The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1888-09-20

AASS "A4oO yOU U1Us 81.
Captain Corlett, you lie!' s.
'.For calling me liar, take that!
And for playing dirt on me take that
and that!' -.~ ~..
In moment there was scuffle up
In that little room under the lantern,
and the next thing l heard was
splash in the water. II
/ thought it time to interfere but as
I ran the boat aground Corlett jumped
in and showed off. ASH opened my lips
to speak, he shouted in terribly ex-
cited manner:
Don't you ask any questions and
don't you say word on ship-board, or
I'll shoot you without warning!''
confess that during that evening I
was a coward and was afraid of the
Captain in his mad rage. We pro-
ceeded on our trip to Montreal, whittier
We carried . cargo, and started back
light. In week we were again near
ing the settlement. 1t was squally
night, though not very rough, but
dark as pitch. The tide was running
out and the wind was from the west.
The Captain had been drinking
whisky pretty freely all through the
trip, and he was in no shape to take
the schooner into the creek even in the
best of weather. The mate tried to
persuade him to keep outside until the
morning. "No!' says he, I'm running
this vessel. I'm Captain here, and you
fellows will do as I tell you, or I'll
know the reason why" With whisky
in his head and pistols in his pockets,
COrlett was a dangerous customer, and
we prepared to make the best of bad
job. We all knew that we were pretty
near the headland, but what puzzled
the boys was that no light was to be
seen. l had my own suspicious but
dared not mention them.
Boys" said the Captain, at last-a
little sobered in his efforts to make the
creek-''guess we won't try to make it
tonight. Keep her Oft bit, and go
easy down the river"
At that instant saw light flashing
right ahead of US. It didn't look ex-
actly familiar, but we all took it for
the lighthouse.
THAT'S lucky" says the Captain.
u thought we were further off shore.
Hard a-port!'' he shouted. "We'll clear
the point in good shape now.''
Meantime the wind had been gather
ing strength and the water was much
rougher. We were now spanking along
with reefed sails at twelve or thirteen
knots an hour. '
Suddenly there came crash. We
had run aground on the point, two
hundred yards the land side of the
light-h house,! It was such a shock that
in ten minutes the schooner was break
ing to pieces and sinking. Then it was
each man for himself. was the first
to pick myself up on the low rocks and
the mate was with me. Soon afterwards
three of the boys, which completed the
crew, showed up, but the Captain was
missing.
The mate told me to 60 up to the viii
lage for help, while he and the others
stayed by the vessel. In five minutes
1 came up to the light which had de-
ceived us all and caused the wreck. II
was a large, bright lantern, in the
hands of Lizzie-Hector Baptiste' wife!
''Lizzie,'' I cried, 'for Heavens
sake, what is this? Do you know what
you have done?"
She did not look her old self at all.
She was pale and haggard and was
drenched with the spray from the surf.
NO. says she, in strange tone,
not one bit like her old voice. mo;
what have done?'
"Why, girl,' l says, ''you holding
that lantern down the shore put Captain
Corlett out of his reckoning, and he
ran the schooner aground. What's
more, guess the Captains drowned"
"Ah!'' she says, with sort of sigh
of relief and satisfaction. ''Listen to
me, Pierre. I intended to wreck
Charlie Corlett's vessel. I know it was
wicked, but he was wicked and made
me so. He killed my poor Hector
why shouldn't kill him? expected
the schooner would be here tonight
l hoped it would. So did not light
up at the lighthouse. Instead, I
held this lantern up as high as I
could reach, where I knew it would
fool Corlett. You say he is drowned?
Well, am glad-that is what wished.
Goodnight, Pierre!'
As she spoke-before I could inter-
fere-she jumped, lantern in hand,
from the ledge of rock on which she
stood into the deep waters. I rushed
in after her as far as dared in the
darkness-but could see nothing of
her.
The next morning, except for the
wrecked schooner, there was little
trace of the storm; and, in the bright
autumn sunlight, there came floating
along the creek into the quiet settle
ment, carried by the tide, two drowned
bodies. One was Charlie Corlett, and
the other was poor Lizzie.
I'm seventy years old, sir, and I've
followed the river all my life, passing
| Corlett's Cape thousand times-but I
can't forget it, can't forget it.-De-
| tr0it Free Press.
BRlGHT'S DISEASE.
1t Carries or More Public Men Than
Any Other Malady.
''What disease carries off more pub
lie men than any other?' l asked.
Il should say" replied the states
man, "Brights disease of the kidneys.
A careful diagnosis shows that this has
more to do with our great funerals
than any other. The public man of
the United States lives high. Here at
Washington he gets in the habit win