The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1882-02-23
THE LADY BLANCHE LIFEB0AT.


would have some work to do before morn.
ing.
But what did Peter Pencorrow care about
the ifeboat. except for the salary of Ell
week which he drew as its custodian? No.
body in the village Of Polloot had looked
with kindly eye on the arrival of this fool
ish boat-as they called it-which was to
take the harvesting" out of their mouths.
For the population were wreckers to man
aud woman, and they termed it harvesting"
wkan some we'll freighted ship was driven
on to the great Needle Rock of their coast
and went to pieces
Such accidents happened too rarely for
their taste-once q Year or thereabouts,
and the booty was often mise1ably small
But there had been years within the memory
Of some of the inhabitants, who were not
yet old, when dozen vessels of all sizes
had foundered in single winter, and
when the luck Of the wreckers had been
large. 1t was in winter of this kind that
Did Peter Pencorrow had m de his fortune.
hail picked up pack .ge Of diamond from
the Brazil as his share of the spoils. Any
how, he disappeared from Polloot, and
went to live in London. like gentlel IAN,
as some supposed; though others affirmed
that he ran through his money pretty fast,
and went through multitude of queer e l.
ventures afterwards. Twenty five Yeas
after his departure he returned to the vii
lage with boy sixteen and girl one yeal
younger; and soou afterwards he was ap-
pointed 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 POlloot.
It was said that he had "blown the gait"
He was accused of having, while steward
on board on old steamer. told a number of
ugly SORES to the Earl and Lady Blanche.
who were returning home from tour in
America; insomuch that my lord and hif
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 soundings, and their oper-
atoms had been watched with sullen wrath.
Harold Treeorpe, the biggest, most scowl-
Ing fisherman In the village-a fellow whose
face looked murder, and whose mouth
never opened without a curse-had sworn
that if he hanged for itPencorrow should
never live to see life saved by his boat
nor vessel warned of danger by the beacon
OF q lighthouse. Before long, however,
Peter Pencorrow ceased to be SO much
hated. He was worthless scamp, always
drunk, and his chosen companion came to
be Harold Trecorpe, who had several times
threatened his life. Drunken men are not
dangerous, save to themselves, at least such
is the popular idea. and Harold used to
laugh al odd hooking laugh when anybody
talked of what things the Lady Blanche
would do with her signals, her rockets, aud
all her costly and complete apparatus for
salvage the first time that vessel stood in
peril Of touching on that dangerous Needl5.
Three year spussed, ard the ifeboat did
nothing They happened to be exception.
ally disastrous years from the PollOoters'
point of view, for though wrecks enough
took place on other parts of the coast, no
craft Of any consequence foundered on the
Needle. By this time Harold Treco1pe Was
captain of the hfeboats crew. He and sew
en- otner men received Gl2 year apiece
from the Earl to go out practicing so1ne-
times with the boat, and to hold themselves
in readiness at any time when their services
might be wanted. Ii they suved lives, they
were to have each bounty OF Ell pound on
every human head rescued. Nay they were
to have fifteen shillings, too. Tor every dead
human body they brought 70 shore. Thus
had the Earl and his daughter tried TO enlist
cupidity Of these men on the side Of
b manity, hoping, may be. that some high
er agencies would work too for the reclaim
ing Of population as barbarous and de-
based as any In these isles.
Peter Pencorrow lived in q pretty house
which his patron had built for him near the
large white shed where the lifeboat vas
kept. There was pharmacy in the place,
with two rooms holding three beds each,
which were to be reserved for half drowned
men and women who might be drawn out
of the sea; and there were great number
Of useful appliances for restoring lives that
might be just Pickering out. Sometimes
the Earl and Ledy Blanche would drive to
order; bat since their carriage could be
seen Ave miles off as it wound down the
steep road on the rock side, leading to Pol
loot, Peter and his daughter Meg always
had about an hours notice to set things tidy.
Peter now lived alone with his daughter
Margaret. His son had left him in disgust
to enlist, and Meg only remained with
him because there was nothing else for her
to do. She had been cursed at and cud-
gelled by him all through her childhood;
she had been his drudge, his scapegoat in
every one Of those drunken fits Of his which
REQUIRED daily, and her body bore marks of
brutal kicks be had given her when she
was a little thing, with limbs still tender
and weak. But now she had grown up to
be a tall, strong girl, with tanned face
and determined look, SO that Peter was
afraid of her. He used to hide his money
from her, as a bad boy does from his moth
OF, and If she wanted anything for house.
hold expenses she had to search his pock-
cts when he was dead drunk. However:
moro than thirty pounds out Of his ffty-two
year used to melt in drink. and Margaret
had to exc out a subsistence for himself
and her by making nets and shrimping.
Sometimes Lady Blanche used to give her
q sovereign, and this, too, helped the house.
hold along.
Margaret had wild, logged sort Of at
tractiveness 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
covering and was tied under her chin; her
rough. brown arms were always bare to the
elbow. Harold Trecorpe had cast his eyes
upon the wench from the time when she
was seventeen, but she hated him. The
first time he tried come rough piece of gal
lantry on her she caught up tho stump OF a
broken oar to protect herself and merely
elared at him: without saying word. On
60Ot0eI OCcaolO0, Wuou ue CshMo DouluU 0o1
unawares and took her by the chin, she
lifted . heavy fishing net, all brenzed with
age and salt, and dashed 1t in his face WITH
such violence that he was knocked down OF
the single.
Course yo' wench," no swore as he picked
himself up. "Yo' wouldn't have done that
to Mark Bnthwaite; but let him look to
himself if he crosses me-"
If 20 lay finger On Mark Brathwaite
yo1l have to lotk to yoCself," answered
Margaret contemptuously; and Harold con-
tented himself with scowling at her fror.
that time
Mark Brathwaite was Margaret's seoon.
lover-a fair haired boy about her own age,
whom she had saved from drowning one
windy day, when he had been dashed out
Of his fishing boat by flap Of q loosened
sail, which had hit him on the head and
stunned him. Margaret had swam COUP
10 Of furlongs in tumbling sea 10 effect
tho rescue, and Mark Brathwaite had loved
her from the moment when he opened his
eyes and found her bending over him, and
breathing life into his body vigorously from
her own lungs. Margaret, however. treated