Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1906-10-26
Copyright. 1904. by
Edward j. Ciode

She never knew exactly what took
place. 1t might have been politeness,
but it felt uncommonly like squeeze,
and Pyne's face was extraordinarily
close to hers as he cried:
''It's raining. No more canvas whis.
Ky. Get hustle on with every empty
vessel"
He need not have been in such q
whirl. however.
When the shower came It did not
last very long, and there were many
difficulties in the way of garnerlng the
thrice blessed water. In the first place,
the lighthouse was expressly designed
to shoot OF all such external supplies:
in the second, the total quantity OBJ
tanned did not amount to more than
half gallon.
But it did q great deal Of good In
other ways. It frightened many faces,
1t caused the drunkards to be securely
trussed like plucked fowls and dumped
along the walls of the entrance pas
sage. and 1t gave Brand some degree
Of hope that the rescue operations of
the next day would be more success
full.
When the rain cleared OF the moon
dickered in cloudy sky. This was a
further omen Of better fortune. Per-
haps the jingling rhyme of Admiral
Fitzroy's barometer was about to be
justified:
Long foretold.
Long last: =.
Short notice.
Soon past.
And the hurricane had given but
Night warning Of its advent.
Il feel 1t in my bones that we shall
all be as frisky as lambs tomorrow"
said Pyne when he re3oined Brand
after the scurry caused by the rain
had passed.
I'VE must not be too sanguine.
There Is chance now. I won't deny
that but the sea is treacherous."
This reef ticks creation. At Bar
Harbor. in Maine. where q mighty big
sea can kick up in very few hours,
I have seen it 60 down again like
magic under a change Of wind"
THAT is quite reasonable. Any ordi-
nary commOti0n has room to spread It.
self in the tideway. Here the tide is
broken up into ocean rivers, streams
with boundaries as definite as the
Thames. The main body sweeps up
into the bottle neck Of the channel.
Another tributary comes round the
north Of the Scilly isles and runs into
the tidal stream again exactly at this
point. The result often is that, while
little pleasure boats can safely run
out into the bay from Penzance, there
Is a race over the rock that would
break up a stranded battleship."
"Say. do you like this kind of lifer'
II have given my best years to It,"
Pyne was smoking a pipe, one which
Brand lent him. The tobacco was q
capital substitute for food, especially
as he had established q private under
standing with Elsie and Mamie that
they were to waylay him when posi-
bic and nibble q piece Of biscuit he
carried In his pocket.
This arrangement was to be kept q
strict secret from all. especially from
Miss Constance and Miss Enid, while
the little ones themselves did not know
that the she dragons whom Pyne
feared SO greatly gave them surrepti-
dous doses from the last tin Of con-
densed milk, retained for their exclu-
sive benefit.
DO you mind my saying that you
are q good bit Of an enigma?" he haz-
arded between puffs.
1T may be so, but like the service"
"Just SO. was never SO happy as
when took trip as fourth engineer
on a tramp in the gulf of Florida. But
that didn't signify being tied to long
nosed oiler for the remainder Of my
days"
"Are you marine engineer?" in
quired Brand, with some show Of in
terest.
III hold q certificate just for fun. I
had mechanical twist in me and gave
1t play. But I am an idler by profess
sion"
The lighthouse keeper laughed SO
naturally that the younger man was
gratified. Polite disbelief may be q
compliment.
IAN idler, eh? You do not strike me
as properly classed."
ITS the fact, nevertheless. My
grandfather was pleased to invest q
few dollars In real estate on the sheep
farm where Manhattan avenue now
stands. My uncle has half; my mother
had tho other half"
care both of your parents, dead"
Eyes: years ago; lost Mt sea, too, on
my fathers yacht"
what a terrible thing!
1T must have been something like
that. was only six years old at the
time. My uncle lost his wife and child,
too, when the Esmeralda went down.
1t nearly killed him. l never thought
he would marry again. but 1 suppose