The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-11-20

the neck Oh the iolAnQ 70 the little grave
yard By the sea. A new tablet upon the
outer wall Of the church caught and held
my eye. ] read the inscription and re-
manned incredulous, for the Bishop still
stood, but the letters were there engrav-
ed upon the plate, and a. read them
again the futility Of Garstin's fears was
enforced upon me with q singular pathos.
For the Bishop still stood, aud Gar
stin had died on the Christmas eve Of
that last year which he was to spend
upon rock lighthouses. OF how he died
q hint. There were four words inscribed
underneath his name:
"And he was not"
walked back to Hugh Town, won
dering at the tragedy which those four
words half hid and half revealed and re-
membering that the tide runs seten
miles an hour past the Bishop, with
many eddies and whirlpools. Almost un-
consciously l went up the hill above
Hugh Town and came to the signal sta
ton on the top of the Garrison, and SO
occupied was l with my recollections of
Garstin that 1t did not strike me as
strange that should find Mrs. Garstin
standing now where he had stood and
looking out to the Bishop as he was used
to look.
II had not heard" said to her.
"No?" she returned simply and again
turned her eyes seward. 1t was late on
q midsummer afternoon. The sun hung
q foot or SO above the water, huge ball
of dull red fire, and from st. Mary's out
to the horizons rim the sea stretched
ripping lagoon Of the color of claret.
Over the whole expanse there was but
one boat visible, lugger, between Sam
son and st. Agnes. beating homeward
against light wind.
ut was storm, I suppose" said I,
"a storm out Of the west"
mo; there was no wind, but there
was haze, and it was growing dark"
Mrs. Garstin spoke in a peculiar tone of
resignation. with 4 yearning glance to-
ward the Bishop. a. thought-toward
the lugger, as know. But even then I
was sure that those last words, "There
was a haze, and 1t was growing dark"
concealed the heart of her distress. She
explained the inscription upon the tablet
while the lugger tackled toward St.
Marys and while gradually, began to
wonder what kept her on the island.
At 4 o'clock on the afternoon of that
Christmas eve the lighthouse on st. Ag-
mes island showed it's lamps. Five min
utes later the red beams struck out from
Round island to the north, but to the
west on the Bishop all was dark. The
haze thickened, and night came on. Still
there was no fash from the Bishop. and
the islands wondered. Half an hour
passed. There was still darkness in the
west, and the islands became alarmed.
The Trinity brethren subsidized st.
Agnes lugger to serve the Bishop, and
this boat was got ready. At a quarter
to s suddenly the Bishop light shot
through the gloom, but Immediately aft
erward a shutter was interposed quickly
some half dozen times. 1t was the sig
nal of distress, and the lugger worked
out to the Bishop with the tide. OF the
three keepers there were now only two.
1t appeared from their account that
Garstin took the middle day watch, that
they themselves were asleep and that
Garstin should have reused them to light
the lamps at quarter to 4. The clock
showed them 1t was half past 4. They
mounted to the lantern room, and no.
where was there any sign of Garstin.
They lit the lamps. The first thing they
saw was the log. 1t was open, and the
last entry was written in Garstin's hand
and was timed $40 p. m. 1t mentioned
ketch reaching northward. The two
men descended the winding stairs, and
kuoothoI thoir "a
The brass door at the foot of the stairs
stood open. From that door 30 feet Of
gun metal rungs let into the outside Of
the lighthouse lead down to the set off,
which is granite rim less than yard
wide and unprotected by any rail. They
shouted downward from the doorway
and received no answer. They descended
to the set off, and again no Garstin, not
even his cap. He was not there.
Garstin had entered up the log, had
climbed down to the set of for five min
utes of fresh air and somehow had slip
ped, though the wind was light and the
sea whispering. But that whispering sea
ran seven miles an hour past the Bishop.
This was Mrs. Garstin's story, and it
left me still wondering why she lived on
at st. Mary's. l asked after her son.
How is Leopold? What is he--a
linen draper?
She shaded her eyes with her hand and
said:
That's the st. Agnes lugger from the
Bishop, and If we go down to the pier
now we shall meet it."
We walked down to the pier The
first person to step on shore was Leo
pold, with the Trinity house buttons on
his pilot coat.
Hes the third hand on the Bishop
prised?" She sent Leopold into Hugh
Town upon an errand, and as we walked
back up the hill she said, did you no.
tice grave underneath Johns tablet"
NO" said |.
81 told you there was mention in the
log of n ketch."
YES"
1.-THE ketch went ashore on the Crebi-
nacks at 4:3O o'clock on that Christmas
eve. One man jumped for the rocks
when the ketch struck and was drowned.
The rest were brought off by the lugger.
But one man was drowned"
Ilc uloNHSu bVNuusC liz JuiPSuB
said |.
He drowned ecause my man hadn't
lit Bishop light" said she brushing my
sophistry aside, $50 l gave him my boy
in his place"
And now l knew why those words,
"There was haze, and it was growing
dark" held the heart of her distress.
And if the Bishop goes next winter"
she continued, why, it will just be Il life
for lfc." And she chokcd down sob
as young voice hailed us from behind.
But the Bishop still stands in the At
lantic, and Leopold, now the second
hand. explains to the Margate trippers
the wonders of the North Foreand
lights.-London Telegraph.
His Claim For Remembrance.
"Well, when die shall at least have
the consolation of knowing that have