McCook weekly tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 188?-1886, 1885-02-05

1t was q hard struggle, Dut lncIud-
ton proved to be made of q material
| which could not hold its own against
his strong sense of duty.
He gave up all thought of the pleas
ant greeting he had been living upon
in his heart all day long, and set him
self to work to gather fuel for the bea-
con fire.
After several hurried journeys to the
woodland, which lay little distance
away, he succeeded in accommodating a
pile of branches and dry twigs, which
he had raked out with his hands from
a deserted hut, which stood on the
confines of the thicket, and had evil
IDENTIFY been gathered together for
some purpose; but under the circum-
stances Owen felt himself justified in
taking it, as it would have been al
most impossible to have kindled a
flame of green wood.
Just as he had succeeded in coaxing
splendid blaze into life, voice
cried i:
''Hallo, Glenn, is that youp What
in the name of wonder are you do
ingP"
II am answering to signal of dis
tress. Hark ~ as dull sound came
again from the sea.
"Well, old fellow, ! wish you Joy of
your post. and hope it'll do the good
you expect. For my part, I'm off to
old Martins. I hear little Annis is
going away tomorrow, and l don't
want to miss a sight of her beaming
face tonight. It's bright and sweet
enough to be mans beacon light for
all his life. Good-by, and good for
tune attend your work. It's lucky all
are not such selfish fellows as 1 am"
1t was as if thousand fiends were
tugging for the mastery of Owen
Glenn's heart, as he listened to- the
rattling talk of the gay, lighthearted
youth.
Should he give Robert this chance of
seeing Annis, and of perhaps asking
her to be his wife, during this very
night, while he stood and worked to
do good, and in Gods providence
tried to be the means of saving the
lives of people who were nothing to
himp
Thus his thoughts ran over and over.
again, repeating themselves like the
voices of hooking demons, while out
wardly he labored on as unremitting-
ly as though no influences of the kind
were at work, piliHg on fresh fuel for
flames, or pushing some burning log,
into better position and in that way
he won the victory.
Peace succeeded to the wild storm
of agitation 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 sun-fecked waves which came
leaping in, white-crested and tumult-
uous, to meet the stern barrier of
rocks, and crawl up, up almost to
their SUBMITS. could be aught but
playful in their force. All, it is
treacherous beauty-tbat of the sea.
Too tired to notice the beauty of the
transition from storm to sunshine,
Owen walked slowly home. His work
was done, and he must rest.
Late in the day he started out for a
walk. He was in that miserable state
of mind which oftentimes follows some
great exaltation of spirit. The thought
that Annis had gone away without his
seeing her again weighed upon his
mind like an unwelcome incubus.
At the voice of Robert Hunter, who
stopped to accost him, he shrank and
tlembled as though in pain, but he
listened as intently as though his life
depended upon what he was about to
say. Had he proposed to Annis, and
had he been accepted?
''Glenn," he began, 81 wish you and
I could change places about last
nights work.
ats rather late for that, now," was
the quiet answer.
'Im fully aware of the fact, and
that's what 1 regret about it. I'm
afraid I'm disbed in a certain direc-
ton"
''What do you mean?" asked Owen,
with sudden interest.
"Why. if you believe it, I might
just as well have left my visit unpaid
last night; indeed, had far better have
done so. Annis was so interested at
the chance of there being a ship out
side in distress that it was all 1 could
do to prevail upon her not to face the
storm and come and help she said;
and she gave me some pretty hard
rubs, can tell you, about my leaving
YOU alone to do the good work. as
She called it. don't believe that lit
tie Annis will ever look at me again
without thought in her mind of what
I ought to have done and didn't"
Such a tide of JOY rushed through
Owen Glenn's heart that he could
hardly speak, and while he was strug-
Cling to hide his emotions Robert went
on with his revelations. little realizing
the effect of his Words
ISLES not going home to-day just
on that account. She told me to tell
you to come up and see her and tell
her all about it. [ wish it had been
my luck to make such hit. Women
are great on any one who touches their
feelings. You ought to see her eyes
snap and sparkle when she was lectur-
ing me about not staying to help you.
l never saw her look so pretty. But,
halloo! what has come over you" For
Owen was hurry1ng off in the direc-
ton of the cliffs.
AS he went Robert caught look
upon his face which told him more
than Owen intended. He stood star
ing after him, thinking to himself:
Il see it all. My failure will be