Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-06-28

&NS~--
ed down and touched me. I started
lincautiously up, with the blood rae
ing furiously through my heart; my
foot slipped; a moment and I should
have been within reach Of the sharks
jaws: but, with cry, Guy Fleetwood
had leaped down into the Mermaid's
Chair. He seized me, as I clung, in
cloud Of flying spume, to. the bare, per-
pendicular, waveswept rock, and lifted
me bodily to his own level
There was a moment Of silence, in
which 1 stood looking at my hands,
all torn and bleeding from my desper-
ate clutch on the ledge; then he cried
out:
my poor child; frightened you, did
not?" And he drew forth his hand
kerchief and wrapped it about my
wounds. He was deadly pale. For
give me for following you .here-it Is a
matter Of civility! I must say good
by! Rube Dexter has just brought me
a telegram from Cinderville."
"Ah," 1 said, with a wicked little
laugh, perhaps some one has, at last,
discovered Concordia Tempest?"
mo-" he answered, very gravely;
Things of greater Importance have
quite driven that perplexing female
from my mind My mother Is danger
ously Ill, and 1 am called home to
Canada" He caught his breath in
very odd way. Look me in the face,
Esther! Snail ever come to this lone
little isle again, or shall I not? Do
you ever wish to see me again?"
Would I have this stranger to rule
over. me? Did desire his dominion?
My heart swelled fiercely. I looked him
full in his pale face, as he had re-
quested, and answered:
/ II never wish to see you again!
Come no more to Porgy Light"
You have saved my honor!" he
said, bitterly, perhaps I ought to
thank you for that"
Then he turned, and hurried away
over the rocks, never looking back.
The sea lay under the low afternoon
sky-a great dazzle Of berylline tints-
q vast field scaled with changeful opal
land amethyst His boat faded away
In that wealth Of costly color. He will
come no more!
Thursday.
Gray clouds trailing low over the
rioting sea. Miserable winds complain
| ing across the rock, and around the
tower. Aunt Debbie, lugubrious and
fearful, bent upon chanting such
cheerful hymns as:
"Hark! from the tombs a doleful
sound"
Gran'therdown with a spell" Of rheu-
matism, and so irritable that there is
perpetual warfare in the house. Aunt
Deb and attend the light. No matter
what may happen on Porgy Island,
| the light must burn on.
Friday.
without doubt he has reached his
mother by this time. What did he
mean when he said that I, by refusing
Ito see him again, had saved his honor?
I a Everything at the light the same as
yesterday. A heavy storm approach
ing. A jigger went by toward Cinder-
Vile; a schooner and a few fishing
boats passed-all making for port
Love that is born Of the deep, coming
up with the sun from the sea;
Love that can shape or can shatter a
life till the life shall have fled"
How those lines that he quoted out
there on the water buzz through my
head. Gran'ther's rheumatism Is in
creasing.
Let me go to Cinderville for a doc
tor" said.
NO" answered gran'ther; "it's COM
ing on to blow great guns. I ain't a.
goin' to have you running any risks,
Essie You're too precious to Aunt
Deb and mel"
l stared. I never before knew that
was precious to anybody.
I'VE depend on your board, you
know" he explained, naively.
Gran'ther's pay for keeping the
light is very small, and Aunt Deb
loves money even better than she
loves Watts hymns. OF course they
depend on my board, and Of course
they value me from that standpoint
only. Why should one care about such
trihes-why, in fact, should one care
for anything or anybody in the world?
Saturday.
Granther's rheumatism remains the
same. Desolation at the Light, and
silence, save for the roaring OF hungry
tides. Toward nightfall the wind be-
gan to blow, and the rain to beat
against the windows. Storms at Por-
gy Island are no trifing affairs.
hurried to the tower to light the bea-
con-
AS I stood there, with gran'thers
glass in hand, looking out upon the
sea, 1 discovered-could 1 believe my
own eyes?-a boat making for the Is
land. Its sole occupant-a man-ex-
hibited considerable skill in managing
his frail craft. Now down in white
trough of foam. 1t went, then up on
| the curling CREST VI "dfC' 1AS
boat was Rube Dexters, but who was
the man?
! He made straight for the landing
place 1 thought he could never reach
1t through the surf that was running;
but when I descended the tower-stair,
and passed into the dwelling house, 10!
he was there before me-a pale, smil-
ing, dripping spectre, standing on
Aunt Deb's best braided mat.
1--WE thought you was gone to Can
ady, SIR" l heard gran'ther say as
opened the door
II tried to go, but 1 could not" he
answered: then he turned and looked
at me. Neither of US spoke.
You're more of sailor than l took
you for" said gran'ther, "if you've
brought a boat from Cinderville In this
sea. You can't go back tonight!
well, it's a mercy somebody mas
come" cried Aunt Deb; "for 1 don't
Iknow of ANYTHING lonesOmer than two