The citizen., 1901-10-04

| stood, but the letters were there engray-
ed upon the plate. and as | read them
again the futility of Garstins fears was
enforced upon me with singular pathos.
For the Bishop stll stood, and Gar
stin had died on the Christmas eve of
that last year which he was to spend
upon rock lighthouses. or how he died
the tablet gave a hint, but no more than
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 seven
miles an hour past the Bishop with
many eddies and whirlpools Almost un-
consciously | went up the hill above
Hugh Town and came to the signal sta
ton on the top of the Garrison, and SO
occupied was | with my recollections Of
Garstin that it 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.
Il had not heard" | said to her.
Mop she returned simply and again
turned her eyes seaward. 1t was late on
a midsummer afternoon. The sun hung
a 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 a
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.
1T was a storm. | suppose" said |,
"a storm out of the west
mo; there was no wind, but there
was haze. and it was growing dark"
Mrs. Garstin spoke in peculiar tone of
resignation. with a yearning glance to-
ward the Bishop. as | thought-toward
the lugger, MS | know But even then |
was sure that those last words, There
was Il haze, and it was growing dark"
concealed the heart of her distress. She
explained the inscription upon the tablet
while the lugger tackled toward ST
Mary's and while gradually began to
wonder what kept her on the island.
At t O'Clock on the afternoon of that
Christmas eve the lighthouse ON st. Ag-
mes island showed its lamps Five min
utes later the red beams struck out from
Round island to the nolth 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. ana
the islands wondered. Half an hour
passed. There was still darkness in the
west and the islands became alarmed
The Trinity brethren subsidized a st.
Agnes lugger to serve the Bishop. and
this boat was got ready. At a quarter
TO suddenly the Bishop light shot
through the gloom. but Immediately aft
n in OIL al
some half a dozen times 1t was the sig
nal of distress, and the lugger worked
out TO the Bishop with the tide. or 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 Mt a quarter to t. The clock
showed them it was half past 1. They
mounted TO the lantern room. and no.
where was there any sign of Garstin.
They lii 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
the cool air breathed upon their faces.
stood open. From that door 80 feet Of
gun metal rungs let into the outside of
the lighthouse lead down to the set off,
which IS a 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.
I (,grstiu baI .nfnraI ~, H.,
climbed down to the set off 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, ana il
left me still wonlting why she lived on
at st. Mary's. 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 20 down to the pier
now we shall meet il"
/ 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. Garstin. "You are sur
prised| She sent Leopold into Hugh
/ Town upon an orrand, and us we walked
back up the hill she said. Did you no
tice a grave underneath Johns tablet?"
NO" said l.
81 told you there was mention in the
log Of a ketch."
Yes"
D.. .H.l.