The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1916-02-17

Above MIN the great. Dill
liant shaft of light turned
slowly. Aside from the beam all the
world was black-that intense night
black which has the feel OF oppression
in it, makes you put out your hands in
stinctively and grope.
The wind blew with tremendous
humming noise, like some huge dyna~
mo-, which indeed it was. and the wa
ter ran as high as when, five hours
ago, they had all been dragged ashore,
bruised, cut, exhausted.
Occasionally some comber leaped so
high that the revolving light touched
it, and in that instant it seemed to-
stand still in the air wildly, after the
manner of objects seen in lightning
flashes.
The guide squatted ON his launches
and peered out.
BY and by his eyes began to absorb
what light there was, and he saw two
faint gray patches on the water bow
ing and kotowing to each other like
quadrille dancers. The boats were still
there. Would the cables hold till morn
ing?
All he had in worldly possessions,
aside from his home. was that boat
It was his bread and butter. Without
it (and at present no means of buying
another) he might have to mortgage
the home next year. He got up pain
fully and limped off toward the tower.
There wasn't any sense of Lester
standing watch up there. Either the
cables would hold or they wouldn't,
and watching was only prolonging the
agony.
All this because he had let the
thought of making a hundred dollars
dazzle his eyes and obscure his usual
caution and common sense. He re-
fused to admit that the girl and the
mystery surrounding her had pulled
him as strongly as the thought of gain.
He paused and reached down to rub
his shin gently.
In helping Crawford in he had fallen
on the slippery runway ana bruised "a
shin against one of the rolling pins.
Well, the poor young woman was pay
ing for her hardihood-a cash two
an arm strained so badly that her fin
gers spread out crookedly.
And she lay there Oh the floor of the
boathouse without movement. without
speech, too exhausted to moan against
the pain of her injuries. Treasure?
He was in fine mood for treasure.
He would have liked nothing better
than to find it and cast it into the lake,
to let it remain there till the second
deluge (Which the minister said last
Sunday was on the way) and ever
after.
Treasure? What treasure? How
could there be any treasure on Pidgin?
The adventure itself did not stir his
imagination. They were all alive ON
shore. but he had broken faith with
himself, and there lay the sting ana
the bite.
Known for years as the most careful
guide on the river, and to smash that;
record into smithereens in Il moment
of mental alteration!
Perhaps the real backbone of his dis
satisfaction over his conduct was the
fact that he had now given the missus
the chance for which she had been
| waiting for years.
She wasn't a scold, but she would
not have upheld the traditions of her
sex if she had refused to seize upon this
weakness. to enlarge upon it, to fling
it in his face from now on, all through
the dreary, long winter to come.
Inside the boathouse Crawford sat
With his back to the lightkeepers boat,
asleep.
smoky lantern hung from the roof
beam.
Between this and the other lantern.
which stood on the floor little way
from Diana's head, swan pale haze.
tainted with the odor of kerosene.
From time to time Il dark tongue OF
water would suddenly come in under
the double doors. to seep lazily out
again. The bolts ratified continuously.
Diana lay between the boat and the
partition.
A blanket was spread over her. I'm
der her bandagcd head We're two cush-
ions, over and down which her loosen
ed hair flowed. spun bronze in the light
so close to it.
Her face thrown into relief, had that
rare mellow tone OF Velasquez por-
trait
When she fell on the runway she
struck against a bolt
Fortunately the blow was glancing.
Still. it laid open the side of her head
as neatly as a knife would have done.
How serious this injury was Crawford
was unable to determine. but the De-
culiar twist to the arm, as they picked
her up and carried her into the boat
house senseess. alarmed him.
He had been on too many football
held not to have learned that often II
strain is far more dangerous than a
clean broken bone. Wild though he