The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1888-09-14
THE PILOTS STORY.

Known 10 tOur1Bts from MONTREAL anu
Quebec to Rimouski:
So you would like to know why scare
at that headland2 You notice that cape2
Yes, Corletts cape, we call It, and bad
place 1t used TO be. You notice the light
house that stands theref Yes. Well,
lived by that headland long before the
lighthouse was built, matter Of nearly
fifty years ago. l hate that same Cor
lett's cape, though / never heard tell of
more than one wreck. 1t happened after
the lighthouse was built, but the lights
were put ont, and put out on purpose,
too. It's well nigh forty years since, but
/ remember 1t as II 1t were but yesterday.
There was then little bit Of settle
ment down near the mouth Of the creek,
which you may have noticed empties into
the river just above the cape. There
wernt many people lived there. and the
biggest and most important man In the
place was Charlie Corlett. He was
North of England man, I've heard tell
and anyhow he owned every acre of land
and every stick Of timber for miles
around. Besides, at that time, Corlett's
was the only grist and lumber mill within
hundred miles In any direction. Then
he owned fast little schooner-about
the only one that traded TO the settle
ment, making trips up and down the
river, between Quebec and the provinces
Although Corlett was O rich man for those
days, he was fond of sailing and had
notion to run the schooner himself.
Charlie Corlett would have passed for q
handsome man anywhere, and he was, by
long odds, the finest built man in the set
tlement. But Charlie had a terrible tenn
per. He was so used to having his own
way that when anything or anybody
thwarted him he was regular devil In
his fierce, unreasonable anger.
When the lighthouse was built young
Frenchman from Three Rivers was put in
charge as keeper. He was q fine young
fellow, and If he was not so handsome nor
so rich as Charlie Corlett he was liked n
good deal better by the boys.
Corlett was some ten or twelve years
older than young Hector Baptiste, but as
luck would have 1t, they both fell In love
with the same woman Indeed that was
hardly to be wondered at, seeing that
Lizzie Lenox was the only pretty, mar
riageable white woman in the settlement
Both men loved the girl well and sincerely
and both made her an honorable offer Of
marriage. OF course Lizzie couldn't
marry both of them, and strange as
everybody thought 1t, she chose Hector.
The captain, as we all called Corlett. was
furious with rage, and he tried in every
way he could think of to induce the girl
to change her mind. He argued with her
In vain, and then threatened to use his
influence with the government to have
Hector turned out of the lighthouse.
| Then he brought costly presents from
| Quebec and st. Johns, which Lizzie re-
| fused to accept. The simple fact was
| that Lizzie never liked the captain, and
| the more he tried to win her love, the
closer she stuck to Baptiste
was at that time sailing with Capt
| Corlett and knew him pretty well. One
| day he came down to the settlement, after
a three weeks trip to Halifax, and found
that Hector Baptiste and Lizzie Lenox
were married. Although the captain
took 1t badly to heart, and l saw look in
his eyes that didn't fancy very well.
Two days later, towards evening, we
slipped out of the creek, bound for Mon
treal. We hadn't got more than q mile
past the point when the captain ordered
the mate to down sails and lay to. He
said he had forgotten something and told
me to get out the yawl and run him
ashore. When we were In the boat he
says to me; Pierre" he says, II saved
your life once, didn't II"
| "Yes, cap" says land he did: he
|
WELL" says he, zone good turn de
serves another, doesn't IT. Now you Just
keep to yourself whatever you may hap
pen to see tonight. I'm goin' up to tn,
lighthouse to settle an old score"
"For Gods sake, cap" says l, "don'
do anything you1l be sorry for"
That's all right" he says; "yo,
needn't be afear'd. I'm goin' to give tina
French puppy piece OF mind, and per
haps licking, that's ALL"
And l think he meant no more thai
what he said, so / made no answer.
was only a lad, and an Indian at that-h
was white man and my captain. Be
sides. as he had reminded me, owed hin
my life.
1t was about o'clock of Septembe
evening. l could see the lantern light
being lit In the lighthouse, and knew tha
Hector was there and probably alone-fo
although there was q small cottage al
tached to the lighthouse, 1t was neve
used as dwelling. Corlett jumped ashor
and bad me wait for him. In the still
ness l could hear words that were sale
Corlett spoke first;
You French sneak. want bit c
reckoning with you'll"
, Those are hard names, captain" sal
, Baptiste, ''and don't like them"
"Oh, you don't. ehf Well, you shouldn
. deserve them then. don't like having
, crawling Frenchman coming up here an
stealing away the woman had intende
to marry. That's what you didr'
Capt. Corlett, you lie."
for nlavinn S,rt on y M me- % take that-ar
tbatfi
In n ,nom.nt tbara woa O scrft,a nm
that little room nnder the lantern.N-ay
; the next thing 7 heard was a snlasb
the water ~
tbonght II TINA IN interfere hrt ms
ran the Boat aground Corlett .inmned
and showed Off As opened nv iips
sneak- he shouted in a Terribly eIcit,
= manner.
. "Don;t Won ash anv ouest,ops and do,
: YOU saw a word on s6lp board, or I'm sho
! You without warninqf
4 confess that dSr,no that sven,ng
was a coward and was afraid Of the 90
! tain In bis mad rage We nroceeded
our trip to Montreal, whistler we carried
; caroo and started hocr Iobt In wo
we were again nearing the settlement.
WAS a sonalIy night though NOT We
u rough, bnt dayk as mitch Tbe tide "
y unSing ont and the wind was from /
Z west
/ The captain had been drinking wbis
pretty freely ali thr.ugb the tim snd
H., l., - H. - 80 A. II -. a.