The Washington times., 1912-06-16
THE TIMES DAILY SERIAL STORY
THE PRINCE OF PRETENSE
STEPHEN CHALMERS

msntel and the framed certificates ,,,,a,ss
with a print from The Tanning of the |
shrew'' and framed portrait Of
Charles Edward Philip Casimer stuart
From the rain-spattered. .iaw-blurred
window the dominic and Margaret
could see into the cobbled street Dim
figures, huddled in plaids and with
wind, were hurrying toward the shore |
at the foot of the hill. Beyond the
gables of the schoolhouse across the
street they could see nothing but black
of the furious sea.
Something will be wrong" muttered
Dalgleish, his face close to the pane
of bull's-eyed glass. II believe will
'Look!'' exclaimed Margaret. But
Dalgleish the dominic had seen 1t, too:
of the sea. 1t fiickered a moment in
uncertain vagueness, then abruptly went
MAY God forgive usl'' whispered
jamie Dalgleish, awestricken. There's
a ship on the Antlers" Il
without another word, father and
daughter rushed back to the "stewdy:"
I cious Highland bonnet.
You bide in the house." said he to
his daughter, almost ferociously. The
tempest was in his veins. Keep the
kettle on the boil. There may be need
of comfort before morning"
| The Scotswoman that was Margaret
obeyed. When he had gone she hurried
to the kitchen and filled the kettle.
With knitted brows she placed It on
the blaze, then brought an armful of
peat to. re-enforce the kitchen and
the present, she wrapped a shawl
| around her and went into the front
room. For hours she sat shivering in
the darkness with her face pressed
hurrying figures in the street, and see
ing. with dramatic terror, the misty
halo that sprang at intervals from the
| Antlers.
Jamie Dalgleish was beating his way
down the street, his body leaning for
ward and his chin down In his plaid.
The outstanding eyebrows were Touring
in the teeth Of the gale. A., At times the the
fling the strong old man u the ground.
i But he would crouch against a house
wall until 1t blew steady again. At
other times, so terrible was the blast
that he must turn his back on 1t, for
the rushing air made 4 vacuum in his
mouth, his nostrils and his lungs.
Other figures passed or overlook him.
He could Identify none, 80 muffled was
every mans face, until a man stopped
close to him and yelled at the top of his
voice:
hay, OO1nlnle! A 1edTlu DlBnL1 VIII
It be the eequinochuls?"
"Eequinochuls!" scoefed the dominic.
fighting for breath. He recognized the
man as "Gangy" Beckett, the tavern.
seees1c he eTiod. in NO; "eansy's' pt oWn Iowland
dialect. An 1t doesna' leave man
breath ea1,t to o,pro proonraunoe sic word as
Sandy McClung, the undertaken. says
there's a boat on the Antlers!" shouted
"Gangy." 'Sandy'll be lookin' for
ma. nay protested the dominic ear
nestly "Ye shouldna speak evil. Gan
; gy'; nor listen to It, sandy's a guild
to lend hand. Have the Maclartys
They were by this time battling their
way down the hill together, leaning
, heavily on the wind and talking with
their hands over their mouths to avoid
, The boats had been drawn up the mo-
, ment the Maclartys had looked at the
sky and pronounced "a night Of IT, .,it IT
! drawing up of the boats. The craft
were owned by. a few flshermen:. but
such was the instructive sea-spirit OF
! the 500 souls who were engaged in other
v never growied unheeded. The sea was
7 the hereditary enemy, and an inherited
= instinct banded men against 1t. When
: the wind whined in the, night. fisher;
man, publican, clergy, and sinner turned
= uneasily in bed, and when the sea
8 growled with a certain note there was
no thought of personal property or per-
sonal comfort All sorts and conditions
E arose by accord and went to the shore
> to bear hand to the boats.
James Dalgleish and "Gangy" Beckett
=. found them all assembled. There were
!, the Maclarty brothers, FIVE of them. al
). ). so alike In face and dress that mer
spoke OF each as "one of the Mac
rounded these rugged priests and pro-
phets OF the sea were the villagers
T There was Davie Blue, the blacksmith,
h one blow of hammer; there wa.
Tom Wallace, the doctor, who liked tc
Q remember the night you were born
), there was Sandy McClung, the carpen
g ter and undertaken. who was something
t of ventriloquist and whose great sor
d row was that he made his living bury
d ing his best friends. And there was th'
@ minister. too-old Hugh Black, who, de-
/. spite his years and gentle profession
y turned out with the rest when the set
: called.
n Women were not scarce, either. The,
were all fisher-wives. with the excep.
e ton of tall, robust middle-aged WON.
70 an, who stood apart from the throng
% Janet Glen was "quser body" Hand
fash" with her. She was in leagu
with the devil. Else why did she wan
der by the scashore, in the mirk nigh
l. prd never speak unless spoken to. an,
d past You with that blank, yet far-see
:. ing. stare of hers.
T. But nooody minded Janet tonight. Al
g. eyes were turned to the spot in tn
i, darkness where familiarity placed tn
N Antlers-the grotesque rocky fangs tina
"a " ere always visible. but arose like tn
head of a swimming deer when the It'd
ID was 'ow. At intervals a misty hal
,e sprang from the west Antler. and some
If times, when the spray parted, tn
n flerce-eyed. dripping-faced spectator
a. could see the outlines of masts an
n spars lying aslant. At each successiv
ne fare II seemed that the slant was NOR
rs pronounced. The ship was breaking UP
to "It's the Lords will" said the oil
es minister. He did not pray. His religio
al wac very practical. If man could nc
L help, It was the Lords prerogative
of And man could do nothing Tho nv
nd stalWart MaClarty brothers stood IN
silent group a little nearer the thur
Sc dering tonnage Of seas than the others
e. II man could do anything. the Maclal
ld tvs were the men 20 do it. But tn
~ sea was Muster tonight.
ne BY ami by the flare came no nor
ed from the Antlcrs. Every man an
OF woman knew what was going on oil
n. there in the furious wolf-pack of tn
e seas. Men were still cliEging to shat