The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-05-10

ana changed his clothes, appearing in
those he usually wore in winter. and
which had already many a time made ac-
Qualnfance with the salt water: ne also
sad on leggings and an oilskin cape was
hung over his arm. Pengelly had reached
an age when rheumatism was an enemy
70 be feared. Peggy had laid the table for
| Inelr afternoon meal by the time he came
/ OUT; de took a drink Of cider, then at
tackled the great Cornish loaf. Suddenly
ne looked up. Peggy was not eating. She
was sitting with her elbows on the table
and her face between her hands seriously
regarding him.
Give over staring. girl" he said. rough
| ". have an errand. Git across TO
Joe Cornish, and tell him 1 want speech
with him, and that right soon"
Cornish is over to Minister" said Peg
Sy, Il saw him drive on, and he told me
| he wouldn't be back till night"
Pengally made gesture of Impotence.
Then try Trevenna," he said Yes
Trevenna's the man. Stop, I'll go myself
And you, run along TO widow Toms and
ask her to lend me her old blind cow
| Bring il along with you. and say I'll make
II worth her while, and that before twelve
| hours are past. Be off with you. It once
Peggy dared not disobey him. But she
paused with her hand on the latch.
You won't harm the cow
Not me. If harm comes to the Crittur
it won't be all the world. I'll make it up
TO her, never fear"
Peggy departed on her errand. The
widow demurred at lending the COW, but
she was very poor, and she believed Pen
gellys word that he would reward her
Tor the loan. Perhaps she had some idea
OF what use would be made of the ami
NAL. At any rate an hour or SO later,
when she had bundled her children into
bed, and warmed herself with some spir-
its and water-One of the things she could
obtain both cheap and good, for the OBJ
vious reason that il bad cost the vendor
nothing-she wandered away down to the
harbOr and stood at respectful dis
lance from the knot of men who were
gathered there in the hope of cleaning
| Information For who could tell what
| chances might come even to woman by
and by and why should she be contented
merely with what Pengelly might choose
to give her?
piece of rope tied round its horns, down
the road towards her home. The creature
was half-blind and old and seemed by no
means DESTROYS of taking this exercise, so
| their progress was not very speedy When
| they arrived she found her grandfather
and another man, strong, ed-halred lei
| low, the Irevenna whom the former had
gone to fetch, waiting for her at the door.
| GreVenna had large lantern in his hand.
He took the COW from Peggy without
word. Her grandfather also gave her no
thanks. 1t was quite dark now, and the
| wind was bowling so that it was almost
impossible to hear what anyone said, but
Pengely pushed the girl INTO the cottage
not urgently, and laid his hand on her
shoulder. There was rough lamp on the
table, which was lighted, so they could
He looked at her steadily
''1aye ready a handful of fire, against
I
wait up. You'll be as well in your bed
why can't l come with your" Peggy
asked. Il don't fear the storm, and it's
| lonesome here"
Because l won't have you" said Pen
gelly shortly. There's things men can see
as don't do lases any good"
Then ii is harm you mean, said Peggy.
| "Oh, l was afraid, afraid all along; She
| laid her hand on his arm, and looked
straight into his eyes, ITS an awful sin,
| drunkenness, it's worse than stealing, it's
murder. oh, don't don't grandfather.
| God'n visit it upon us. Who knows but
| that fathers death was punishment for
| such things?
''Be quiet girl" said Pengelly, his face
white with wrath, WHO taught you such
canting talk Z? Your father died ere ever
II had a hand in work of this kind, a t
least" he corrected himself ERE ever 1
started it. And murder or no murder,
stealing or no stealing, every man must
look to himself in this world. Let me hear
no more of such rubbish. Do you think
III be preached a. by a chit of a grip
TreVenna, who had come into the room,
at least, as far as the cows rope permit
| ted, gave a gruff assent. He was a wen
meaning man, according to his lights, but
he had a large family and his parental
instincts led him to despise no means of
earning a livelihood, and his moral code
was a very elementary one
Don't TAX on. Peggy" he said, the
ship'l probably go on the rocks, whether
or no, and we do but lend a band If
she's agoin' down it may be where we can
crew and maybe some o. the cargo"
Peggy turned away from him shudder-
ing. At some places, Norwinstow for one,
the people might well have become ha-
bituated to wrecking, but here, though it
was INDUCED in, it was compare lively in
frequent At any rate the only occasion
on which Peggy had been an involuntary
spectator of the consequences of this dis
asted was now two years ago. She had
hoped never again to witness such a sight,
men, women and children, waist high in
clutcn1nR bodies
which might have jewelry upon them;
others in boats saving what they could OF
the treasures the ship had held, and the
lighting which ensued when eager watch
ers waited for the tide to cast up at
their feet fragments of timber, a corpse
or any other prize.
When the men had gone she sat still for
a while in thought. She had much of cld
Pengellys determination, and she was
resolved to give no countenance to this
unlawful deed. But was that enough?
Could she not take a positive instead of
a merely negative attitude? Could she
not in some way prevent it. But how?
A mere girl whatever her powers was
surely helpless against these strong, hard
ened men, who treated her as a child and
her objections as mere foolishness! And
yet the iniquity of this deed seemed to
her terrible, and her young passionate
soul reYolted against 1t. For the lives of
men were to be sacrificed. Whether thew
were foreigners or her own countrymen
mattered little, they were fellow-crea-
lures, And she. was a woman. And her
and mothers, and daughters and sweet
hearts who would be losing through the
Wickedness of man that which was all
their life. And then she thought of young
Tom Cornish, who three months ago, be-
fore he started for South America, had
told her that he lover her. Was it any
wonder that, with her whole being pos
sessed by the tenderness of a first alb.
sorbing love, she was strong against such
evil? Perhaps she might have been less
Tesolute but for the thought of Tom.
What some would do to the ship out
side there. others might do TO his. ana
what would she think of the woman who
sat quietly by and let souls perish through
her weakness.
But what could she do? The rain was
beginning to fall. She heard the steady
patter Of the drops, and then by and by
streams poured down the little window
and the wind never lessened Sudden1v
above the rain and the wind she heard
another sound. 1t was the signal of
ship
She started up trembling in every limb.
Peggy had never heard of Grace Oar
ling, and she could not read, but the
thought came into her mind that she must
hurry out, and take a boat and pull to-
wards that ship, if but to warn those on