray that almost sprinkled my face,
and began to weep. aa.t9e 4.
The sun had long since set in a
stormy sky, as if it were sea OF
blood-the darkness was creeping in
black shadows over the face of the
deep-and horrible vision swept
across my cruel mind OF great ships
wrecked at sea, upon the reefs, and
the watchtul eye Of the lighthouse
closed and unbeckoning! Of lost
souls whose ruin should weigh my
soul torevermore; of the cry of
drowned men, and the shine of lost
treasures that the sea would not give
up; of people watching for the in
ward ride of stately ships, whose
haven would never be reached.
:, II was Just about the HOUR tll;it Il
usually lighted the lamp, and now
Oh l dreaded to lift my eyes to the
black outline of the lighthouse tower4
in the distance, but hideoss fasci-
nation seemed to draw them thither.
l slowly raised my head and turned
it towards the octagonal windows.
Great heavens ! At that selt-same
instant the light streamed out, red
and glorious, as the star in the east
must have shone to the Magi. l
sprang up with scream, momenta-
rily believing myself to be the victim
of an optical deluSon, but it was re-
ality. The lamp in the lighthouse
was lighted; its ribbon Of famo
floated across the moving surface of
the deep with reassuring shine And
as l gaDed blur came over my eye.
sight, choking sensation in my
throat, and [ remembered nothing,
more until l walked within the tamil
lar walls of the lighthouse, with
fathers kind face bending over me,
and Harry Morton sprinkhng my
forehead with water; while, at the
same moment, the clock on the man
tie struck IL.
Who" ] gasped-"who lighted
it ?"
"Why, Harry Morton, to be sure,"1
said my father heartily, "and good
thing he happened to be here when
we were both off guard. And that
last, Lizzie, my dear, is thing which
must never occur again. It's al
windy night, and there's no telling
what might betall"
All this CHANGED ten long years
ago. l am happy matron now, with
little children's voices sounding in
the apple orchard, whose blooming
branches brush my casements-Harry
Morton's wite-but / have never for.
gotten the horrors of that stormy
twilight. when the eye OF the light
house beamed redly on my sight.
Laurence Stoke, strange to say, was
wrecked at sea, and KAte's lover
went away and never married her
after all. Dear, dear, how strangely
things do happen in this world !
Harry says it is all nonsense talking
about luck-but ] believe it--how
can help it? Z. &
sBA An extra copy OF the AGRI-
CULTURIsT for q year to every. one