The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-01-19
CHAPTER XxXII.
a Tides of Rough Island.

little cottage looking out on Rough Isl- and, whose low-1intelled doors and square windows afforded neat and com modious views of Wolf Skerry light house. Billy Bryan had had his eye on this particular bit hoosie" for a long time. He had made offer after offer to purchase, but there were sea bathers," as the country folk called summer visitors, in the land, and tine price had risen.
 At last, however Billy had closed just in time to tenant his new possess sion with Vida and Dick. I daresay Dick might have remained on at his Kirktown post. but Vida was far too stiff and proud. If Dick would not come with her, she would go alone. And Dick Finnan went ito tell the truth, not very 10th. He was wearying for the grit of the sand and the tram pie Of the pebbles. for clean salt air to breathe, and for the clean green sea to run twice a day. sweltering into the coves and break in chromatic arches on the white stones of the beach.
 For one who has lived a long life within the cry of the sea birds, 1t is dull work to hear only the toot of the steam whistle at six of a morning. the whirl of the endless wire cables in the dark of a mine, and the rumblerum- ble of wagons. full and empty.
 A dainty spot was that little bit Of beach. Billy Bryan would not hear of rent. The very mention of money made him furious. He expressed himself thus:
 Let the little one make a cosy nest for us two old wizened fellows, before she flies away to a nest of her own as of course, she will do-and Billy Bryan will be content"
 Billy had got few days off from the light house-out of turn, and very naturally had abused his outgoing sub stitute as far as his voice could carry. Then he had given himself up unre- strainedly to the pleasures of sense
 He went about with Old Dick calling him all the names he could lay his tongue to, but pointing out all manner of dainty sea-g -going-or rather sea homecoming-devic to which the "Ould 'Un" could turn his hands in the brief spells when he was not laid up entirely wid laziness"
 There was, for instance, spot where a tall flagstaff must be erected. Billy knew the tree and the man that owned it. Then there must be a brass cannon to lire salutes with. And Billy knew the sailorman who had nearly finish ed wid thatw Ct turned out that the man in question had nearly finished" with life as well, and that his next visitor would likely be One for whose coming no salutes are fired)
 Brass" said Billy. triumpha antly, ''wid white waterproof sheeting and a ball to shut it's mouth when it's done talking. And good thing for you Dick, if you had the like! Then there's a summer-house with a stand for the telescope, Billy-ships for to see, and sailormen going by, hanging out their shirts to dry in the sun. and me on the lantern platform of the Skerry. sha- king my clout for cleaning the reflect ors at ye, and wondering what you and Vida had been having for breakfast r'
 Nothing could have delighted Vida more. She was still within six miles of Kirktown. from which Rose came often to visit her. The eternal whirl and reverse of the pithead wheels were done with. The smiles of woodland shut tn em out with tufted moors, green and purple in tn summer, gray and brown in winter. Vida could have sung for joy only to look at them.
 In fact, when there was no one to hear her. she did. Phil said she sang like an angel-but Vida thought better of the angels than that.
 Then there were the birds. Out side in the great green deeps of the bay between her and the tall granite column of the Skefry, she Aoved to watch the gannet swinging their hea- " direct flight shorewards. Straight from Ailsa they came. making no more of the distance than did Phil Calmont on his bicycle when he came down from Kirktown to 'caa' the crack" with old Dick-or after church on. Sundays, to have a peep through the telescope at Billy Bryan on the Skerry platform. The gannets in the morning and Phil in the afternoon, filled happily enough yidas day.
 There was a piece of white sand in front of the cottage. Thence, with only ont narrow port rugged, far-jutting skerries ran seaward. Behind were little rocky knolls with cunningly sheltered green hooks where the turf was emerald, the ferns grew high, and the heather made a hundred coverts for wind blown birds.
 Rough Island cottage was the ideal home for two old lighthousemen. And just at that moment it was good for Vida also. It took her mind away from Kirktown, it's narrow issues of church and trade-above all, the sullen atmosph ere of grit, volleyed from the chimneys of Incubus, Romer & Com pany.
 . The change was good for. anoth CT person also.
 All that winter and spring, through biting sleet, driving floods of rain, and blinding snow, Phil Calmont drove his cycle up over the edge of the cup in which lay Kirktown out of the smoke circle past the raw towers of Gorm Castle, and so on over the moor sea- wards. It was bad for the machine, of course, and In the summer it was with difficulty that Phil could get an af tap Shi hut was good for Phil and, to tell the truth, for Vida also. At least she did not ob- ject.
 Of course, she caped nothing about his coming. Dick was enough company for her-and Bnly. when 1t was his sh ore leave. Dick could tell her all about the birds, and how the "Coal-and-Can- dle-Light Duck" called Calico, Calico, like ships syren, only in a clear ten- or note, prolonging the last "alloo till it was cut off as suddenly as if the singer had turned the corner of q street.
 Having arrived, the Ailsa gannets fell like bolts out of the blue, squirting high columns of white water as if em- ulous of the Skerry tower. Dabchicks made sport for her all through the win ter playing hide-and dseek among the fronds of the weed in the rocky pools. Then sometimes, towards the lingering gloaming of the spring days old Dick would take his little girl' out in their boat, which Billy had bought cheap from the Port Ling fish erman. Vida liked to visit the breed tng-places of what Dick called con temptuously the Foolish Guillemots Multitudes of these birds stood on the rock lodges. like penguins in the~pic- <,,res of Antarctfc travel which Ph il