The record-union., 1899-09-24

across the neck of the island to the lit-
tie graveyard by the sea A new tab
let upon the outer wall of the church
caught and held my eye. L read the
inscription, and remained incredulous
For the Bishop still stood. But tho
letters were there engraved upon the
plate, and as / read them again the
futility of Garstins fears was en-
forced upon me with a singular pathos
For the Bishop still stood, and Cars
tin had died on the Christmas eve OF
that last year which he was to spend
upon rock lighthouses. OF how he
died the tablet gave a hint, but no more
than 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 foul
words half hid and half revealed, ano
remembering that the tide runs sever
miles an hour past the Bishop, Will
many eddies and whirlpools. Almost
unconsciously l went UP the hill above
Hugh Town, and came to the signal
station on the top of the Garrison. And
SO occupied was I with my recollec-
tions Of Garstin that it did not strike
me as strange that I should find Mrs
Garstin standing now where he had
stood, and looking out to the Bishor
as he was used to look
Il had not heard" [ said to her.
"No?' she returned simply and again
turned her eyes seaward. It was late
on a midsummer afternoon. The sun
hung foot or so above the water, a
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 expansC
there was but one boat visible, lug
ger, between Samson and ST. Agnes
beating homeward against a light
wind
1t was a storm, I suppose" said l.
"a storm out of the west?"
mo. There was no wind, but-thero
was a haze, and it was growing dark. .
Mrs. Garstin spoke in a peculiar tone
Of resignation, with yearning glance,
toward the Bishop as / thought, toward
the lugger as / know. But even then
l was sure that those last words,
There was haze, and it was growing
dark" concealed the heart of her dis
tress She explained the inscription
upon the tablet. while the luggef
tackled toward ST. Mary's, and while ]
gradually began to wonder what still
kept her on the island
At o'clock on the afternoon of that
Christmas eve the lighthouse on st.
Agnes Island showed its lamps: five
minutes 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 flash from the
Bishop, and the islands wondered Half
an hour passed; there was still dark
ness in the west, and the islands be-
came alarmed. The Trinity Brethren
subsidize a St Agnes lugger to serve
the Bishop, and this boat was got
ready. AT a quarter to 5 suddenly the
Bishop light shot through the gloom
but Immediately afterward a shutter
was interposed quickly some half a
dozen times. 1t was the signal of dis
tress, 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 Garstin should have reused them
e. light the lamps at a quarter to four
ThrY woke Of their own accord in the
ftrs. and at once believed they had
sIrft into the night. The clock showed
them it was half-past four. They
mounted 20 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. n. IT
mentioned a ketch reaching northward
The two men descended the winding
stairs, and the cold air breathed upon
their faces. The brass door at the foot
Of the stairs stood open. From that
door thirty feet of gun metal rungs
let into the outside of the lighthouse
lead down to the setoff, which is a
granite rim less than a yard wide and
unprotected by any rail. They shouted
downward from the doorway and re-
ceived no answer. They descended to
the setoff, and again no Garstin, not
even his cap. He was not.
Garstin had entered up the log, and
climbed down to the setoff for five min
slipped, though the wind was light and
the sea whispering. But that whisper
ing sea ran seven miles an hour past
the Bishop.
This was Mrs. Garstin's story, ana it
left me still wondering why she lived
on at ST. Mary's. 1 asked after her son.
How is Leopold? What is he-a
linAn draper?"
She shaded her eyes with her hand
and said:
That's the St. Agnes lugger from
the Bishop, and if we so 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.
He's the third hand on the Bishop
now, said Mrs. Garstfn You are
surprised?" She sent Leopold into IIagl
Town upon an errand, and as we
you notice a grave underneath John S
tablet?'
NO" said I.
II told you there was a mention in the
log of a ketch."
Yes
''The ketch went ashore on the Gre
binacks at 4:30 o'clock on that Christ
mas Eve. One man jumped for the
rocks when the ketch struck and was
drowned. The rest We're brought off
by the lugger. But one man was
drowned"
'f1e drowned because he jumped,
said I.
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