The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1881-10-01
kettle with view to . social cup Of tea
IL Il Il IL l.

kettle with view to = social cup Of tea
before they should 90 to bed.
While they were drinking it, q man
knocked at the door. "There's bad
surf, PHIL" he said, ''an' there's boats
in the offin', bad driv'. A schooner's
just gone to pieces, an q big steamer
she's lost her smoke-stack, an she's
a-beatin' an a.beatin'. They want YOU"
Phil barrow was as brave US he was
strong and handsome. The light changed
in his eye. "I'll be there" he said.
He kissed Frant-he always kissed
Frant when he went and when he came
and was gone.
The cabin was tucked neatly into a
little depression in the cliff. Across a
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 headlaud.
Frant busted herself for few minutes
about her work. Then she fixed her
fire and her light, put on her water
proof cloak, drew the hood over her
head, and started up the headland,
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 occasional pauses between
the gusts, she could see nothing. Ac-
customed as she was to storms, however,
! she could readily supply the scene hid:
den beneath the pail of fog. She could
see the bending masts of the schooners
and the pitching of the dismantled steam
ship. She could hear in Imagination
the walls for help, and could see the
life-boat putting off to the relief Of the
sufferers.
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 81
the mighty waves. She felt as though
there was work to do; she wanted to dc
it, and, though she 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 de-
scent, 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 8
feeble relief by the rays Of the headland
light. Was it box, or q fragment o.
ship-timber, or--something else?
In came the wave again, tumbine
fiercely almost against Frant's brave
feet. Again she saw the light, white
burden borne back by the retreatine
tide. She clambered up little higher
and waited for the wave to come again
This time it cleared the beach, and, bear
ing on its crest the same white burden
crashed past her into the gully. Whel
it went back, there was nothing but foam
on its shining surface.
She rushed in upon the track of tn
wave and felt distractedly about tn
ground. Suddenly her hand caught il
something. 1t was a mass Of dripping
human hair-the long, fine hair of ;
woman.
Frant gave shrek Of horror an,
drew herself away, but it was only TO
an instant: the wave was coming. Sh'
seized the woman by her arms and begal
to drag her through the wild plum-bush
es and over the rough stones out of tn
reach of the hungry water. ;.
| She was thinking hard all the time
Perhaps the woman was not dead. Sh'
had seen people revived after they hal
been q long time under water, and
though there was no feeling Of life il
the woman, she determined to try ant
save her. Oh, for light! Oh, To-
Philly! But she began to drag he
limp, wet burden, haf-carrying it u
the steep, rough bank. It was plump
young figure, but not large, while Fran
was strong and tall; and in a little tim
it lay in Frant's new white bed; an,
] Frant herself, with . flush on her pale
steady face and her kind eyes glowing
was rapidly stripping of the shred
that remained Of the poor girls clothin,
| and applying restoratives. At last tn
warmth and motion penetrated to tn
numb young heart, and, just a. Phil
step sounded at the door, Frant's tasl
was done; for the girl, whose face, eve
in It's death-ike pallor, was very lovely
opened her eyes feebly.
! Phil came In, noisy and staring, bu
Frant lifted her finger. "What-wha
| is ite'' he stammered.
II found her." said Frant, briefly
and pointing to the girl. "A grea
| wave tossed her into the gully and I 60
her."
"You got herl'' said Phil, with
strain Of awe creeping into his voice.
| There was no awe about Frant. Sh
was very practical. "Lift her head
Philly. . she said, "while l change be
| vet pillow"
| TIE girl opened her eyes again an
tried to speak. The neatness, tn
| warmth, the light, Frant's clinging, ter
der touch, the strong look on her face
all seemed to combine to soothe an
quiet her. ".Thank you," she whis
pered. Then she went OF again I
sleep.
i Pin stood like . man under . spell
"Shs looks like an angel" he viii
lpered.
"She isn't" said Frant, laughing
| tribe uncomfortably. /" She's only
| poor girl that l lugged up the gully my
salt. ] had gone done the cli8 to see
| I couldn't find something q you. Th
tide brought her in, and ! ngged be
up" IS
Phil, however, did not seem 70 thin
~ Erant AZ her nAril or az her hAr(