The Red Cloud chief., 1906-09-28

] p ltNHltpu was IL INV lallilL III lltl me-.
To-Day she vas inert, timid. Il woman
who covered away from the door and
was OBVIOUSLY anxious that lie should
cave her to the quiet misery of the
IaCled bedroom.
AS the day passed. n wearisomc tier
alton of all that had gone before, Il
new feature In The relations of the
crowded community made itself disa-
greeably apparent. Men drew apart
from each other singly or in small
groups. An inconsolable gloom settled
on the BY some means the
knowledge spread that they might all
starve to death In the heart of this cold
dungeon. They began to loathe It, to
upbraid It's steadfastness with spoken
curses or unrestrained tears. The sane
tuary of one day was becoming the
tomb of the next. No longer was there
competition to look at land or sea from
the open windows. Everywhere was
settling down n pail Of blank, horrible
silence and suspicion.
Even Constance yielded to the com
mon terror once when the men of the
watch escorted the bearer of Il tray
load Of provisions to the occupants OF
the coal cellar.
Enid she whispered, did you sec
the light In their eyes? What is it?
Does hunger look that wnyT'
ut must be so, yet it is almost un-
bellevable. They are far removed from
real starvation"
lone would think so. But it Is so
hard to realize things beforehand. And
they have nothing to do. They are
brooding all the time. We are slaves
TO our Imagination. Many II sick per-
son Is allowed to eat far less than
these men have been given, and the
deprivation Is not felt ut ALL"
what will become of us. Constance,
IL we are detained here for many
days."
Dear one, do not ask me. We must
not think Of such things"
but dad is thinking of them. I
watched his face when I took him n
scrap Of food just now, and
flush, dear. Let us pray-and hope"
There was n clatter of feet down the
iron stairs. The men of the watch
we're hustling to unbar the iron door.
A solidly built, circular raft had been
lowered from the Trinity tender.
An assistant keeper, wearing Il cork
jacket, with a rope about his waist,
was clinging to n stumpy mast in the
center. Two stout guide ropes were
manipulated from the deck of the YES
sci, and the fiat, unwieldy mass Of
timber was slowly drifting nearer to
the lighthouse with the tide.
The door of the column opened to-
ward the east, so the wind, with its
pelting sheets Of spray, was almost in
the opposite quarter, and the stout
granite shaft itself afforded some de-
gree of protection for the entrance.
The scheme signaled from the steamer
was a good one. None but n lunatic
would endeavor to approach the rock
itself, but there was a chance that the
raft might be made to drift near
enough to the door to permit a grapnel
to be thrown across the rope held by
the gallant volunteer on the raft.
1t was his duty to attach the two
ropes and thus render 1t possible for a
stronger line to be drawn from the
vessel to the pillar. There was no 9TH
er way. The lighthouse did not possess
n rope OF sufficient length to be drawn
back by the raft without the interview
ton Of some human agency.
This was precisely the puny, half de-
spairing dodge that the reef loved to
play with. Catlike, 1t permitted the
queer, fiat bottomed craft to approach
almost within hail. Then it shot forth
q claw of furious surf, the heavy raft
was picked up as If it were a floating
feather, turned clean over and flung
many fathoms out to sea, while both
Of its guiding cables We're snapped
with contemptuous ease.
The assistant keeper, kept aloat by
his jacket, was hauled, half drowned,
back through the choking froth. while
the wave which overwhelmed the raft
curled up a spiteful tongue and almost
succeeded in dragging out several of
the men stationed in the doorway.
With a clang the iron shutter was
rushed into its place, and when the
sailor was rescued the Trinity boat
steamed away to try to secure the
raft.
SO joyous hope gave way once more
to dark fo%reboding, and the only COM
fort was the faint one to be extracted
from the parting signal:
Twill try again next tide"
az rnr,