The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1906-11-23
Continued from last week }

way-a liner, fancy" he gasped, half
choked with spray. II fear she is disa-
bled. She is firing rockets, and / sup
pose her siren is going constantly,
though / cannot hear it."
He ran to the room beneath. Flush
ed with this new excitement, the girls
donned their oilskin coats and arrang-
ed their sou'westers. When he hur-
ried up the stairs he was carrying four
rockets. He noted their preparations.
Don't come out until have fired the
alarm signal" he shouted, land tie
your dresses tightly around your
knees"
They heard the loud Kissing of the
rockets, and the four reports Travelled
DULY from the sky. Three white star
bursts and one red told the Lands End
coast guards that ship in need of
help was near the Gulf Rock. Proba-
bly, they had already seen the vessels
signals. In any event they would not
miss the display from the lighthouse.
Walking with difficulty, the girls
crept out on to the balcony
Brand had already gone to the wind
ward side. The first rush of the gale
made them GREATNESS, yet they perse-
vered and reached him. They were
greeted by climber, but their father.
with hand on their shoulders, pressed
them down. and the spray crashed
against the lantern behind them. He
knew they would take no harm. When
the vessel passed, their boots and stock
ings would be soaked. Then he could
Insist that they should go to bed
At first they distinguished nothing
save chaotic blend of white and vel
low foam, driving over the reef at an
apparently incredible speed. Over
head the black pail Of the sky seemed
to touch the top of the lantern. Around,
in vast circle carved out of the MUIR
ky wilderness, the wondrOus beam Of
the light fought and conquered it's I'M
wearied foes. Constance caught the
three quick flashes of the Seven Stones
lightship, away to the right. She fan
cied she saw a twinkling ahead, but
this was the st. Agnes light, and mel
Their girl could make out other sight
nor sound until Brand pointed stead
lily toward one spot in the darkness.
Before they could follow his indica-
ton they were compelled to duck to
avoid another wave. Then, as if it had
Just popped up out of the sea, they d.
vined a tiny white spark swinging
slowly across considerable area. 1t
was by that means that Brand had es-
timated the size and nearness of the
steamer, and soon they glimpsed the
red and green side lights, though ever
and anon these were hidden by the tor
rents of water sweeping over her
decks. or the vessel they could see
nothing whatever.
Steadily she rolled along her fearful
path. Having once found her, there
was no difficulty In estimating the ra-
pidity Of her approach. Enid, whose
eyes were strong and farsighted, fan
cied she caught fitful vision Of big
black hull laboring in the yellow waves.
Though it was difficult to speak, she
crept close to Brand and screamed:
"Is she drifting on to the reefT
II fear So" he answered.
"Then she will be lostv'
Eyes, unless they manage to pass to
s'uth'ard"
Luckily for poor human nature, men,
tai stress and physical effort rarely
unite forces. The mere attempt to re-
sist the wind, the constant watchful-
ness needed to avoid the ambitious
seas, though these, strange to say, ap-
peared to be diminishing In size and
volume as the tide rose, served to dull
the horror Of the threatened tragedy.
Brand quilted them for an instant to
glue his eyes to the lantern after wip-
ing a space on the glass. He must see
If the lamp needed tending. Satisfied
by the scrutiny, he stood behind the
girls, who had shrunk closely together
the moment he retired.
"They are trying to steer clear OF
the reef" he shouted. "Twice they
have got her head around, but the sea
is too strong for them. am afraid she
is doomed"
Now they unquestionably saw the
great body Of the ship Her tunnels
showed most clearly, making sharply
defined black daubs on the heaving
desert of froth. The plunging whirls
of the masthead light were enough to
prove how the unfortunate vessel was
laboring in what might prove to be her
final agony.
And the pity of it! The wind was
dropping. In another hour the weather
might moderate appreciably, the tide
would sweep her away from the horri-
BILE reef and help would be forthcom
ing. Indeed, even then a powerful
steam trawler was preparing to fight
her way out of Penzance harbor, with
brave men on board ready to take any
risk to save ship in distress.
But the hour was grudged by fate.
They could plainly hear the hoarse
blasts Of the steamers fog horn, and
again rocket spurted its path to the
clouds.
She was barely a mile away and, IL
anything. I'm worse position than be-
fore, as the wind remained fixed in the
southwest, and the tide at this stage
curved in toward the land ere 1t began
10 flow back again to the Atlantic.
Can nothing he done?' screamed
"ors.nnce. rciitsc:cd half frantic by the |