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("HAPTER x111. BEFORE THE DAWN Discipline Blackened its bonds thai‘ night. For one thmg Mr. Emmett ieiie' iii. Although inured to hardship in} the elememal strife. being of that .sfichy mariner race which holds the. igrut‘i warm in no dread, he had! never before been called on to eat nodden breed, to drink condensed steam flavmcd with varnish, and to. chew sustenance from the rind of raw, bacon. Thu“: drawback; added to' the lack of exercise and the constantI wearing of olothcs not yet dry, placed’ him on the sink list. ' 3 Again, there ware ominous Whig-i pets of unt’aLr division in the matte-:1". t food. it was not within the reaimi of accomplishment that the. pursur: Constance, Enid, and others who. helped to apportion the eatabies could treat all alike. Some fared hette I than others in quality if not in quan tity. The unfortunate ones growled and talked or z'avoritism. LL ‘- U-Jl-"- ; A crism “xxâ€"a6" réau‘ued when th second officer mustered the night watch. 9v..- When one sheep leads the Others will follow. A stout German from Chicago asked bluntly: - ‘ “Vere’s de goot of blayln' at mound- In’ “rt? Dore ls but von ting to nnd dc.“ ls der kidchen." Community or interest caused many huddle vlrtser to him. Here was no who darn-d to say what they all thought. '1‘ hr ir feet shufffled in sup- port. The nff'rcer. faithful to his trust -â€"-â€"â€" L-.A LA 'thought. Th-r' ir feet shufffied in sup- port. Th!~ nff?cer. faithful to his trust. us tempted to fell the man. but he thought the vircumstances warranted more xen'ie methods. “Why at you dissatisfied?” he stomly demanded. “What do you sus- pect? A»; you fool enough to ima- IO that you are being cheated by people who are dividing their last mat with you?” tuned Office"... "There to food here for three people. They have zed uhty-one of 1.8 for two day: and will keep us gomg several more days. Can’t you figure it out? Isn't it a mimic? Here! Who’s tor guard and who not '.’ Let us quit fooling.” And the doubters were silenced for the hour. “How do you know dat? Dose girls â€"-dey are chohln’ mit Mr. Pyne all derr thy. Dey can'd do dat and be hungry, --V â€"'â€"â€" The hymn-singer endeavored to raise r chorus. He was not greeted with nthuslasm. but a few valiant spirits fine to his assistppco. A couple of :ymna Were X8001! renderedâ€"anal ~.gainâ€"Iile~.~.ce. 1 "‘Say wrm," observed Pyne calmly when he entered the service-room to find Bram! trimming the spare lamp. “Not to-night," said Brand. “Why not" Hell may break loose at any moment downstairs.” “W'hat has occurred? I heard acme hing a dispute when the watch "lUSI‘ red at eight o'clock." I “ “.11:th are worse now. One of the men mum} a gallon of methylated [Spirit in the. workshop." Dtlllll III ll' W\ \I.’ n on vyo i “Good Heavens! Did he drink any 10! it?" “He and his mates have emptied the tln. Eight are helplessly drunkâ€" ,the others quarrelsome. The next ithlng will be a combined rush for the More-room “But wh tell “He thought you had troubles enough. if he could depend on the remainder of the crowd he would rope the sinners. Says he knows a slave knot that will make 'em tired.” ‘ Brand‘s eyes glistened. , “The tools." he said. “and just as :the weafier ia mending, too.” “ “Yon oitm‘t mean that?" “Liste .1." He gllnced up at the glass dome. Heavy drops wre pattering on it; they Inked like spray. but Prue shouted gleefully: “ls it rain?” “Yes. I was just going to summon the watnh to help in filling every ves- sel. R) spreading canvas sheets we can gather a large supply it it rains hard. Morncver. it will beat the sea down. Man alive. this may mean sal- vation. Tie those weaklings and sum- mon ever sober man to help." With a whoop. Pyne vanished. He met Constance on the stairs. coming to see her father before she stretched her weary limbs on the hard floor at the kitchen; racy “You unmitigau» She now: knew exactly what took pluce. It might have been politeness. but it felt uncommonly like a squeeze. 'and Pun r favg was extraordinnrfl: Mose to hers as he cried: “It's mix: 3ng whiskey. ‘10: empty vessel." He and uvt have been in such whirl. however. When the shower come it did last very long, and there were arr: difficulties in the wuy oi garnet-1;; the thrice blessed water. in the tin: 91:00. the lighthouse was expreésr ,designed to shoot of! ell ouch extt nnl “implies: 1n the second. the tota qnnnuty obznined did not amount to more than halt a gallon. _ "ii-.1: Wm} gré'ot deal of good in other ways. It brightened many been. It caused tho dmnhrdfto tobe 'vvv‘ -v - securely tmssed like plucked fowla And dumped along the walls of the anti-ace passage, md it an Brand none degree of hope flat the rescue operamrn of the next any night In I," why did not the second officer Pillar d ass!" laid the din- Tbere in food here :. No more caava a hustle on with ever Allen. When the min clam-ed off, the moon flickered in a cloudy pk}. Tylstu .IOV“ cvâ€" v.â€" v. _, t a myrther omen 6f better fortune. Perhap, the jingling rhyme of Admir- al Fitzroy's barometer was about to be justified : \o ‘ “'\‘ must not be too sanguine. 1 r11 is a chance. now. I won't deny hat. but thc ”ea is treacherous.” “His reef licks creation. At Bar Hart-212'. in Maine. where a mighty big .2 .1 gm kicl: up in a very few hours, . have,» son) ‘3? go down azaln like ma- 2,11- 'under a change of wind.” “Tlm is quite reasonable. Any or- dinary commotion has room to spread .tself in the tide-way. Here the tide is broken up into ocean rivers, streams with boundaries as definite as :33 Thames. The main body .â€"'..-.'.,e;.s up into the bottle-neck of tho (,‘hannel. Another tributary comes round the north of the Scilly Isles and ruxs into the tidal stream again ex- l.” i""")' at this point. The result often is that whilst little pleasure boats can safely run out into the Bay from Pen- zaiice there is a race over the rock that would break up a stranded battle- ship.” “Say, do you like this kind of lite?” “i have given my best years to it.” Pyne was smoking a pipe, one which Brand lent him. The tobacco was a capital substitute for food, especially as he had established a private under- standing with Elsie and Mamie that they were to wayiay him when possi- ble and nibble a piece of biscuit be carried in his pocket. lvâ€" â€"â€" This arrangement was to be kept a strict secret from all especially from Miss Constance and Miss Enid, whilst the little ones themselves did not know that the she-dragons whom Pyne feared so greatly gave them sur- reptitious doses from the last tin of condensed milk, retained for their ex- clusive. benefit. “Do you mind me saying that you are a good bit of an enigma?” he hazarded, between puffs. "it may be so, but I like the ‘ser- vice.” “Just so. I was never so happy as when I took a trip as fourth engineer on a tramp in the Gulf of Florida. But that didn’t signify being tied to a long- nosed oiler for the remainder of my days)’ “Are you a marine engineer?” in- 'q"..ired Brand, with some show of in- terest. And the hurricane had given but 'T‘t “WW2 v". (2* Vs advent. ': feel it in my bones that we shall i 2,... as fricky as lambs to-morrow,” “ * m. \x: r-n '22: joined Brand at " the scuny (matsed by the rain had tVI ya; u- “1 hold a certificate, just for fun. I had a mechanical twist in me and gave it play. But I am an idler by pro- tension.” . ‘ ‘ j LVIIU ..... The lighthouse-keeper laughed, so naturally that the younger man was gratified. Polite disbelief may be a compliment. a A "_ l. -‘L _L-“-‘ -- bun-1y ------- “An idler, eh? You do not strike me “it’s the fact. nevertheless. My grandfather was pleased to invest a few dollars in real estate on the sheep farm where Manhattan Avenue now stands. My uncle has half; my mother had the other half.” ' “Are both of your parents dead?” “Yes, years ago. Lost at sea, too. on my fathgr's yacht” ‘ “What a terrible thing!” “It must have been something like that. “-I was only six years old at the time. My uncle lost his wife and child, too, when the Esmeralda went down. It nearly killed him. I never thought he would marry again, but i i suppose he's tired of being alone.” "Pnbably. By the way, now that you mention it, Mrs. Vansittart wish- ed to see me yesterday. I could not spare a moment so I sent her a civil message. She told Constance that she thought she knew me.” “Hardly likely,” smiled Pyne, “i1 you have passed nearly the whole 01 your life in lighthouses.” you have passed'nearly the whole 01 your life in lighthouses.” “I did not quite mean to convey that impression. i knew a man of her late husband's name. many years ago." “She is a nice woman in some ways,” said Pyne reflectively. “Not quite my sort, perhaps, but a lady all the time. She is not an American Came to the States about ’90, I think and lost her hubby on a ranch in Cali. i‘ornia. Anyhow. the old man is dead stuck on her, and they ought to hit it off well together. The Vansittart you knew didn’t happen to marry a rela- tive of yours?” “No. He was a mere acquaintance.’ And all this because one fierce gale, out of the many he had endured, sprang into being at a moment when his mates were incapacitated and his daughters happened to pay him a sur- prise visit. “It is an insane freak of fortune,"| he muttered, “so incomprehensible, so utterly out of focus with common events, that if I were a superstitious1 man, I should regard it as betokening the approach of some great epoch in my life. Surely a merciful Providence would not bring my girls here to sub ject them to the lingering torture of hunger and thirst. I must not think of it further. lies madness.” “Odd thing.” ruminated Pyne. “It has just occurred to me that she re sembles your daughter,â€"your elder daughter.â€"not so much in face as in style. Same sort of graceful figure, only a trifle smaller." .1 __-_. AAA-.. Ins-“Mil ‘11 That way There was at least one other troub- led soul on the rock which divined some sinister portent in the storm. Mrs. Vansittart, even at this moment, was staring into the black void with questioning eyes. w‘i‘USuIm'vool'ncidenceas often happen in the human family. For instance, you are not wholly unlike Enln; "_"‘U .. “Holy gee!” siid Pyne, “I’m too down to stand flattery.” “Likeness is often a matter of en. vironment. Characteristics, manner- isms. the subtle distinctions of class and social rank, soak in through the skin quite as sensibly as they are con- ferred by heredity. Take the plough- man's son and rear him in a royal pal- ace, turn the infant prince into a pear sent, and who shall say, when they reach man’s estate, ‘This is the true King.’ You will remember it wa! said of the Emperor Augustus: ‘Urbem lateritiam invenit. marmoream reli- quit.’ “He found the city brick. he left it marble.’ The same noble result may be obtained in every healthy Child . properly educated.” The college-bred youth had not on the eas tered into any general conversation Liazrd. with Brand before. He had the tad nearly now to 'conceal his astonishment a1 dull a: the manner of his friend’s speech: rain I ‘_ I ‘â€"-A “You fling heredity to the then?" he asked. Brund rose to his feet. to ‘ way when deeply moved “Thank God, you!" he cried. A taint hoot cum to them 1 the chortnng of the wind. “One of our visitors,” _I He hurriedto t1 argon-chum 81-335: “nix-d h}; we Vice ioulplns II though Inuly netted in uni-chairs I! “Long foretold. Long last; Short notice Soon past.” .ce ww ll yea " - .y, when they The three quick flashes of the Sever: is is the true Stones Lightship were very clear. Tha :ber it was was a good Sign. The wind cazne fig, ustus: “Urbem that quarter and. blustering though it rmoream r’eli- was, driving gigantic waves before it rhrick, he left into the loud embrace of the reef, i: ble result may maintained the good promise of th: hedthy child last few hours. "â€"-â€" â€"‘- “‘A.. A5 ! ~w. mutt" w’fn through, and I guess I'll play ball with my father-in-law,” I quoth Pyne to himself as he followed. i This time it was the Falcon alone, land she signaled with a lamp that it fives deemed best to defer active op- erations until the following afternoon. The tide at dawn would not suit. She went off, and the two men re- turned to the grateful shelter of the seru'iceroom. vcvv 1"“â€" Brand farbade further talk. Pyne must rest now and relieve.him at three o’nlnnk. The youngster needed no feather-bed: he was asleep in amaz- ingly qxick time. There is a supper- IL-ss Frugcr which keeps people awake at night with a full larder in the house. '1‘:.c ,1"; 19 article differs from the cul- tum} . me so grtatly that the man who hur‘.,,ers of necessity cannot sleep too lighthouse had been given quite (1101331 nutriment to maintain life. 711.51»- waa 1.1) reason why any, even the most deiicate, should be in real danger during the next forty-eight hours. But scientific reasoning and 1‘19 animrl 1:.stincts of mankind clash at times; in that lay the danger whose 51111.11 she dow \\ as deepening the lines in tl.e earners of Brand's eyes. Every horr, the officer on duty and some men of the watch visited him to report that all was well below. Some of the less drunken mutineers Were pitifully sober now: the others were maudlin. Beyond the few words exchanged on this and kindred tapics, he was left alone with his thoughts throughout the silent watch. Pyne slept heavily. Glancing at times at the youngster’s stalwart figure and firm, handsome face, Brand found him- self reviewing the buried years. He thought of 'the days when he, too, looked forth on the world with the stern enthusiasm of triumphant youth. Long- -forgotten ghosts were resur- rected, shattered ideals built up again. He wondered, if the decades rolled back, would he (leci de, a second time, to abandon the fine career which lay at his feet and withdraw his grief and his talents to the seclusion of lonely rocks and silent headlands! He had been happy, as men count happiness, during the decades. No cloud had arisen to mar the complete content of his life. The blossoming of the girls into delightful womanhood was an increasing joy to him, and it was passing strange that his little household should be plunged into a whirlpool of events in the very hour when their domesticity seemed to be the most assured. The changeful moods of the elements found no coun- terpart in his nature. He, knowing the sea, did not expect it to remain fixed in one aspect. Whether in storm or calm the contrary would surely happen ’ere many days had passed. But life was a different thing. How came it that at the very close of so many years of association with the5 fickle ocean she should play such a trick on him and his daughters, en- fold them with perils, snatch them from the quiet pleasures of the life they had planned for the future and thrust upon them, even if they es- caped with their lives, a publicity .which he at any rate, abhorred and even dreaded. i He harbored no delusions on this ' point. He knew that the drama of the Gulf Rock was now filling the col- umns of newspapers all over the ‘ â€" L-1_---.I ._.x..1_ “”1119 v world. He and his beloved girls would be written about, discussed. de- scribed in tulsome language, pictured by black and white artists, and eulo- gized by wide-awake editors eager to , make much of a topic dear to the pub- 5 lie mind. On the reek they were undoubtedly‘ In grave danger. Death confronted themâ€"death at once extraordinary and ghastly. No tyrant of the Middle Ages, with all its paraphernalia tor wringing truth or lies out of cringing .wretches. had devised such a fate as threatened if the inconstant sea should choose to render the reef altogether unapproachable for many days. Yet, it help came, he and those dear to him were already steeped in unavoidable notoriety, bringing in its train certain vague disabilities which he had striv- en to avoid for over twenty years. v-â€" f‘fi‘LS 4?ar, the inhabitants of tpe ‘- He resolutely threw back his head as it he Would hurl into outer dark- ness the gibbering phantom which whispered these words of foreboding. Although the lamp needed no atten. tion Just then, he climbed to the trim- ming stage merely to find relief .1. mechanical action. He carefully c.- amined the adjustment,-and, to judge how the weather was shaping, went out into the gallery to look at the dis- tant lights. Seeking the comparative shelter 0" the east side, he gazed steadily at the Liazrd. Its two fixed electric beams. nearly in line with the Gulf Rock, were dull and watery. A local squall of rain was sweeping down from the land. Changeable, threatening, unset- tledâ€"the meteorologists might apply any of them: terms to the prevalent conditions. Far out in the Channel he saw the twinkling mast-head lights of several steamers. Blow high or low, mails must travel and vessels put to sea. On such a night, at other times, he would re-enter the lighthouse with a cheery sense of its comfort and home- like aspect. Now he dreaded the bril- liant interior of the serum-mom. Its THE DURHAM CHRONICLE given quite miracle acted. When Brand went out, r: sh of cold air through t' ieadinp to the balcsny a} Tm: young gefitleman [‘2 sh of (salt; air through the little door tending to the baicsny aroused Pyne. its: young, gentleman was rudely axaizened turn a seriously vivid dream. He fancied that Constance and he were «flinging to the tail of an enormous ‘zite. which had been made to hover oz'er the rock by a green imp seated in an absurdly small boat. They were solemnly advised by other gnomes, imps with sparkling. toad-like eyes. to entrust themselves to this precarious means of escape, but the instant they drOpped off the ledge of the gallery their weighti caused the kits to swoop downwards. The resultant plunge into the ocea.. and Constance’s farewell shriek were nothing more terrifying than the chill blast and whistle of the air current admitted by Brand. But Pyne did not want to go to sleep again. He did not like emeraldhued spirits Which ar- ranged such unpleasant escapades. He straightened his stift limbs and sat up. L up. He was about to feel in a pocket for his pipeâ€"he experienced the worst pangs of hpnger after waking in such _-.. .. nrnmnn’n “I was resuess,“ ‘ hurriedly. “If I rem: ute among those wow screamed aloud. E are here. Where is "'I am h'éppen to mention you." “And he said he knew me?” “No, ma’am. He said nothing of the sort. But, for mercy’s sake, what mystery is there about it?” “Mystery! None whatever. I was mistaken. I have never met him. i came now to explnin that to him. She dived suddenly as the gallery door opened. Brand caught a fleeting glimpse of hex: vggighing form. Oh‘” U'_â€""" “Who was that?” he asked. Pyne had found his pipe and was filling it with tobacco. “Mrs. Vansittart,” he answered. “Paying her long-deferred visit, I suppose. She_ choses _cur_ious hour.” -wrrvâ€"â€"'â€" “So I thought. But she Just popped her head in to tell you that she didn’t know you at all." Brand smiled. ; “Poor lady!” he said. “She, like the rest of us, is perturbed and uneasy. I imagine she is of a somewhat hysteri- cal temperament.” “That’s so,” agreed Pyne. There were puzzling discrepancies in Mrs. Vansittart’s eXplanation of her untimely appearance. Evidently, she 'did not expect to meet him there. She thought she would find the lighthouse- keeper alone. The ready deduction presented itself that when she did en- counter Brand she did not wish any third person to be present at the in- terview. That Constance’s father had no cause to look at matters in thd’same light he was quite certain. Anyhow, it was not his affair, and he declined to trouble his head about Mrs. Van- sittart’s vagaries. So the young philosopher lit 1113 pipe and delivered a dictum on the sex. “Some women,” he said, “are made up of contradictions. She is one. I have known her for some time and I thought nothing could phase her. But there must be a sort of society crust over her emotions, and the wreck broke it. Now, for my part, I like a woman with a clear soul, one in whose eyes you can catch the glint of the inner crystal." “They are rare," said Brand. “I suppose so. Indeed, it used to he a mere indeal of mine. built up from ihooks. But they exist, and they are worth looking for.” He waited. lest perchance the « man should take the cue thus oii but Brand, for the twentieth time poring over the records of the which followed the hurricane re ed by a former keeper. The A can purs-ed his lips. “He has had a had time wt woman once in his life,” be m “It must have heen~ConItance’s ,er, and that is why he doesn't b« {in heredity. Well, I guess he’s r in heredity. Well, I guess he’s right." Had be seen Mrs. Vansittart cower-‘ ing on her knees outside her bedroom door. he might have found cause for more disturbing reflections. She was crying softly, with her face hidden in her hands. “Oh, I dare not. I dsre not!" she moaned. “I am the most miserable woman in the world. It would hsve been better it I ha! mom- don with 0” of the loaves wn‘v- "- v he saw a woman: l a bad time with a 1 his life," he mused. heen~Conltance’s moth. why he doesn't. believe ., I guess he’s rs. Vansitmrt outside her I) the other .8 offered. le, was 9 days rep-art- mm sumu ems: \Ve know how the ladies ere interested in the kind that, lends to the font a coveted char graceful pose to the whole figure. They excel reasonable prices. Ladies’ HIGH-CLASS FOOTWEAR We are sole agent, for the McPherson “Lightning Him-h." thu llmsl um”. date skating shoe in Canada. They are perfect. in style and won-anuaufihip. Do Not Fail to See Our Stock of Skating Shoes The Big ShoeStore GO TO We have a full line of home-made 'l‘an'y. “1» have a ver Togafiengiifiznfoglthe skatersâ€"all kind; of 1m m mka uid Beef, hot coffeemidcncmi. 1M1)" this go h ome cold when you can get a good hot; drink liki on your way. 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