Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1907-02-25
the men can have gained access to the
storeroom during the night?'


storeroom during the night?"
Il can't say for sure he replied.
"What has put that into your mindT'
The purser and l examined all that
was left this morning. and we both
agreed that some of the things had dis
| appeared. 1t is very strange"
| Pyne was not wholly prepared for
this mine being sprung on him, so he
essayed to gain time.
1T doesn't appeal to me in that light.
| There was a miscalculation about the
water. Why not about the food?"
Because my father went through all
the stores personally and portioned
/ them out. Some flour and timed meat
have gone; 1 am quite sure of it. The
question is Who can have taken them?
The -four at least must have attracted
attention if anybody tried to eat it."
Did you say all that to the pur-
ser?' he asked, suspending his labors
and looking at her steadily.
NO; he could not remember exactly
what proportion of the various articles
there ought to be left
Then take my advice, Miss Con-
stance, and keep on forgetting" he
said.
A quick flush came into her pale
cheeks.
You are not saying that without
good cause?" she murmured.
Il have the best of reasons. If the
least hint of such thing goes round
among the men there will be ructions."
Constance went to the door and
closed it.
Enid" she said, 81 believe father
and Mr.. Pyne have got some dreadful
plan in their minds which they dare
not tell us about"
But the American was not to be cor
nered in such fashion. He opened the
door again and went out, pausng on
the threshold to say:
II wouldn't venture to guess what
might be troubling Mr.. Brand, but you
can take it from me that what he says
goes. Talk about grasping a nettle
firmly! 1 believe your father would
grab a scorpion by the tail if he felt
that way"
And with this cryptic utterance he
quilted them, intending to warn Brand
at the first opportunity that the time
was at hand when he must harden his
: heart and take the decisive step Of
cutting off communication between the
, service room and the remainder of the
building
This could be done easily. The
f1anges Of the uppermost iron staircase
were screwed to the floor above and
T below. A few minutes labor would re-
move the screws. The steps could be
! lifted bodily into the service room and
there utilized to seal the we'll.
2 "What a bowling menagerie will
+ break loose here when they find out, y
4 thought Pyne tits a hard thing to
3 say, but we ought to have the door
0 open. Quite stack Of folks will need
t to be pitched outside"
A comforting reflection truly, yet his
q face bore no token thereof as he join
e ed the lighthouse keeper and severa
J. of the Chinook's officers and men or
: the gallery.
The wind had shifted another couple
of points to the north, and the sea
apart from the reef, was running in &
heavy unbroken swell. That was the
:. tantalizing part Of it. Any ordinar.
% ships boat, properly managed, could
!. live in perfect safety in the open.
!. But the iron toothed reef. with it
n tortuous channels and battling current
y changing with every stage of the tide
- surrounded the pillar with an appar
4 emily impossible barrier, while tn
e lighthouse itself offered as frowning
| ne no oa1y iol
reared their weed covered crests a
=, low water.
% Signals were being exchanged be
% tween the gallery and the Trinity tend
err Brand seemed to be very emphati
70 in his answers to the communication
- made to him by Stanhope.
- mo, no." he muttered aloud, Will
70 the anxious man near him wondere
nj why he was so impatient.
in cit is utterly impossible!' he sal
4 again. 'No boat can do it. Some on
- should stop him. It means certain los
of life''
or At last, becoming aware that hi
companions could not understand wha
e. was going on, he turned to them wit
~ passionate explanation.
THAT brave fellow Stanhope say
- that, with two others at the oars, b
~ intends to row near enough to the roc
- at half flood to endeavor to spring O
- to the ladder. l cannot persuade hil
y, that no man has ever yet succeeded i
such a mad project. Look below an
:. see how each wave climbs aroun
~ eighteen or twenty feet of the bas
Nc The thing is wildly impracticable. q
~ will be swept off and smashed to piece
y before our eyes even if the boat e.
IL capes."
- IF the boat can come near enoug
- for that purpose couldn't we heave
~ line aboard herr" asked one of tt
ships officers.
- I'VE can try. 1 shall signal them I
ne that effect. Anything is better than /