The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-07-19

One Christmas morning, Deruchette,
a charming young girl, wrote the name
of a man, Gilliatt, In the snow. Gill;
att, seeing the name and knowing who
wrote it, never forgot.
Gilliatt was young man OF doubt
full birth and unpopular disposition
who lived by himself in an old wreck
Of house In st. Sampson in the Isle
of Guernsey. He was a fisherman;
also a carpenter, wheelwright, =
sort Of engineer when need be. He
was also a dreamer of dreams.
Deruchette lived with her uncle,
Mess Lethierry a man at once good
natured, intoleIant, superstitious and
progressive. In his wandering days
Lethierry had befriended Rantaine,
an adventurer who repaid this kind
ness by running off with $4,000 francs
Of Lethierry, the savings Of forty years
and intended for Deruchette's dowry.
However, Deruchette had still his
steamboat, the Durande. She at least
would not fail him. Other steamboats,
faAed, but not his Durande-this be-
cause of her wonderful engines. The
master of the Durande was Sieur Gu
bin. who had built up a reputation
for high responsibility. He was a
capable, prudent seaman and won
derful swimmer. Also he was man
who knew how to bide his time.
In one Of his trips to the main land
Clubin encountered the thief Rantaine,
as he was about to leave the country
with fortune of $4,000 francs. At the
point of a revolver Clubin took from
Rantaine the $4,000 francs, and at
once, although it was foggy, set sail
in the Durande for St. Sampson.
The Durande was wrecked on some
rocks in the Channel. Clubin disem-
barked his passengers and crew in
the long-boat. For himself, he would
go down with his ship. The passen-
gers and crew, arriving safely In St.
Sampson, were loud In their praise
of the heroic captain.
All Lethierry's hopes for Deruchette
had lain in the Durande. He besought
men to go out to the wreck to see II
there was hope for her or If Clubin
remained alive. They went, Gilliat
first of all, and returned to report that
no Clubin was there and that the Dur
ande was hopelessly wrecked. Only
her engines remained intact.
Her engines! The word reused
Lethierry from his despair. Her en-.
gines! His engines, which he had
designed himself! They were the real
value Of the ship! If he could but re-
cover the engines! But how? What
man could devise the means to save
them? The supeThuman being who
could do that. why-he should marry
Deruchette.
A man pushed his way through the
| crowd surrounding Mess LethierrJ
| and his niece. You would marry him
to Deruchette?" said the man. 1t wa:
! Gilliatt.
Mess Lethierry raised solemn
hand. Il pledge myself to it in Gods
| name!"
Next day Gilliatt set sail. With ex
traordinary skill he Unanswered to the
one spot near the wreck where II
might be possible to moor his sloop
This was 400 yards from the wreck
too far for the sleeping place of ;
man who had not minute to waste
Yet he could not bunk on the hull O.
the Durande-a sea might come In the
night and sweep him away.
He discovered a little pleteau OF
the top of one Of the Douyres pin
nacles. He assembled the pinnacle b.
means of a knotted cord; every tim
he made his way up or down he risket
his life, but there his bed must be, TO
time was everything. And for week.
he lived on the Douvres Rocks at hi
woodwork that demanded the knowl
edge Of a sailor, carpenter, an en-
gineer, blacksmith.
Incredible toll! To ,repair pull.
blocks and construct hosting tackle
to reshape broken joists and make oil,
1- t,,fo ftx3r to {v~0y hor Inf
files and long spikes; to take apar
and stow the paddle wheels, to re
sharpen hatchets and renew saw teetl
these were but the beginning of hi
preparations.
And more than toll. Part of tn
food which he had brought with hir
was washed into the sea, and h
dared not leave the wreck ungua-de
to sail to Guernsey for a fresh supply
so he gathered the tiny shellfish fror
the rocks and hunted the crabs whic
ran in and out of crevices.
One day he pursued a crab into
cave. While peering about, up to hi
waist in water. he felt somethin
rough, cold, Shiny, coil itself aroun
Tightening cord; its steady persis
cold coil wound itself around hi
body; third, fourth, a fifth lashe
themselves around him. He coul
scarcely breathe.
Suddenly round Shiny mass darte
. toward him. 1t was the head of
devil-fish.
Gilliatt had his knife; his left arr
was still free. The monster stretche
out a sixth tentacle for the free arm
which would mean Gilliatt's sur
death; but with one superb circula
stroke Gilliatt whipped of the slim
head. The tentacles relaxed, fe