The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1881-11-10
THE KEEPERS DAUGHTER.

A lighthouse on rocky coast. Out
side, thunder, lightning, wind and rain,
and great black waves dashing up against
the rocks at the foot of the tower In
side winding flight of stairs leading to
an ctagou-shaped room containing the
plainest furniture. The occupants, q
girl Of eighteen, tall and 1.-the, with
black hair hanging il massive bralds to
her waist, and luminous gray eyes under
straight black brows. Her dress of gray
waterproof cloth was short and scant,
and hung in wet folds about her limbs
and strangest of all girdles, coil OF
rope encircled her waist and trailed one
end on the floor. By her side boy OF
fourteen years, with his blue blouse
open at the throat, and faded plush
cap on his dark curls. These two were
bending over a man who lay in all his
magnificent length on the floor. a
picturesque-lookip man, with fair hail
clinging III dripping masses to his fore
head; curling golden beard and q
white firm throat. and one might be
persuaded that the closed lids with their
]ong friuges covered pair of steel blue
eyes.
" Reckon he's goner, Liz" said the
boy, AS he paused in his vigorous rub.
bing of the mans hands.
The girl was forcing some liquor from
tin cup between the blue lips, and did
not answer directly; but when their
patient gave the faintest possible sigh.
she exclaimed, ioyfully: "See, Neddie,
he breathes Now work fast, whereupon
they both fell to rubbing him at great
rate.
When Allen Mcintyre opened his
eyes he looked about him confusedly.
The odd little room, the girl with her
black braids, and the boy looking so
like her that one would at once recog-
n;ze the relationship; the drenched con-
dition of ali three, and the strange
languor through all his frame-what
did it mean {? He closed his eyes
YEARLY, and then the boy spoke up in
this bluff fashion:
"You came near going UNDER cap'n,
but L zzie pulled you out"
Then Mcintyre remembered all, and
languidly raised himself into sitting
posture.
cit is too wild night to be aaoat
in little craft like that" said the girl,
making gesture seaward, where tiny
boat had broken up an hour before.
cit was fair when l left the Shore"
replied the man. 81 ventured further
than I intended. Then the wind went
down, and 1 could only drift until the
storm arose. / have recollection of a
fierce rush of wind and wave that upset
my boat, and blow ON my head, prob
ably from some part of the boat as 1
went over"
eyes" said the boy, there came q
flash or lightning, and Lizzie and /,
looking out, saw the boat capsize. So
Lizzie caught rope and ran, and I
after her."
"We're used to that sort of thing
eh, Lizzie?" Lizzie nodded, and the
boy continued, animatedly: "You see,
my father keeps the light, but he is sick
now, so Lizzie and l tend the light-we
always do when father is sick or gone
to the mainland-and we've pulled out
more than one fellow more than half
dead. Why"
"Never mind that, Neddie," inter-
rupted his sister, gently, and the un-
spoken reproof in her voice had the eff.
feet of making the lad look somewhat
shamefaced as he went back to the
first part of his story.
"Well, sir, we ran down the slope at
the side of the cliff out there, where the
waves were tearing up like 10000 wild
horses. And every time it lightened
we could see you bobbing aroundout
there like piece of cork. We were
afraid of your striking against the
ledgos, SO Lizzie fastened one end of
the rope about her waist and l held the
other while she went straight in and
struck out for you"
% Mcintyre uttered a low exclamation
and turned his gaze from Neddie to
Neddie's sister. The boy wagged his
head proudly.
"Ah," said he, with cleaning eye,
" that's nothing for our Liz to do She
caught you, and 1 pulled you both in.
But you're monstrous heavy thought
we'd never get you upstairs" 900
Mcintyre laughed as he rose rather
doubtfully to his feet.
81 feel trife shaky," he said 7; and
then, at is easy to see that you are
brother and sister. am Allen McIn-
tyre, at your service, Miss Lizzie" and
he oowed in fashion that gave the lie
to- his declarations of shakiness. "Of