Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1885-03-06

thinking:
This isnot the harbor, and every
one who has the slightest knowl'
edge of the locality will be sure to
avoid such a 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 direct
" against his inclinations to give
heed to it that with an impatient
sPshaw he started on.
But he could not rid himself OF
it. 1t was this: IF a ship is in
peril, and has lost her way, the on
" thing that could save her would
be a huge beacon fire to cast a light
upon her surroundings
To build a fire would be work
of time and of hard labor.
To keep one up long enough to
do any good would take hours of
watohfulness, and he would have to
abandon all hope Of seeing Annis
that evening.
1t was hard struggle, but in'
clination proved to be made of a
material which could not hold its
own against his strong sense of
duty.
He gave up all thought of the
pleasant greeting he had been liv-
ing upon in his heart oil day long,
and set himself to work to gather
fuel for the beacon fire.
After several hurried journeys to
the woodland, which lay a little dis
tance away, he succeeded in accu'
mulating 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 evidently been
gathered together for some pur'
pose ; but under the circumstances
Owen felt himself justified in taking
it. as it would have been almost
impossible to have kindled a flame
of green wood.
Just as he had succeeded in coax
ing a splendid blaze into life a voice
cried:
Halo, Glenn, is that you 7
What in the name Of thunder are
you doingi'
Il am answering to q signal oil
distress. Harkp 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, Pm
off to old Martins. | hear little
Annis is going away tomorrow,
and | don't want to miss a sight OF
her beaming face tonight. It's
bright and sweet enough to be a
mans beacon light for all his life.
Goodbye, and good fortune attend
your work. It's lucky all are not
such selfish fellows as am
II was as If a thousand iends
were tugging for the mastery ol
Owen Glenn's heart, as he listened
to the rafting talk of the gay, light
hearted 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 ol
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 be labOred on a
unremittingly as though no infu
ences Of the kind were at worl
piing on fresh fuel for the flames
or pushing some burning log into
better position and in that wa.
he won the victory.
Peace succeeded TO the wild storm
of agitation which had momentarl
" threatened to engulf him. Thu
the night wore through.
With the morning came a grea
calm. One would not have though
that the sun .hecked waves whic
came leaping in, white-crested an
tumultuous, to meet the stern bal
rier of rocks, and crawl up, up a
most to their SUBMITS, could b
augbt but playful in their forc'
All. It is a treacherous beauty
that Of the sea.
Too tired to notice the beauty {
the transition from storm to sui
shine, Owen walked slowly hom
His work was done, and be mu'
rest.
Late In the day he started out Il
a walk. He was in that miserab
state OF mind which sometimes 70
[ lows some great eIaltation OF spl
# il. The thought that Annis hs
1 gone away without bis seeing b.
a again weighed upon his mind iii
r an unwelcome incubus.
/. At the voice of Robert Huntc
q who stopped to accost him,
shrank and trembled as though
+ pain, but he listened as though b
q lite depended upon what he W
), about to say. Had he proposed
10 Annis, and had he been accepted
/. 'Glenn,' he began, Il wish y
and / could change places abo
II last nights work.