The Holbrook news., 1910-02-04
After Many Days
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 T am afraid he will never come to, Grace"
 As the lad said these words in low, whispered tones, he desisted from his occupation of chafing the hands of the apparently lifeless man before him, to look up questioningly into his compan- ions face.
 It was a terrible night without; the thunder was rolling and crashing, while every few moments the darkness was illuminated by flashes of forked 1 lightning. At the foot of the winding stone stairs. which led up to the light house tower, was stretched an uncon- scious form, while over him bent the brother and sister, endeavoring with all their might to coax back the spark of life which the cruel waves had striven to extinguish forever. The boy was young-about Is. while the girl was perhaps two years his senior. She was tall and 1.-the, with a noble and beautiful face and resolute eyes.
 Her attire was a simply-made dress of some waterproof material and 1t showed traces of recent contact with the water, as did her hair, which hung In drenched masses down over her shoulders
 ''Oh, Tom. do not stop," she ex- claimed, in answe- to her brothers words I think he has only tainted. Yes; see. he moves"
 And even as she spoke. the object of their kindness opened his eyes.
 Grace had been right. He had only tainted, and after a while. with much assistance, he was enabled to ascend the lighthouse stairs.
 With apt. tender fingers Grace made him comfortable upon a sofa, which was the chief article of furniture of which the tiny room boasted. and then left him alone with her brother. while she Departed to freshly trim the light.
 Now, my lad. while your sister Is away I want you to tell me what has happened. To whom do I owe my life? remember embarking for a sail. of sudden storm. of vainly trying to return to shore. and then of being capsized and adrift at the mercy of the waves; after that all Is blank"
 At the request of the stranger Tom, nothing 10th. began his story in his energetic. boyish way. and John Main waring soon saw that If 1t had not this land and his sister he would not now have been in the land of the liv- Ing.
 It had happened that morning that the lighthouse keeper had started upon one of his rare trips to the main land. leaving his son and daughter to perform his duties.
 When the storm had risen Grace had been busying herself about the light when her brother came to her with the intelligence that during flash of lightning he had seen a small sail boat capsize just off the rock-bound shore of their island.
 Together they. armed with a strong coil of rope. had proceeded out upon the rocks as far as they dared. and i their eager eyes over the rag Ing water. trying to see If there were | any chance of saving a human life. |
 During one of the lurid lightning ! flashes they had suddenly discerned a | dark object which had seemingly been i by the waves upon the rocks l which reared their jagged heads out | of the water. They could not be cer- tain whether the dark object were a | floating spar. or man; but without | B moments hesitation the girl. as she | was the better swimmer of the two, had wound one end of the rope around | her waist. while her brother held the other, and had courageously struck l put amid the buffeting waves.
 Grace caught you and I pulled you both in. sir" concluded Tom. simply, as If the action had been an everyday "and for a while 1 was afraid you would never come to-
 The next morning when John tried to walk he found that the sprain to his ankle which at first had seemed very slight, had become very painful and that inflammation had set in. So he had no alternative but to accept he cordial invitation of the light house keeper (who had returned as soon as the storm abated) to stay a while upcn the island.
 Several weeks fitted by and yet John Mainwar;ng remained at the lighthouse, adapting himself with rue courtesy to the simple ways of