Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1907-01-07

"Eatber would not remain luefe IL II
were dangerous"
Nevertheless they both breathed more
freely when they saw him again, an
indeterminate shape against the lumi-
nous gloom.
Constance felt that she must speak.
The sound of her own voice begat con-
fidence
81 have never really understood dad
until tonight" she said. "What an en-
nObling thing is sense of duty. He
would have died here quite calmly,
! Enid. vet he would avoid the least risk
out there. That would be endangering
/ his trust. Oh, l am glad we are here.
! I have never lived before this hour"
! Enid stole a wondering glance at her
! sister. The girl seemed to be gazing
| into depths Unreasonable. Afterward
! the words came back to her mind
"That would be endangering his trust"
| Brand faced the gale a full five min
utes. He returned hastily.
"There is a big steamer heading this
way-a liner, fancy" he gasped, half
| choked with spray. Il fear she is disa-
bled. She is firing rockets, and I sup
pose her siren is going constantly,
though l 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. lie 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 a 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 breathless, 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 q 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
3 ky wilderness, the wOndrous beam of
the light fought and conquered it's I'm,
Q weared 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 nei
= ther girl could make out other sigh
l 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 t.
avoid another wave. Then as if it haC
|. just popped up out of the sea, they di
e vined a tiny white spark swinging
slowly across a considerable area.
; was by that means that Brand had es
d timated the size and nearness of thu
n steamer. and soon they glimpsed thu
a red and green side lights, though eve
and anon these were hidden by the tor
5, rents of water sweeping over he
q decks Of the vessel they could Sc
l. nothing whatever.
i Steadily she rolled along her fearful
path Having once found her, Their
o was no difficulty in estimating the "a
pidity of her approach. Enid, who's
e eyes were strong and farsighted, fan
e cied she caught a ftful vision of hi
!. black hull laboring in the yellow waves
If Though it was difficult to speak, sh
crept close to Brand and screamed:
u 'Is she drifting on to the reef"
er 81 fear So" he answered.
Ell "Then she will be lost"
se eyes, unless they manage to pass t
ID s'uthard."
aU Luckily for poor human nature, mel
L tai stress and physical effort rarel
lg unite forces. The mere attempt to ri
sist the wind, the constant watchfu
pc ness needed to avoid the ambition
SEAS though these, strange to say, al
a peared to be diminishing in size an
y volume as the tide rose, served to du
III the horror of the threatened tragedy.
IF. Brand quilted them for an instant
glue his eyes to the lantern after vii
20 ing a space on the glass. He must Sc
e. if the lamp needed tending. Statistic
by the scrutiny, he stood behind tn
al girls, who had shrunk closely tOgethe
tv the moment he retired.
is "They are trying to steer clear {
st the reef" he. shouted. ''Twice the
I'd have got her head around, but the sc
Iy is too strong for them. I am afraid 81
is doomed"
n Now they unquestionably saw tt
1t great body of the ship. Her funne