Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-03-28
WHEN THE LIGHTS sHoNE.
av Lawrence Alfred Clay.

/ Il NJ IL =
Literary Press).
The fishing schooner Laura B. had
come into port with her catch, and
! she had hardly been made fast to
the wharf before the cottages mile
away were talking in whispers about
An incident that had happened while
she was still far at sea- The feel
ing Of LOYALTY among the men that
face the tempests and hardships OF
the. fishing grounds Is very strong.
They have their differences and quar-
rels while at sea-, but all is forgiven
| when land is sighted again. NO
landsman knows that all was not
harmony.
a fisherman will forgive a taunt,
a curse, bloW-more tnan tnat =
hit there is one thing he cannot for-
give, and that is coWardlce IN tne
face of danger. NO schooner captain
asks a man IL he. is brave, Wnen se;
lecting crew. The inference Is tnae
every man who would go down 70
the tempest-tossed sea IS reaay 20
Iimperil his life at demand ana tnlnk
little 81 it. Cowardice can be, over
Hooked in landsman, put not m
fisherman. The landsman coWaraice
may have no results. That OF e
fisherman may make a dozen WIDOWS
and three score orphans
The Laura B. came nome IN
fierce gale and a terrible sea. me
fishermen do not select their own
weather. While taking MIS- tricK q.
the wheel young George Shaw looked
behind him and saw mountainous
wave racing down on the vessel.
That sight has frightened many
helmsman. There Is peril, but the
bowling gale and ravening sea mag
nifies it ten times over. The, man
had seen the same thing OFTEN
enough and held fast, but this time
he flinched. Fishermen do not want
explanations the eye cannot see.
With shout of terror Shaw left the
wheel In sixty seconds the schooner
would have been wreck had not
the mate been at hand to Jump TO
the abandoned wheel and hold on FOR
the life of all, even when the waters
closed over his head and his SOU
wester floated away amid the roam.
It was touch and go, but the stancn
craft won the fight.
Was there a storm of curses lot
Shaw? Not curse Reproofs from
captain and shipmates? Not a word.
Did the man seek to explain what
he realized would oe looked upon
as a cowardly act? He did not utter
syllable. He knew that any word
he could utter would be thrown
away. He had been marked down
for a coward. That settled 1t. IN
ten minutes he felt an outlaw His
shipmates spoke to him, but there
was drawing away. They did not
look into his face when they spoke.
Among themselves they said they
would keep the secret, and-Was 1t
the gulls that carried 1t from mouse
to house when port was reached?
High up on the hill was the cot
Itage of the Widow Larfins. Her
husband and his schooner had been
lost in Just such gale when home.
coming. perhaps from some act OF
cowardice. Jennie Larkins, her
handsome daughter, could row or
sail boat and as a fisherman's
daughter she had contempt for a
man who flinched when gale and
sea demanded wrecks and lives. 1t
was known that George Shaw was
her accented lover Would she ex-
cuse and forgive, asked those who
whispered. Would the lover call at
the house and explain? No! /,
She didn't look for him, and had
{ he come she would have been greatly
surprised He didn't think OF call
ing. On landing he took the trolley
car for his home, six miles away.
The incident was related to his pa
rents in a plain, straight way. They
had the sympathy of the bond, Dut
they shook their heads and sighed.
A month passed, and then there
came the great gale that viii be
remembered by children whey they
have grown to be men and women.
It came out of the east ike moving
fiends. 1t uprooted great trees ana
unroofed buildings. 1t caught up
great patches Of foam from the rag
ing sea and carried them inland TOT
a mile. Oh, the greed Of that gale!
Thirty-fve schooners and their crews
were a part of the sacrifice.
After the gale had ragged for forty
eight hours and was still hoWllng'
George Shaw went down to the port.
Almost the first thing he heard was
that one of the lightkeepers on
MOS in the TOWN.