The Western news., 1904-11-16

citement of the day had about cut the
last thread that held his feeble old lie.
When the life savers rescued them the
boat had its nose against Destruction
Rocks, which point no boat had ever
reached before and been eayed. Ring
void knew nothing Of the rescue. His
last conscious moments were to see
himself and Sankala going to destruc-
tlon. When he saw the inevitable and
the struggling fraiI child battling with
the mountains, of sea the feeble old man
collapsed in heap In the bottom OF
the boat.
The long hours of exposure had told
on him and it was already whispered
about the village that tonight was Ring
wold's last night on earth. But the
fishermen had become accumstomed to
his sinking spells and Sankala was left
alone with him.
Sankala had not been afraid. She
was not afraid now. It was not be-
cause she was less refined than other
gllls or naturally braver than other
girls. 1t was because she had oeen
schooled against fear. Her life had
been her schooling and it had been one
In which all of the hardships had been
taught in pra6 tical lessons. Not per.
formed and rehearsed for the occasion,
but Lessons that came with the routine
OF every day life.
When a mere babe she had been cast
ashore like so much driftwood. And
all OF her young life she had been
buffeted about on the bay and river in
q small fishing boat like a cockle-shell.
She had become 80 interlinked with
danger that it seemed her constant com.
panion and che only thought of it as
such.
That kid was as calm when we
drew her from the jaws OF death as if
enc were rowing boat on a summers
day." had remarked one of the life
savers.
"The first thing she did was to bend
over the old man and begin rubbing his
hands, said another.
1t was not Sankala's bad seamanship
o. lack of skill that led her across the
danger line, but it was her lack of
strength. The trap they tended lay to
the west nearer the bar than others
and while rounding the rocks to reach
the trap the undertow, unusually strong
from the all night storm, caught her
and carried her boat away by sheer
force.
She was meditating over the days
exciting episodes and The condition of
her companion. Young az she was.
she knew that Ringwold could not last
much longer. They were reduced to
the direst straits. Fishing was poor
and wages were poorer. RinRwold was
no longer useful. He was more of a
hlndrance as co-worker. His com.
pan: onship was all that was left her.
They now only earned scant living
and should Ringwold become bed-rid-
den she did not know what she would
DO. He had not confided fully to her
the secret Of her life and the mysteries
OF the documents concealed under the
hearth. Would these help her? She
made up her mind that should Ring.
would recover again she would breach
the subject to him.
1t was not go much for ho, own self
that she was prompted, but she wished
to ease the old mans life in his last
days. He had made a great struggle
for her and she wished to repay him in
some way.
While meditatine over her troubles,
there came loud, heavy knock at the
door. 1t sounded like the rap OF
doom. She could not tell why, but
she trembled. Sankala was Dot in the
habit of experiening such sensations.
She went to the door and opened it.
"Come in!' she said in a hollow
tone.
1t was old Seadog! What could
bring him at such an hour of the
night. Then old Seadog always sent
for his employees instead of calling
upon them.
"Will you be seated?" asked the
girl.
"No. Have but minute. How is
Ringwold?"
~ cannot tell," replied sankala.
"He is quite feeble, but he has been
that way quite often of late. He is
getting very old, you know"
"Yes," replied Seadog. "He is get
ting too old and feeble to work. He
has become worthless to me. I came
to tell you that have had your trap
provided for. He should be taken to
the poor farmland, I presume that is
the best place for you, Sankala-you
know you would like to be by the old
mans side his remaining days. will
look after the arrangements tomorrow
Thus spoke old Seadog. Then he
turned and walked out into the gloom
without saying goodnight.