Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1906-09-07

children to Such q Oeatn-
\ spasm of pain made Pyne's lips
1Snulous for an instant. He had for
gotten Elsie and Mamie.
But his voice was fully under con-
troll when he spoke again.
You can count on me in the deal in
all but one thing" he said.
The older man looked up fercely.
What condition could be imposed in
the fu1fllment of duty so terrible?
Il am here by chance" went on
Pyne. zone of your daughters may
have told you that Mrs. Vansittart
came from New York to marry my un-
Gle. Anyhow you would know she was
dear to him by his message today. She
is sort of in my charge, and can't de-
scat her. It's hard luck, as | don't care
q cent for her. She's the kind Of wom-
an old men Notwithstanding birdlike
creatures-when the cage is gilded.'
Brand sprang to his feet and raced
up to the trimming stage. When his
hands were on the lamp he felt surer
of himself. 1t gave him strength dur
ing the hurricane, and it would
strengthen him now.
There can be no exceptions" he
said harshly. Pyne waited until the
lighthouse keeper rejoined him.
Il ought to have put my proposition
before you first and made a speech aft
er~ard," he said. Constance and Enid
will join you here when you say the
word, but l will be on the other side of
the barricade."
"Nonsenser cried Brand You have
no right to thrust away the chance that
pie once. Why should you die use
lessly?''
What! Suppose it pans out that
way. Suppose we live a couple Of
weeks and escape. Am l to face the
old man and tell him-the truth? No,
sir. You don't mean it. You wouldn't
do it yourself. What about that shark
the girls told me of? 1 can guess just
what happened. He wanted the light
refreshment in the boat. Did you scoot
back when you saw his fin? I'm heap
bluff doesn't 60"
''Thank heaven, we have twenty-four
hours yetr' murmured Brand.
1T will be all the same when we
have only twenty-four seconds. Let us
fix it that way right now. Don't you
see, it will be easier to deceive the
girls? And there's another reason. Bar
ricade and shoot as you like, it will be
hard thing to keep threescore des-
perate men boxed up down below.
When they begin to diet on COLA there
h4 fox -
take chances. will be helpful. Some of
them may have to die quick, you
know"
Brand closed his eyes in sheer af-
fright In that way he tried to shut out
a vision.
BE it so.' he gasped. May the Lord
help u.s."
1t was the responsibility that master
ed him. Judges on the bench often
break down when they sentence a
criminal to death, but what judge hui
name, tender hearted and God fearing,
ever pronounced the doom of seventy
eight people snatched from a merciful
0 death to be stepped in horrors?
At last his iron will predominated.
The knowledge that the path of duty
lay straight before him cheered his tor
tured soul. No man could say he erred
in trying to save his children That
was trust as solemn as any conferred
by the Elder Brethren of the Trinity.
He placed hand on Pyne's shoulder,
foc this younCster had become dear to
him.
Had I a SON. he said, 81 should
wish him to he like you. Let us strive
to forget the evils that threaten us.
Brooding is useless. If need be you
will take charge of the lower deck
There is starvation allowance for three
more days at the worst, but l hate the
thought of starting the new scale to-
morrow"
1T may not be necessary"
"Canddly, fear it will. know the
Cornish coast too we'll. When bad
weather sets in from the southwest at
this season it holds for a week at the
lowest computation
rs there no other way? Can moth
ing be done out there?"
Able men, the best of sailors, the
most experienced of engineers, have
striven for half n century to devise
some means of storm communication
with rock lighthouse placed as this is.
They have failed. There is none'
THAT'S good" cried Pyne pleasantly.
'Where is your pouch? I feel like a
smoke. If hadn't fired that question
at you l should have wasted lot of
time in hard thinking"
Brand had to scheme that night to
reach the storeroom unobserved. The
Falcon, steaming valiantly to her OBJ
servation post near the buoy, aided
him considerably. He permitted the
night watch to gather in the service
room while he supplied the men with
tobacco and stationed the officer on the
gallery to observe the trawler in case
she showed any signal lights.
Since the attempt on the lock Con-
stance gave the key to her father after
each visit. For the rest the inmates of
the pillar were sunk in the lethargy of
unsatisned hunger. Constance and
Enid. utterly worn out with fatigue.
were sound asleep in the kitchen, and
the tears coursed down the mans face
A 6A ae4fh fhA V<Aye ~ n S1slsuf n a.