Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1907-02-18


its telling might at least be deferred.
A long message followed. a string of /
living words from relatives ashore to /
those known to be imprisoned on the |
rock. During the merely perfunctory |
reading of of the signals his active |
mind was canvassing the probabilities
Of success or failure for the venture Of
the afternoon. 1t was high water about
3 o'clock, and. in his judgment, with
the wind in it's present quarter, about
northwest by west. the cross seas
which would sweep the reef and engulf
the lighthouse at half tide woCld rem
der it wildly impossible for any raft
ever built by mans hands to live in the
immediate vicinity of the rock.
However. the issue lay with others
now. He knew that they would do all
that brave men would dare. He was
tempted TO make known the inspiring
news to all hands, but refrained, be-
cause he feared ultimate failure. Be
meath his feet was a human volcano.
Stirred too deeply, it might become &C
tive and dangerous.
So the apathetic multitude in his
charge, hungrily awaiting a scanty
morsel of food which only provoked
what it failed to crafty. must rest
content with the long statement writ
ten out by the purser and read by him
at the door of each room.
Pyne took to Mrs. Vansittart the
news of his uncle's presence on the
steamer.
IF you would like to see him." he
said, Il have no doubt Mr. Brand will
let you stand on the gallery for a lit
| tie while"
She declined, eEcusing herself on the
! ground Of weakness.
! In this high wind" she said, sit will
be very cold out there, and any further
! exposure would make me very ILL.,
That's true enough" he agreed,
though ne wondered why she raised no
! question concerning the message she
wished him to convey to Mr.. Trail.
Had she forgotten the urgency of her
words overnight? He had carried her
instructions quite faithfully to Brand
and the latter smiled at the fantasy.
Time enough to think of such things
when we are assured of the lady's de-
parture," he said, and they left it at
that.
Thinking to interest her, Pyne told
her of the crowd on the Falcon.
Mostly reporters, Brand thinks" he
said. What a story they will build
up in the New York papers. 1t will
be more fun than a box of monkeys to
get hold of this weeks news and read
all the flapdoodle they are print. ="
But Mrs. Vansittart was not TO be
reused from her melancholy. She
dreaded the least physical suffering.
Privation was a new thing in her life.
Today she was inert, timid, a woman
who covered away from the door and
was obviously anxious that he should
leave her to the quiet misery of the
packed bedroom.
AS the day passed, a wearisOme tier
alton of all that had gone before, d
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 women. 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
| r1o1 Of hIanl- hnrrii nj
silence and suspicion.
Even Constance yielded to the com
mon terror once when the men of the
watch escorted the bearer Of a tray
load of provisions to the occupants Of
the coal cellar.
: Enid" she whispered, did you see
the light in their eyes? What is it
, Does hunger look that way?"
1T must be so, yet it is almost I'm
believable They are far removed from
real starvation"
"One would think so. But it is 81
hard to realize things beforehand. An(
they have nothing to do. They arr
brooding all the time We are slaves
, to our imagination. Many sick per
son is allowed to eat far less thai
these men have been given, and TIT
deprivation is not felt at ALL
what will become of us, Constance
if we are detained here for man.
days?"
, Dear one do not ask me. We mus
= not think of such things
But dad is thinking Of them.
!. watched his face when I took him
scrap of food just now, and
Hush, dear. Let us pray-and hope.
There was a clatter of feet down tn
. iron stairs. The men of the watc
were hustiing to unbar the iron door
A solidly built, circular raft had bee
. lowered from the Trinity tender.
!, An assistant keeper, wearing a cor
jacket. with a rope about his waist
was clinging to a stumpy mast in th
center. Two stout guide ropes wer