The Portland daily press., 1881-09-05
ItIE, PRESS.
Frant.
BY KATE UPsoN CLARK.
[Lippincott's Magazine.l

light wind. lnen JneY grew tnlCktI anu
thicker, till the revolving lights at Brimmer-
town were almost lost to view, and even the
great Fresnel burner on the headland shone
dimly. A man AID a woman who were
sitting on the edge of the cliff talking earn
estly began, at last, to observe the threaten
ing aspect of the sky and sea, and rose SLOW
ly and unwillinsly to depart. ;,
"Its been like the old times, Frant,
said the man tenderly.
'.Ah like the old times" responded the
woman. in a voice once sweet yet full OF
power. ssNow that we are fairly settled IN
The new cabin, Philly, we Ii have many an
evening out here together"
.sIt's easier coming when we're so near,
said Philip Darrow affectionately. TO
think we've spent the last day IN the old
shanty, Frantl But it's happy time we've
had here, after all.
"Happy enough,n said Francis Darrow,
whose speech, like her husbands bore the
broad but not unpleasant accent OF the cape.
"Ifs five years since you married me, Phll-
ly. | wish wasn't SO much older!-But
you've been happy, haven't you, Philly?
.'What talk, Frantiep' said the young fel-
low, his handsome, sunburnt face darken-
ing. ''Pm twenty-five, and growing older ey-
cry day. There isn't girl on the cape
could wean me away from you. Haven't l
been true to you for five years, Frant!
And why shouldn't it be so always?
Il don't know 1.-The woman's face
grew even graver. Its ten years since l
was twenty-five, Philly, and seems like
grow old faster; but likely" and her lips
6arLed in a smile which transformed her
PLAIN face into actual beauty, ''likely it's
lust because Pm tired that feel so,-we've
worked SO hard getting the new house to
rights"
aAnd you like it, don't yous" asked Phil
Darrow for the hundredth time.
''Ah, lad, brightly. Maybe, IN spite OF
my being so sad like tonight, We'll have
happy times here too But looki how'll we
ever get back to the cabin, PhillyT'-for
the storm had gathered faster than they
knew. She stood erect, resuming the
strong, quiet manner that was habitual to
her. .Ihe storms right near." AS she
spoke, sheput out her hand to him ana
swept the western horizon with her Keen,
dark eyes The palor of her steady face,
the paor of an intense vitality and not
that of weakness, showed strikingly under
the angry light. A gust of wind and rain
blsw in their faces.
He took her hand and they hurried on to-
gether, till, just as they entered the broad,
low doorway of their new home, the storm
broke full over the headland.
As they entered, Philip Darrow Laughed
ioyoasly; man you would have said, with
out any of the finer qualities, atfectlonate
and playful, like handsome young New
foundlanJ, but coarser and weaker than the
woman who walked beside him. 1t was
her more aspiring soul, one could see plain
ly, that bound and held him to something
higher than his own ideals. Yet she was
evidently not cultured woman, though
bearing the marks of native refinement and
of latent force. Her priut dress was coarse
and faded, but spotlessly neat, and her rich,
red-brown hair, which matched her beautl-
ful eyes, was gathered smoothly back into
knot behind. Her forehead was low, broad,
and picturesque; but there her beauty en-
ded. Her nose was irregular, her mouth
large, though kind and decided, and her
cheek bones high and prominent. When
she smiled, however, her white teeth shone,
aud new and charming look overspread
her whole t sce But she smiled seldom,
and the harder and deeper lines of middle
life had driven away from the features the
roundness of youth. Yet she had an in1lu-
ence over her docile husband which the yul-
gar fish wives of the Point wondered at and
emulated, but could never attain; for, ad
ded to her strong and noble character, she
loved him with an abandonment of devotion
thai only women of her stamp can KNOW
with a strange blending of wife-love and
mother-love,-as all kind, warm-hearted,
large Drained creatures love whatever is
young and clinging and comely.
Their new home was, after all, only an
careful saving and contriving, they had at
last succeeded in buying and fitting up III
style far superior TO anything they had ever
enjoyed before.
Frant stood in the doorway, looking out
on the ocean, and watching the lightning
MAY OMAR il urbiio Phil felt his way inside.
striking match no. and then in vain at
tempt TO find candle. 81 sent up box
of candles in the load, Frant," he said at
last doubtfully, "but can't find them"
Frant laughed, and, hurrying in, moved
here and there in her own even, quiet way,
till soon light cleaned brightly from the
little window and the warmth and pleasant
ness of home asserted themselves in the
humble dwelling.
The storm ragged on, but Phil and Frant
had built a blazing fire, and heated water i'll
the bright new tea-kettle with view to a
social cup of tea before they should go to
bed.
While they were drinking it, man
knocked at the door. ''There's bad surf,
Phil,'' he said, San there's boats in the
ofin, bad driv'. A schooner's just gone to
pieces, am big steamer she's lost her
smoke-stack, an she's a-beatin' an a-beat-
In. They want you."
Phil Darrow was as brave as he was
strong and handsome. The light changed
in his eye. "I'll be there" he said. lie
kissed Frant-he always kissed Frant
when he went and when he came-and was
gone.
The cabin was tucked neatly into little
depression in the cliff, Across wild sea-
worn gully, close at hand, a mile of the
northern shore was plainly visible
from its windows, but the south
ern, where stood the hotel and the pier, was
hidden by the projecting height of the head
land.
Frant busted herself for few minutes
about her work. Then she fixed her fire
and her light, put on her waterproof cloak,
drew the hood over her head and started up
the headlands hoping to see something of
what was going on below.
The rays from the great lighthouse made
the darkness gray around her, but though
she could hear the sound of voices in the oc-
casional pauses between the gusts, she
could see nothing. Accustomed as she was
to storms, however, she could readily sup
ply the scene hidden beneath the pail OF fog.
She could see the bending masts of the
schooners and the pitching of the disman-
tied steamship. She could hear in imagina-
ton the walls for help, and could see the
lfe-boat putting off to the relief of the suffer
ers.
For an hour she strained eyes and ears to
see and hear something beyond the battling
mist and the deafening fog horn and the
gathering and bursting of the mighty waves
She felt as though there was work to do;
Sne wanted 10 10 III, anu, tuOuSu ouc was
drenched through, she determined to feel
her way down the cliff. There at least, she
could see the great waves.
The cliff was rough, and she found plenty
of points to cling TO in her descent, till at
last she stood face to face with the gray
green thunders, which flung their white
spray all over her.
Suddenly her eye caught something on an
incoming wave, thrown out into feeble re-
lief by the rays of the headland-light. Was
it a box, or fragment of ship timber, Or
something else?
In came the wave again, tumbling fiercely
almost against Frant's brave feet. Again
she saw the light, white burden borne back
by the retreating tide. She clambered up
little higher, and waited for the wave to
come again. This time it cleared the
beach. and bearing on its crest the same
white burden. crashed past her into the gull
ly. When it went back, there was nothing
but foam on its shining surface.
She rushed in upon the track of the wave
and felt distractedly about the ground. Sud-