The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-07-02

and weak. But now she had grown 10 be a
tall, strong glrl, with tanned face and de-
termined look, 80 that Peter was afraid Of her
He used to hide his money from her as bad
boy does from his mother, and If she wanted
anything for household expenses she had TO
search his pockets when he was dead drunk.
However, more than thirty pounds out Of his
6ftytwO year used to melt in drink, and
Margaret had to exc out asubsistence for him
self and her by making nets and shrimping.
Sometimes Lady Blanche used TO give her Q
sovereign, and this, too, helped the household
along.
Margaret had wild, logged sort of attract,
iveness in her appearance. She never wore
shoes or stockings, and her black hair fell
down her back In one thickly. plated tress. A
red handkerchief formed her head Lowering
and was tied under her chin; her rough,
brown arms were always bare to the elbow.
Harold TrecOrpe had cast his eyes upon her
from the time when she was seventeen, but
she hated him. The first time he tried some
rough piece of gallantry on her she caught up
the stump Of broken oar to protect herself,
and merely giared at HIM, wlthout saying a
word. On another occasion, when he came
behind her unawares and took her by the chm,
she lifted heavy fishing net, all bronzed with
age and SALT and dashed it in his face with
such violence that he was knocked down on
the single.
Curse yo', wench!" he swore as he picked
himself up. "Yo' wouldn't have done that to
Mark Brathwaite; but let him look to hisselt
if he crosses me-"
IF yo' lay finger on Merk Brathwaite yo
will have to look to yosselt," answered Mar
garet, contemptuously; and Harold contentcd
himself from after that time with scOwling ct
her.
Mark Brathwaite was Margaret's second
lover--a fair haired boy, about her own age,
whom she had saved from drowning one win.
dy day when he had been dashed out of his
fishing boat by q flap of loosened sail, which
had hit him on the head aud stunned him.
Margaret had swan couple of furongs in
a tumbling sea to effect the rescue, and Mark
}rathwaite had loved her from the moment
when he opened his eyes and found her bend.
ing over him and breathing life into his body
vigorously from her own lungs. Margaret,
however, treated him like younger brother.
He was the only human being who could draw
smile from her, but he was not the man to
teach her what love was though he tried hard
and made himself pretty wretched in the at.
tempt
sometimes Peter Pencorrow's daughter, sit.
ting outside her fathers house on fine after
Moons to make nets, would drop her hands in
To- her lap and look out with dull, wlsltul
expression over the sea, so broad, blue and
mysterious. Her finely shaped head might
have been storehouse of knowledge and
great thoughts, but 1t was empty. She could
neither read nor write; she knew nothing of
the world except in its most sordid aspects of
dire poverty, drunkenness and brutality. She
had never set foot in a church, and had no idea
of a God save that she had heard and believed
that there was something above those skies
which were now so golden with sunlIght, now
so black with thunder.
Occasionally such natural impulses of
good as were in the girls heart would we'll up
in short scraps of advice which she gave toI
Mark Brathwaite: Mark, YOU not get
drunk like father. There's no good IN drink"
or, Mark, if | were a mon, I'd learn summit
and become a scholard."
This is what Margaret Pencorrow was at
eighteen, and on the night alluded to In the
first line of this story, when her worthless
father stood, drunk as usual, on his watch,
and wholly unheedful of the storm that was
gathering,
The storm broke presently with frightful
fury. Long streaks of lightning rent the sky.
and the waves were dasned upon the shore
with roaring loud as thunder. In spite of
the deluge of rain the crew of the lIfe.boat
came to the shed to get all in readiness, and a
great many other fishermen and their wives
trooped out of the cottages; but this was only
because sleep on such night was impossible
Most OF the eyes that looked seward with ex-
pectant chances were rather hoping fora profit
able wreck than they were eager tor chance
to save life
Margaret stood in the shed With Mark Brath
waite beside her, Harold T'recorpe being on
the other side of the boat The occasional
glow of the pipe he was smoking lit up his
rugged face and made it seem devilish as he
cursed the III luck that had fallen upon Pol
loot and expressed his convection that the life
boat had "witched" the place driving wrecks
off it.
Dong yo," cried he striking the boat with
his fist; "yo've done us harm from the day yo'
COON here! Yo' hev."
Suddenly there was cry from every one
under the shed: "a light! blue light!
Look, there's another!"
Far off IN the ofiing there was ship IN dis
tress sending up blue lights. They rose swift
and pale, then burst into bright CLEAN and
vanished. Harold Trecorpe uttered shout
of exultation
ITS big ship" cried he Here, gle US
the blue rockets, wench."
What for the blue rockets? 2" asked Mar
garet who was standing near box of fire
signals. "le must burn three red lights first
to warn 'em the coasts dangerous. Then
three blue 'uns to say the hfe.boats coming.
That's what my lord told me-"
"Cuss your lord and yo' tool" blurted out
Harold savagely, as he ran around to the 9th
or side of the boat. Here lads, bear a hand
and heave this wench out"
Harold, I'll fire light In yo'r face if yo'
come near me. Mark, keep that mon OFF,
cried Margaret, painting; ana selzing the Ian
tern from Peter Pencorrow's drunken hands,
she held a rocket at Harolds face as if it we're
pistol
But there were others beside Harold who
wanted the ship to be wrecked, and several of
the life boats crew were among them. They
were willing enough to go out with the boat
BY and by, bat they wanted the vessel to be |