Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1881-06-22
lFrom London TRUTH
THE LADY BLANCHE LIFEBOAT

though there was 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 ifeboat, except for the salary
of FL week which he drew as it's Gus.
todian? Nobody in the village of Pol
loot had looked with kindly eye on the
arrival of this foolish boat-as thew
called (which WAS to take the char
vesting' out Of their mouths. For the
population were wreckers to man and
woman, and they termed it 'harvest-
ing when some well-freighted ship was
driven on to the great Needle rock of
their coast and went to pieces.
Such accidents happened too rarely
tor 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 sim
gle winter, and when the luck of the
wreckers had been large It was in a
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 rs his share of the spoils,
Anyhow, he disappeared from Polloot,
and went to live in London, like gen
tleman, as some supposed; though
others affirmed that he ran through bis
money pretty fast, and went through
multitude of queer adventures after
I, l.
parture he returned to the village with
boy OF sixteen and 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. It was said that he had "blown
the gait" He was accused of having.
while steward on board an ocean steam
er, told a number Of ugly stories to the
Earl and Lady Blanche, who were re-
turning home from tour in America:
lnsomuch that my lord and his daughter
had made vow to dedicate lifeboat 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 soundiugs,
and their operations had been watched
with sullen wrath. Harold Trecorpe.
the biggest, most scowling fisherman in
the village-a fellow whose face looked
murder, and whose mouth never opened
without a c1lrse-had sworn that if he
hanged for it Pencorrow should never
live to see life saved by his boat, 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 vessel
stood in peril of touching on that dan
gerous Needle.
Ihree: years passed, and the lifeboat
did nothing. They happened to be ex-
ceptionally disastrous years from the
Pollooters' point of view, for though,
wrecks enough took place on other parts
of the coast, no craft of any conseauencc
foundered on the Needle. By this time
Harold Trecorpe was captain of the life
boats crew. He and seven other men
received twelve pounds year apiece
from the earl to go out practicing some
times with the boat, aud to hold them
selves in readiness at any time when
their services mi ght be wanted. If they
saved lives, they were to have each /,
bounty of one pound on every human
head rescued. Nay, they were to have
fifteen shillngs, too, for every dead
human body they brought to shore.
Thus had the earl and his daughter tried
to enlist the cupidity of these men on the
side Of humanity, hoping, may be, that
some higher agencies would work too for
the retaining of a population as bar
barous and debased as any in these isles
Peter Pencorrow lived in a pretty
house which his patron had built for
him near the large white shed where the
ifeboat was kept. There was a phar-
macy IN the place, with two rooms hold
ing three beds each, which we're to be
reserved for half-drowned men and
women who might be drawn out of the
sea; ana there were a great number of
useful appliances for restoring lives that
might be just Pickering out. Sometimes
the Earl and Lady Blanche would drive
to the village to see if everything was in
good order; but since their carriage could
be seen five miles off as it wound down
the steep road on the rock side, leading
to Polloot, Peter and his daughter Meg
always had about an hours notice to sec
things tidy. Peter now lived alone with
bis daughter Margaret. His son had
left him in disgust to enlist, and Meg
only remained with him because there
was nothing else for her her to do. She
h Il, |, been cursed at and cudgelled by him
all through her childhood; She bad been
bis drudge, his scapegoat in every one
OF those drunken fits of his which re-
CURED daily, and her body bore brutal