Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1881-06-22
From London TRUTH
THE LADY BLANCHE LIFEBOAT.

He was drunk as usual on his watch,
though there was a big gale blowing out
at sea, with gathering signs of storm
overhead; and it might be that the life
boat would have some work to do before
morning.
But what did Peter Pencorrow care
about the lfeboat, except for the salary
of 81 week which he drew as its Gus
todian? Nobody in the village of Pol
loot had looked with kindly eye on the
arrival of this foolish boat-as they
called (which was to take the char
vesting" out of their mouths. For the
population were wreckers to a man and
woman, and they termed it "harvest-
ing" when some well-freighted ship was
driven on to the great Needle rock off
their coast and went to pieces.
Such accidents happened too rarely
for them-once year or thereabouts,
and the booty was often miserably small.
But there had been years within the
memory of some of the inhabitants,
who were not yet old, when dozen YES
sells OF all sizes had foundered in a sin
gle winter, and when the luck Of the
wreckers had been large It was in
winter of this kind that old Peter Pen
corrow had made his fortune. He was
young then, and it was said that he had
picked up package of diamonds from
the Brazil as his share of the spoils.
Anyhow, he disappeared from Polloot,
and went to live In London, like a gen.
tleman, as some supposed; though
others affirmed that he ran through his
money pretty fast, and went through a
multitude of queer adventures after
wards. Twenty-Five years after his de-
parture he returned to the village with a
boy of sixteen and a girl one year young
er; and soon afterwards he was appointed
custodian of the Ifeboat Lady Blanche,
which had been presented to Polloot by
the rich and good Cornish earl, and
christened after his favorite daughter.
Peter Pencorrow was not liked at Pol
loot. 1t was said that he had "blown
the gait" He was accused of having,
while steward on board an ocean steam
er, told number of ugly stories to the
Earl and Lady Blanche, who were re-
turning home from a tour in America;
insomuch that my lord and his daughter
had made VOW to dedicate ifeboat at
once to the salvation of human life.
There was some talk of blasting the
Needle Rock, and erecting lighthouse
on that dangerous part of the coast.
Engineers had come to take sOundings
and their operations had been watched
with sullen wrath. Harold Trecorpe,
the biggest, most scowling fisherman in
the yillage-a fellow whose face looked
murder, and whose mouth never opened
without a curse-had sworn that If he
hanged for it Pencorrow should never
live to see life saved by his aIoat, nor a
vessel warned off danger by the beacon
of lighthouse. Before long, however,
Peter Pencorrow ceased to be 80 much
hated. He was worthless scamp, al
ways drunk, and his chosen companion
came to be Harold Trecorpe, who had
several times threatened his life.
Drunken men are not dangerous. except
to themselves, at least such is the popu-
lar idea, and Harold used to laugh an
odd, hooking laugh when anybody talk
ed of what things the Lady Blanche
would do with her signals, her rockets,
and all her costly and complete apparatus
for salvage the first time that a vessel
stood in peril of touching on that dan
gerous Needle.
Three years passed, and the lifeboat
did nothing. They happened to be ex-
ceptlonally disastrous years from the
Pollooters' point of view, for though
wrecks enough took place on other parts
of the coast, no craft of any consequence
foundered on the Needle. BY this time
Harold Trecorpe was captain of the life