Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1907-01-14
Ole PILLAR
OF LIGHT
By LOUIS TRACY,
Author Of The Wings Of the Morning"

"Look ont for the line" they heard
im shout The wind brought his voice
laiuly. but evidently he could distin-
ulsh no syllable OF Brands answering
ban.
"Shall I make fastf"
cant hear word" be cried. "Tf
lou can hear me hold hand up"
Brand obcyed
Catch the line" he went on. ct Is
tached TO q block with a running
lckie Haul I'm and make fast"
"The meeaphoner Shouted Brand to
Constance. She darted away to bring
and when the adventurer clinging
\ . the foremost had thrown a coil sue
|essfuly. Brand took the instrument
why don't YOU come this way? The
others viii follow" he beloved.
There are women and children
Down below They must be saved first.
nd they cannot climb the mast" was
he reply.
All right but send mp a couple Of
ailors. We arc short handed here"
"Right-o." sang out the other cheer
: y. though DC wondered why three men
hould anticipate difficulty.
Down he went Without whiting.
Brand and the girls hauled Justify at
De rope. IL was no child's play TO
! DIST "a heavy pulley and several hum
red feet OF stout co"dare More than
|D1c' they feared the fist thin rope
. nI.i break. but il was good hemp
ad soon the block was hooked to the
ror- iron staucnioas OF the railing.
4 BIO make assurance dOgb'y sure. Brand
hold Enid TO take several turns Of the
spare cord around the hook and the
adiaccut rails.
Meanwhile. Constance and he saw
|that the rope was moving through the
|Uulley without their assistance Then
Through the Wh,rling scud beneath they
made out an ascending figure clinging
TO &C.. Soon De was close to the gallery.
catching him 10y arms and collar they
lifted him into safety. He was one Of
the Junior officers. and Constance
|tloulh she hardly expected it, expert
puccd mOmeutary feeling of disap-
|pOiutmcut that the first man to escape
was not the handsome youth TO whose
cool daring some at least of the ships
company would owe their lives.
The newcomer was a typical BritOn.
Thanks" he said. "Close shave.
Have You light? We must signal
after each arrival"
Enid brought the small lantern, and
the stranger waved it twice. The rope
Travelled back through the pulley, and
this time it carried a sailor man, who
said not one word, but stopped to tie
his boot lace.
How many are left?" inquired
Brand of the officer.
About eighty, all told, including
some twenty women and children"
"All wet TO the skin"
Eyes; some of them unconscious, per
haps dead"
Can you hold out?"
Eyes. A nip of brandy
Il will send some We must leave
YOU now. These with me are my
daughters"
At last the crust of insular self pos
N session was broken. The man looked
N from one to the other of the seeming
lighthouse keepers.
We'll. I'm he blurted out in hi
surprise That American youngste
wOndered what the trouble was"
IA shapeless bundle hove in sight
contained two little girls tied inside
tarpauln and dashed to the rope. Thi
evidently was the plan for dealing wit
the helpless ones.
Brand instantly divided his force:
4 Enid he dispatched to make hot COCO
IN the quickest and most lavish mar
ner possible Constance was to Civ
each new arrival a small quantity G
Stimalant Ohe lighthouse possessed
dCzn bottles of brandy and whisky
and act rs escort. The women an
children were to be allotted the tw
belrooms. Any bad cases of injury {
complete exhaustion could be dispose
of in the visiting officers room, viii
\ all the men fit TO take care of theI
selves were to be distributed betweC
the entrance. the coal room. the wor
shop and the stairwGys. The kitche
storeroom and service room were
be kept clear, and the storeroom do,
locked Eighty! Brand was already d
ing problems in simple arithmetic.
a similar problem, with a differe
point 10 be determined, was occupyiI
the active mind Of the "Americs
E yOungster" who had solved the knC
test proposition put forward duril
Nh that eventful night
" He watched the forwarding of {
shrieking. shuddering or inanimate W
'N men. He timed the operation by l
watch. as the reflected light from t
lamp was quite sufficient for the pJ
pose.
Then he approached the captain.
"Say. skipper" he cried how 10
do YOU give the remains of her to be
outT'
1T is not high water yet" was {
answer Perhaps half an hour. Fol
minutes az the utmost"
"Then you'll have TO boost this thi