The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1896-11-14


i,llig est
ed waves npoti Stsie beae +; paeksp
lyeiping ysslI VS. lfltese " iteEfangs gilt
! tered through the darkness
Hale quickly removed his shoes aa he
gnined the:entrance OF the lighthouse.
The door was left open. He listened.
10th men assembled the. stairs Tie
boys heart beat with great tnunaps
.against his side nd he felt for thskey.
II he could secure its itswould be easy
to lock the wreckers out when they
came down. and then to repair what
damage they might have done to the
lamp. But, alas, the key was gone!
For an instant Hale was confused and
disappointed, but it was not long before
he had contrived another plan which he
determined to put into execution.
1T all hazards he would follow tho
wreckers to the top of the lighthouse. (
Trusting to.his perfect knowledge OF
every nook and Granny in the premises,
! Hale with the stealthy motion OF a cat,
ascended the steep, narrow, winding
stairs - ~:
For the first; time in his experience
they creaked benenth his weight.
Up. up he went. every slight noise
sending thrill ofstaqror through his
!. frame; up past loopholes, which new ~ !
admitted NO, single ray Of light. uE, nn-
fiji the second last round was nearly
completed, and then he stopped.
What was it thatalnade him shiver as
though afflicted with an ague? What
caused him to crouch down in the inky
darkness, scarcely three feet from the
I bottom of the last, .ricketye flight OF
stairs? He held his breath and listened.
Despite the fearful roaring Of the tenn
pest without, Hale distinctly heard
the low murmur of voices, aud the loud,
echoing sound OF descending foot
steps.
He recognized the wreckers. One was
an Indian, the OTHER Miles Parker, a
white man, and both suspicious and
dangerous characters.
"Ugh!" exclaimed the former, as he
paused on the last step. 'Me hear UNI
noise! 'Sh!n, ia. I"
The sharp-eared Indian had detected
1.-THE almost suppressed breathing OF
Hale. The brave boy never moved
muscle, but the beating of hs heart was
painful in that: fearful moment. !
Two steps to one side, and either one.
of the men would have trampled upon
him where he lay.
Would they make a search? Would
they strike q light?
'Go on, you coward" said Parker,
impatiently There amt no human
bein' but them in the cottage within
miles Of us. Go on, tell you"
ugh! White man, him fool!" the In
dian answered, mutternig oiscontented-
" as he passed downward.
Parker followed. and soon their echo
ing footsteps died away in the distance,
and Hale rose, with a prayer of thanks
giving on his lips, for the danger was
past.
Quickly he ran up the last fight OF
stairs, 1and one glance showed him all.
The wreckers had not extinguished the
lamp, but simply broken the'reyolving
apparatus In another lighthouse. fur.
Their down the coast the light was sta
tionary. Pilots, therefore, would nat
urally mistake one for the other, and
run their ships upon the rocks. The
plan of the wreclers was perfect in its
diabolical ingenuity and in it's certainty
of success, .. -
I. Hale, however. was equal to the occa-
sion. Closing the heavy door Of lit
tie circular apartment, he bolted and
barred it firmly. This was scarcely the
work Of minute. Then, standing on
stool, he found-oh, Joy of joys!--that
he could reach the lamp, and move it
easily with his hands-in fine, that he
himself could perform the work of the
revolving apparatus.
Zone, two, three, four, five, six,' be
counted, with the regularity of a clock,
until he reached $50" and then the brill
liant light flashed out upon the dark
ness, and many pilot, m;lesaway upon
the bosom OF the stormy gulf, saw the
well-known signal and steered histves-.
sci accordingly. /.
1t is scarcely necessary to relate how
the Infatuated Wrcckers, vowing ven
geance upon the person who had out
wittcd them, run up the narrow stair
way and flung themselves again and
ngain upon the stout barrier which sep
arated them from the heroic boy. Suf-
fee it to: say that amid the bowling of Z
the storm, the curses, threats and pistol
shots Of the baffied ruffians, five feet
away from him, Hale calmly and pre-
cisely continued counting the weary,
minutes OF that long, terrible night.
His arms ached; his limbs could
scarcely support him; he wns almost
overcome with fatigue; but he never
f.inched-he stood with invincible de-
termination at his. post of duty, saving
by his exertions the property of anxious,
merchants and the lives of m-tossed
marines.
I And when the anger of the storm SUBJ
sided AMI the sun rose in the east, fling
ing its glorious radiance over the'spark-
ling waters of the Gulf of st. Lawrence,
it flashed brightly on the sails of many
ships. which, but for the lleroism of
little boy, would have been shattered !.
on the cruel rocks of Cape Hurricane.
The wreckers. who had made their
escape before day Wight, were afterward
captured and punished as they deserved,
to be--by imprisonment for long
term of years. Z
When Hale. on descending from The {
lighthouse in the morning, released his
father, the latter wept tears Of JOY I'M
thanking Heaven for SO heroic and no-ss
ble-hearted son.
Later the little fellow; received ID