The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-11-27


 @stand by for the cabIel' shouted
 Lester.
 v so hard. r got t fight it out your self. Nobuddy can help anybuddy else in there. Keep tn, head clear 'n' plug We three men Il git y in somehow. But had no business comin'-hundred r no hundred. I'm crazy My ol' bones told me rampage was Ioosenin' up. It ain't on'y gittin' on that blasted island, miss, but it's<stayin' there all night an mebbe losin' both boats. An f you git hurt
 Don't worry about me, Uncle Billy. I'm all right. have seen worse storms than this. Every one for himself. There must be no worrying about me, no foolish sentiment because Pm wo- man. o| Billy watched the new hemp cable. It was lucky he had brought that If the old mudhook held the Navarro would come out of it scot free. 'I hope your wife will not worry"
 s'I've told her never t worry till twenty-four hours after Pm lmissin' They'll know where we are; they call us tn Pidgins.> Whut's worryin' me is this here cable. It's got t hold all night, an these motorboats, ain't. s easy ridin' $ skiffs. Mebbe when I wake up in tn rnorniA' tn oP Navarro | Fl be nosin' int Henderson's harbor i f she don't baste her brains out some WheresA between here n there. All right. I'm t blame. I've let a hundred dollars foozle me. An I've dragged MT Cranford n Lester int it too. By l jings, they've seen usl'' N l Coming out of the dwelling was the | lightkeeper himself, arrayed in sou wester, rubber coat and rubber boots He carried a heavy coil of rope on his arm. He stopped at the side of the boathouse, calmly smoking his corn cob.
 There was no use of his wasting his breath, of shouting advice. All he could do was to wait and lend a hand when the time came. Fools, all of them that came out here to fisht4 | Stand by for the cabler' shouted Lester, who was now within reach.
 Wait till I git tn anchor up.'' More trouble. It required fully ten minutes maneuvering to loosen the mudhook. "AlI right, Lesteri'
 It was Diana who spoke. She stood up. Lester heaved the wa ter soaked cable and fell short. Hand over hand it went back. /
 All the while the boats were drifting off. If Lester's engine refused to work ! it meant hunger and cold and naayhap death, for they would be blown out into the lake.
 I Ready ?"
 "'Throw itr'
 l This time she caught it, kneIt and | wound it about the forward seat 1 She choked back a little sob as she heard the output of the loyal little ! H. came back to the shoa1 and headed for the dock. Thirty feet offshore Lester held up his hand, and both anchors went over. A short drag followed Without word-indeed, Uncle Billy said afterward that she smiled at him Diana slipped over the side and struck out for the runway. One after another the men followed in after her. F Up, up and then forward with al most incredible swiftness, as if some invisible hand was finging them, into smother of foam and down, down till their feet touched the powders I and up again and down again-p1ay- things.
 Than plunging water nothing else more quickly robs the human body of it's vitality. The dragging weight of it. the inability to breathe, make for i'm mediate exhaustion.
 Lester was first to catch the light keepers line.
 He knew that the latter would need help. He made the landing with but slight bruising. Together they pulIel in Uncle Bully
 ''Keep back, Diapa!' warned Gran ford. "wait till I reach the foot of the runway
 She smiled at him bravely.
 She was growing weak. She caught the line just as a comber smothered down over her.
 seNow!' she heard Cranford cry out
 But when they began to pull hel body seemed too heavy for her numE 1 arms, and she let aso
 Desperately Cranford fought to hel side with the line.
 He was himself half drowned in his endeayor to tie the line about her waist