The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-02-02

To-
of the garden and shouted. Besides-the
flag says, 'Wanted-a pilotp Now. which
of us does she want? 1 have the more
| acknowledgement have the more conceitl
|, No, depend upon it, the little girl only
| feels lonely and wants to talk with her
beau"
Her beau" snorted Billy. Are you
not ashamed of yourself, Dick Finnan
using such words-and you an elder of
the Kirk. %
Dick Finnan laughed with the unceas-
Ing chuckling mrth of an unhumorous
I man who, after years of trial, has hit
upon a good thing at last.
BILLY Bryan" he said, taking his AN
cient' confidentially aside, you are
young and need experience. You trust
an old fellow who has kept his eyes open
even if he never had a girl that sent him
to the rightabout for a ships cobbler.
Watch the opening of the woods yonder
for a quarter of an hour-that place
where the grass is wearing thin-you pick
it up-like the track to a field canteen.
And if you don't see Phil Calmont com.
ing out of those pines at harvester's
trot call me Dutehman, and l promise
to submit to Molly Molloy for the rest
of my natural life without the winking of
an eyer
Billy pretended that he was very busy
with some intricacies of the revolving
apparatus, but, nevertheless, kept an eye
on the prescribed spot Presently, In
| quicker TIME than Dick had foreseen,
Phil Calmonts slender figure, belted in
the blue-knitted jumper and flannel trou-
sers of his work-a-day life, was seen
Looping down the step track.
There you are, Billy said Dick, tri-
umphanty; what did 1 tell your
Billy Bryan growled something unin-
telligible.
IF you want to do anything in the
plotting way-if you still hold the opinion
that it was you the little one signalled
for-now's your chance. You have time
to be in ahead, YETI
Look herel" cried the exasperated
Irishman, whose lighthouse is this, any
way?"
Yours" said Dick promptly, but for
some years to come you wouldn't bear to
! see another hand on that clockwork and
i connections other than Dick Finnan's,
| your old mates"
"Faith and that's truel" said Billy,
! jumping across the platform, all his hasty
anger vapishlng, we are an aggravatia'
! ovid Scotch beast, but l can't do with
/ out We, and that's q fac! But all the
! same, and whatever we think, it's Hea-
ven own truth about Molly! I've al
! ways been sorry l ran away
Then l take that back said Dick Il
| had no right to gainsay any man in his
| Affections
Thus was peace re-established, and
about the same time Vida, having made
| certain that her patient was not likely
| to require anything for half an hour, ran
out to the shade of the single rowan tree
at the gable-end, where she was wont
| to meet her lover,
Phil saluted with his hand officially.
Come aboard, Captainl'"' he said, in
the manner of the only pilot he had ever
seen-Jim Mcbride, who ran the Incubus
coal vessels over the bar of the Kirk7
town Waterfront down by Coatestown.
Phil" said Vida, II wanted you imme-
diatelym At this he smiled upon her,
seeing that it was nothing serious.
$50 our foreman, Silas, on the tip told
me-" he laughed. You had better get
away pretty smart he said, there's a
flag f1yin that looks like 'urgent-this
side up, with care!'
But he didn't know the code. How
dare hep" cried Vida, indignant at the
NO" drawled Phil but he guessed.
| You see a man who loves one woman is
pretty like man who loves another wo-
man. One knows an awful lot about the
other. Now, Silas Milton has not been
married year. and, when his wife hangs
one of his Sunday shirts out OF a bed
room window at the Row. Slas drops his
shovel and leaves. So that is how he
knew to.pass me the word
II think it was great liberty of him!'
said Vida, in whose mind the Sunday
shirt ranked
.sWell. | don't know" said Phil, laying
his hand gently on the girls shoulder
his favorite caress. Il wouldn't be TOO
hard on Silas. If it hadn't been for him
I would have been off down the shaft,
you see. But what is ft?-the pilot is at
your service, Captain
Your father bought thenl-Mr. Romer,"
opening the subject.
i "Ah." returned Phil thoughtfully, tsaid
anything?"
,'Lots of things" continued Vida,
means it kindly, but"
ANNOYED you SOMEWHAT" queried Phil,
moving his hand up over the ripping
curls, brought out that wrinkle again,
did he? | thought 1 had done for him!
And he smoothed her brow tenoeriy
with spark in her eye which might be
a hand which felt the responsive sway
of feeling, pleasure or displeasure, under
the smooth touch as surely as the magnet
turns the hidden needle
'tPhil" she went on, ARE we to be
poor2 For myself, l don't mind-please
remember that. But your rather said
that he had better tell me-
~ wish nv father would mind his own
bust" began Phil angrily.
mo" said Vida, you must not say
that! He meant we'll
sWorst kindl" grunted Phil with his
fathers exact manner. Vida stamped her
foot with hers. e.
"He is your father, and he only said
that my father, Mr. Romer. might never
get better, and that as things looked
now, he had lost all his money. We might
have to support him all his life. But be-
ieye he only said that to try me. could
see him watching, and he was nice to me
before he<went away"
And what did you say?' Phil de-
manded.
"Well, I answered for you-for my lad
for my husband-as you would If you had
| been here!"
my little girl!'
mo, not now! Let me tell your she
held him off a moment
Nevertheless, 1t was some time before
vida-with, of course, the best will in the
world to expedite matters. could resume
her story.
you see, Phil. it's all right for me-
because he is my father. And it's al
: right for you because you are going t.
! have me! But it's not right, as see II
/ | that the present expense should come OF