Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1906-08-24

} ward this hthousesm.a deserfeu DoaI
! I was nearly dead The people wht
had been with me were gone-eithel
starved and thrown into the sea OF
knocked overheard during collision
as the boat was badly damaged. Ny
linen was marked E. T. That is the
ocly definite fact l can tell you. AL
the rest is ;ruesswork. Evidently no
body cared to claim me. and here ]
am
Mrs. Eansittart was leaning back in
the deep gloom, supporting herself
against the door of the bedroom.
What a ron,apce" she said family.
"a vague one. and this is no time to
gossip about it. Can l get you any
thing:"
Enid felt that she really must not
prolong their conversation and the
other woman's exclamation threatened
further talk.
NO. thank you. You'll excuse me,
know. Ny natural Interest,"
But Enid. with 4 parting smile, was
halfway toward the next landing, and
Mrs. Vansittart was free to re-enter
the crowded apartment where her fell
| low sufferers were wondering when
they would see daylight again. She
did not stir. The darkness was intense,
the narrow passage drafty, and the
column thrilled and quivered in an un-
| nerving manner. She heard the cIang
of a door above and knew that Enid
had gone into the second apartment
given over to the women. Somewhere
higher up was the glaring light of
which she had a faint recollection.
though she was almost unconscious
when unbound from the rope and car.
ried into the service ROOM
And at that moment, not knowing it,
she had been near to Stephen Brand,
might have spoken to him, looked into
his face. What was he like? she won
dered. Had he aged greatly with the
years? A lighthouse keeper! Of all
professions in this wide world how
came he to adopt that? And what ugly
trick was fate about to play her that
she should be cast ashore on this DESC
late rock where he was in charge?
Could she avoid him? Had she been
tnjudicious in betraying her knowledge
of the past? And how marvellous was
the likeness between Constance and
her father! The chivalrous, high mind
ed youth she had known came back to
her through the mists of time. The
calm, proud eyes, the firm mouth, the
wide eXpanSe Of forehead were his. |
From her mother-the woman who |
died many years ago." when she, Mrs. !
Vansittart, was ''quite a girl''-the girl |
inherited the clear profile, the wealth |
of dark brown hair and a grace of |
movement not often seen in English |
women. '~'
Though her teeth chattered with the
cold, Mrs. Vansittart could not bring
herself to leave the vaultlike stairway.
Once more the hymn singers, cheered
their hearts with words of praise. Evi-
IDENTITY there was one among them who
not only knew the words, but could
lead them nightly in the tunes of
many old favorites. ~
The opening of door-caused by the
passing to and fro of some of the ships
fhcers-brought to her distracted ears
the concluding bars of verse When
the voices swelled forth again she
caught the full refrain:
"Raise thine eyes to heaven
When thy spirits quail,
When, by tempeSts driven,
Heart and courage fall
Such 4 message might we'll carry
good cheer to all who heard, yet Mrs. |
FanSittart listened as one in a trance I
% whom the divinest promise was a
hing unasked for and unrecognized
After passing through the greater peril {
# the reef in a state Of supine con-
ciousness, she was now moved to ex- I
rene activity by a more personal and t
elfish danger. There was she, a hui
nan atom, to be destroyed or saved at t
he idle whim of circumstance: here,
With life and many things worth living Y
or restored to her safe keeping. she
aW imminent risk of 4 collapse with O
Which the nebulous dangers of the s
wreck were in no way comparable. It s
Tould have been well for her could she
My realize the promise of the hymn e
Our light afHiction. which is but for
1oment, worketh for us a far more ex- ii
eeding and ,%ernal weight of glory" u
Not so ran Mrs. Vansittart's tumble a
thoughts. The plans, tie schemes, "
ne builded edifice of many years, fl
lreatened to fall in ruin about her. Fl
4 such bitter mood there was no con-
'lation. She sought not to find spir-
ual suceor, but bewailed the catas- v
ophe which had befallen her. n
1t assuredly contributed to that "af-
Iction which is but for a moment" ST
lat Constance should happen just n
len to run up the stairs toward the v,
,spital. Each fight was so contriyed
at it curved ac!Ns two-thirds of the NJ
'perficial area allotted to the stair
ay. Any one ascending made a COM &c
etc turn to the right about to reach a
e door of the room on any given &C
nding and the foot Of the ladder to
e next. w
Hence the girl came unexpectedly