Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1906-08-03
CHAPTER III CONTINUED

CHAPTER III (Cuntinucdl.
lie gave the Loaf vigorous push
and stood for n little while ut the foot
of the steps. ostcnsihly to light a cigar.
He watched Constance shipping the
ruddcr while Enid hoisted the sail and
old Ben piled pair Of oars to carry
the boat into the fair way Of the cham
hrl.
They nearcd the harbor lighthouse
The brown sail filled and the Daisy
got way on her. Then she sped round
the end of the solid pier and YAH
ished, whereupOn Lieutenant Stanliope
walked slowly to the promenade,
whence he could see the diminishing
speck Of canvas on the shining sea un-
til 1t was hidden by Clements island.
AT last the devOtees of twist and
shag. resting their tired arms ON the
trailing. were able to exchange COM
mcnts.
brace O. fine CELLS. them." observed
the acknowledged leader, a broken
down captain" Of mine abandoned
soon after his birth.
! Fine" agreed his nearest henchman.
Then, catching the gloom Of the cap
tain's gaze after Stanhope's retreating
figure. he added:
But what does that young spark
want. turning their pretty heads for
them, I should like to knowW
'They didn't seem particular stuck
on 'im," ventured another.
1.-THE ways of women Is curious"
pronounced the oracle. Il once knew
Q gclP'-
But his personal "reminiscences were
no. Of value. More to the point was
tire garbled, but, in the main. accurate
account he gave Of the rescue Of an
unknown child by one Of the keepers
OF the Gulf Rock lighthouse on q June
morning eighteen years earlier.
Stephen Brand was the name of the
man. and there was q bit of mystery
about him too. They all knew that q
light keeper earned q matter Of f7O to
ESQ year-not enough to maintain q
daughter and an adopted child In slap
up style. was It? A small villa they
lived in. and q governess they had,
and ponies to ride when they were big
enough. The thing was ridiculous,
wasn't 1t?
! Everybody agreed that 1t was
People said Brand was a swell. Well
that might or might not be true. The
speaker did not think much Of him.
He was a quiet, unsociable chap,
though Jones, Trinity pensioner, who
kept the "Pilchard and Seine" now,
wouldn't hear q wrong word about
him and always called him "cap'n."
"A pretty sort of captain! But, then.
they all knew what an old slow coach
Jones was. They did. Jones' pints
were retailed on the premises for mon
'ey down.
Then there was Spence, lame Jim,
who lived at Narration. He told fine
tale about fight with q shark before
Brand reached the boat in which was
the blessed baby-that very girl. Enid,
they had just seen. Was 1t true? How
could he say? There was a lot about
1T at the time In the local papers, but
Just then his own mind was given to
thoughts Of enlisting. as q British ex-
pedition was marching across the des-
ert to relieve Khartum, and cause Cor
don's death.
No. Brand and the two girls had not
dwelt all the time In Penzance. The
light keepers went oil over the king
dom, you know. but he had hit upon
come sort Of fog signal fad-Brand
vas always a man Of fads; he once
told the speaker that all the Polwena
mine wanted was work-and the Gulf
Rock was the best place for trying 1t.
At his own request the Trinity people
sent him back there two years ago.
Some folk had queer tastes, hadn't
they? And talking SO much had made
him dry.
Then the conversation languished, as
the only obvious remark of any I'm
p0rtance was not forthcoming.
Meanwhile the Daisy sped buoyantly
toward the southwest. Although she
was broad In beam and stanch from
thwart to keel, 1t was no light under
taking to run fourteen miles out and
home in such q craft.
But old Ben Pollard knew what he
was about. Not until the granite pill
par o. the distant Gulf Rock opened up
beyond earn du was It necessary to
turn the boats head seward. Even
then, by steering close to the Runnel-
stone. they need not. during two-thirds
of the time, be more than a mile or
20 distant from one of the many
creeks in which they could secure shell
tier In case Of sudden change in the
weather.
Thenceforward there was nothing
for 1t but straight run of six miles
to the rock, behind which lay the Scilly
Isles, forty miles away, and well be-
low the boats horizon.
So, when the moment came for the
ANAL decision to be made, Pollard cast
an anxious eye at q great bank of
cloud mounting high In the north.
There was an Ominous drop In the
Temperature too. The rain he antici-
Ipated might turn to snow, and snow is
own brother to fog at sea, though both
are generally absent from the Cornish
littoral In winter.
"Ben," cried Enid. breaking OF
vivid II merciless description of a new
disciple who had Joined the artistic
coterie at Newlyn, what are you look
ing att"
He scratched his head and gazed
dxedly at the white battalions sweep
Ing In aerial conquest over the land.
"She do look like snaw," he admitted.
swell. what does that matter?"
Without waiting for orders Con-
stance had eased the helm n trife. The
Daisy was now fairly headed for the
rock. With this breeze she would be
there In less than an hour.
1T be bit risky" grumbled Ben.
I've will be alongside the lighthouse
before there can be any serious down.
fall" said practical Constance. Sure
" we can make the land again no mat