Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1885-10-22
The Sturp Teller,
THE BEACON FIRE.


which ran the path that led to the home OF
old Martin Fere. At ordinary times the
cottage would have possessed but little at
traction for a bold sterling youth like Owen
Glenn. But visitor had oflate frightened
up its precincts-a young girl named An
ME, named after the aged grandmother
who dozed by the hearth through the long
evenings, content to watch the bright flames
as they shot up from the broad fireplace,
and perhaps to see visions of the past with
her dim eyes.
Dame Fere was sharp voiced, bustling
woman, long past middle age, and not hav-
ing the name of possessing very sweet
temper, but she had soft place in her heart
for granny, and it was to please her that
she had invited her pretty namesake to
come and visit them for few months.
Annie was tall, slight girl, as straight
as a pine tree, and as graceful as faWn.
Her yellow hair hung in perfect maze of
shining curls all about her shoulders and
far down below her waist. Imagine sweet
innocent face lighted with great lustrous
dark eyes and red mouth almost always
curving into smiles, and you have some
idea of Annie.
Most of, the young girls in the vicinity
were buXom, merry lasses, with hair and
ewes to match-both of intense blackness-
and more or less of the hoyden in them.
Their laughter was loud and hearty, and
their ways more frolicsome than refined.
So that it is not strange that when this
graceful quiet stranger came upon them,
with her shy ways and blonde coloring, her
swift changes of expression and native ease
of manner, she was at once taken into the
hearts of all the young people in the neigh
borhood.
owen Glenn had fallen head over heels in
love at his first meeting with Annie, and
had not missed an opportunity of meeting
her at the various rustic gatherings to which
she had been invited, and tonight he was
going to seal his fate by telling Annie that
he loved her, and ask if he could hope for q
response to the ardent feeling with which he
had been inspired by her.
Owen was not at all certain as to the sue
cess of his suit, for there was another who
admired Annie, who was far above him in
worldly station and wealth, and as Owen, in
his freedom from vanity, also thought, in
good looks and in other qualities calculated
to win girls heart.
Annie had received the pleasant little
courtesies and attentions of both in a way
calculated to wound neither, though, as to
that, it would have been an imposslbllity
for her to be other than so sweet and gra-
cious as not to enkindle hope in each pas
sionate young heart.
Thus matters stood as Owen started from
his home to take the long and tedious walk
over the cliffs, which must be traversed
before he could reach the cottage which shell
tered the object of his love.
It had been raining steadily all day long,
and as night came on the wind had risen to
gale.
But, wrapped in his waterproof cloak and
lighted on his way by lantern, Owen
cared nothing for the threatening elements,
and walked along, whistling softly, now
and then pausing to shake himself after the
fashion of some huge water dog.
Then he would trudge on again, think
ing what terrible night it must be at sea,
and breathing a prayer for the WaVe-tossed
mariners far from home.
Suddenly dull, booming sound reached
his ear.
It came from a seaward direction, but at
first he kept on his way thinking:
''This is not the harbor, and every one
who has the slightest knowledge of the To-
cality will be sure to avoid such dangerous
coast; so it's no business of mine."
Again the sound came. This time Owen
stopped and listened.
A thought came into his mind as he did
so, but it initiated so directly against his
inclinations to give heed to it that with an
impatient "Pshaw" he started on.
But he could not rid himsefof it. 1t was
this: eff ship is in peril, and has lost her
way, the only thing that could save her
would be huge beacon fire to cast light
upon her surroundings"
To build fire would be a work of time
and of hard labor.
To keep one up long enough to do any
good would take hours of Watchfulness, and
he would have to abandon all hope of seeing
Annie that evening.
1t was hard struggle, but inclination
proved to be made of a material which could
not hold out against his own strong sense OF
duty.
He gave up all thought of the pleasant
greetings he had been living upon in his
heart all day long, and set himself to work
to gather fuel for the beacon fire.
After several hurried journeys to the
woodland, which lay little distance away,
he succeeded in accumulating pile OF
branches and dry twigs, which he had raj ked
out with his hands from deserted hut,
which stood on the confines of the thicket,
and had evidently been gathered together
for some purpose but under the circum-
stances Owen felt himself justified in taking
it. as it would have been almost impossible
to have kindled a fame of green wood.
Just as he had succeeded in coaNing
splendid blaze into life, 4 voice cried:
"Hallo, Glenn, is that you: What in the
name of wonder are you doing: ,"
ssI am answering to a signal of distress.
Hark ~ as dull sound came again from
the sea.
"Well, old fellow, l wish you joy of your
post, and hope it will do the good you en-
pect. For my part Pm off to old Martins.
I hear little Annie is going away tomorrow,
and I don't want to miss sight of her
beaming face tonight. It's bright and
sweet enough to be mans beacon light for
all his life. Goodbye, and good fortune at
tend your work. It's lucky all are not such
selfish fellows as | am"
1t was as if thousand tiends were tug
ging for the mastery of Owen Glenn's heart,
as he listened to the rattling talk or the gay,
light-hearted youth.
Should he give Robert this chance of see
ing Annie, and of perhaps asking her to be
his wife during this very night, while ne
stood and worked to do good and in Cod
providence tried to be the means of saving
the lives of people who were nothing to
him?
Thus his thoughts ran over and over again,
repeating themselves like the voices OF
mocking demons, while outwardly he Ia
bored on as unremittingly as though no in
fiuence of the kind were at work, piling on
fresh fuel for the flames, or pushing some
burning log into a better position, and IN
that way won the victory.
Peace succeeded to the wild storm of agi-
tation which had momentarily threatened
to engulf him. Thus the night wore
through.
With the morning came great calm.
One would not have thought that the sum
fecked waves which came leaping in, white