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About Corvallis gazette. (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 21, 1906)
I T H E TO) "TV Ti t:-and instantly divided his forces. Enid lie dispatched to make hot cocoa 1ji the quickest and most lavish man ner possible. Constance was to give each new arrival a small quantity of stimulant (the lighthouse possessed a dozen bottles of brandy and whisky) and act as escort. The women and children were to be allotted the two bedrooms. Any bad cases of injury or complete exhaustion could be disposed of iu the visiting officer's room, while ail the men fit to take care of them selves were to be distributed between the entrance, the coal room, the work shop and the stairways. The kitchen, storeroom and service room were to be kept clear, and the storeroom door looked. Eighty! Brand was already do ing problems in simple arithmetic. A similar problem, with a different point to be determined, was occupying the active mind of the "American youngster" who had solved the knot tiest proposition put forward during that eventful night. He watched the forwarding of the shrieking, shuddering or inanimate wo men. He timed the operation by his watch, as the reflected light from the lamp was quite sufficient for the pur pose. Then he approached the captain. "Say, skipper." he cried, "how long do you give the remains of her to hold out?" "It is not high water yet," was the answer. 'Terhaps half an hour. Forty minutes at the utmost." "Then you'll have to boost this thing along a good deal faster," said the cheerful one. "They're going up now at the rate of one every two minutes. That's thirty in half an hour. Fifty of us will travel a heap quicker at the end of that time if your calculation holds good." The captain, who appeared to be in a stupor of grief, roused himself. A few short and sharp orders chang ed the aspect of affairs. Frightened and protesting ladies were securely tied together and hoisted, four at a time, like so many bags of wheat When it came to the men's turn even less ceremony and greater expedition .were used. Indeed, already there were emphatic warnings that much valuable time had been lost in the early stage of the res ' cue. Though the wind was now only blowing a stiff gale, the sea, lashed to frenzy by the hurricane, was heavier than ever. The ship was vanishing vis ibly. A funnel fell with a hideous crash and carried away a lifeboat. The rest of the spar deck and nearly the whole of the forward cabins were torn out bodily. By repeated thumping on the reef the vessel had settled back almost on to an even keel, and the fore mast, which had so providentially near ed the summit of the lighthouse, was now removed far beyond the possibility of a rope being thrown. The survivors on deck worked with feverish energy. The time was draw ing short. They did not know the sec ond that some unusually tempestuous wave would devour them utterly. "Now. Mr. Pyne. you next," cried the chief officer, addressing the young Phil adelphiau, who, mirabile dictu, had found and lighted a cigar. "Guess I'll swing up along with the captain," was the answer. "Up with him!" shouted the captain fiercely, himself helping to loop Pyno to the fourth officer. All others had gone. The officers vr?r l;"r:r t';e ship in order of sen iority, ilio juniors first. Just as the quartet were about to swing clear of the ship the captain grasped Pyne's hand. "Thank yon. lad." he said, and away thoy wont. There were left on the vessel the third, second and first officers, the pur ser and the captain. The others want ed the captain to come with them. He resisted, held out for his right to be the last to quit a ship he had commanded f or more Than twenty years and hoarse ly forbade any further argument. Very unwillingly they left him haul ing alone at the rope, though their pred ecessors, knowing the need of it, helped vigorously from the gallery. Indeed, It was with difficulty that ryne was held back from returning with the de scending rope. They told him he was mad to dream of such a piece of folly, and perforce he desisted. But when the captain deliberately cast off the deck pulley from which the tope had been manipulated they knew that the boy had read his soul. The now useless cordage dangling from the gallery was caught by the wind and sea and sent whipping off to leeward. Brand, brought from the lantern by the hubbub of shouting, came out, fol lowed by Constance. He suggested as a last resource that they should en deavor to fire a line across the vessel by means of a rocket. They agreed to try, for the spectacle of the captain, standing bareheaded on all that was left of the bridge, moved them to a pitch of frenzy not often seen in an assemblage of Anglo-Saxons, and especially of sailors. Brand turned to procure the rocket, bat a loud cry caused him to delay. The expected ware had come," the Tea Bel was smothered In a vortex of foam, the toll toremtst tottered and fell, and .when the water rabBlde again all teat La IT il l I By ... Lctris Tracy, o Author of $ -TKe Wing of tke Mortutig" Copyright. 1904. by Edward J. Clode "JT was wondering what had become of you." was visible of .the great steamer was some portion of her hull and the sol idly built bow, which was not wrench ed from the keel plate until another hour had passed. The agonized cry of a strong man is a woeful thing. Constance, by reason of the gathering at the side of the gal lery, was unable to see all that was taking jilace, but the yell which went up from the onlookers told, her that something out of the common even on this night of thrills had occurred. "What Is it, dad?" she asked as her father came to her. "The end of the ship," he said. "The captain has gone with her." "Oh, dear, why wasn't he saved?" "I think he refused to desert his ship. His heart was broken, I expect Now, Connie, duty first" Indeed, she required no telling. As each of the shipwrecked men entered the lantern she handed him a glass of spirits, asked if he were injured . and told him exactly how many flights of stairs he had to descend. But cocoa and biscuits would be brought soon, she explained. Greatly amazed, but speechless for the most part, the men obeyed her directions. One of the last to claim her attention was the young American, Mr. Pyne. Her face lit up pleasurably when she saw him. "I .was wondering what had become of you," she said. "My sister has ask ed me several times if you had arrived, and I imagined that I must have miss ed you by some chance." Now, all this was Greek to him, or nearly so. Indeed, had it been Intel ligible Greek, he might have guessed Its purport more easily. Holding the glass in bis hand, he looked at her in frank, open eyed won der. To be hailed so gleefully by a good looking girl whom he had never to his knowledge set eyes on was somewhat of a mystery, and the puzzle was made all the more difficult by the fact that she had discarded the weath er proof accouterments needed when she first ventured forth on the gallery. "I'm real glad you're pleased. My name is Charles A. Pyne," he said slowly. It was Constance's turn to be bewil dered. Then the exact situation dawn ed on her. "How stupid of me," she cried. "Of course you don't recognize me again. My sister and I happen to be alone with my father on the rock tonight. We were with him on the balcony when you acted so bravely. You see, the light shone clear on your face." "I'm glad it's shining on yours now," he said. "You must go two floors below this," said she severely. "I will bring you some cocoa and a biscuit as quickly as possible." "I am not a bit tired," he comment ed, still looking at her. "That is more than I can say," she answered, "but I am so delighted that we managed to save so many poor peo ple." "How many?" "Seventy-eight But I dare not ask you how many are lost It would make me cry, and I have no time for tears. Will you really help to carry a tray?" "Just try me." At the top of the stairs Constance called to her father: "Anything you want, dad?" "Yes. dear. Find out the chief officer and send him to me. He can eat and drink here while we talk." CHAPTER Yin. P LEASE be careful. These stairs are very steep," said Constance, swinging the lan tern close to her companion's feet as they climbed down the topmost flight "If I f all," "he assured her, "yon will be the chief sufferer." "All. the more reason why you should not fall. .Walt here a moment I must have a look at the hospitaL" The visiting officer's room, which also aerred the purposes of a library and recreation roem In normal times, now held fourteen Injured persona, Includ- fcag"4vv wnan, ooe of them Most of thie7" suaerers had" received their wound3 either in the saloon or by collision with the cornice of the light house. The worst accident was a bro ken arm, the most alarming a case of cerebral concussion. Other injuries consisted for the most part of cuts and bruises. . Unfortunately, when the ship struck, the surgeon , had gone aft to 'attend to tn engineer whose hand was crushed as the result of some frantic lurch caused by the hurricane. Hence the doctor was lost with the first batch of victims. Enid discovered that among die few steerage passengers saved was a man who had gained some' experi ence in a field hospital during the cam paign in Cuba. Aided by the plain di rections supplied with the meiicine chest of the lighthouse, the ex-hospital orderly had done wonders already. "All I want, miss," he explained in answer to Constance's question, "is some water and some linen for band ages. The lint outfit in the chest is not half sufficient." She vanished, to return quickly with a sheet and a pair of scissors. . "Now," she said to Mr. Pyne, "if you come with me I will send you back with a pail of water." She took him to the. kitchen, where Enid, aided by a sailor, pressed into service, was dispensing cocoa and bis cuits. Pyne, who remained in the stairway, went off with the water and Constance's lantern. The interior of the lighthouse was utterly dark. To move without a light and with no prior knowledge of its internal arrangements was positively dangerous. All told, there were seven lamps of various sizes available. Brand had one, four were distributed throughout the apart ments tenanted by the survivors of the wreck, two were retained for transit purposes, and the men shivering in the entrance passage had no light at all. Constance took Enid's lantern in or der to discover the whereabouts of Mr. Emmett, the first officer, the tray car rying sailor offering to guide her to him. When Pyne came back he found Enid in the dark and mistook her for Constance. "They want some more," he cried at the door. "Some more what?" she demanded. It was no time for elegant diction. Her heart jumped each time the sea sprang at the rock. It seemed to be so much worse in the dark. "Water," said he. "Dear me! I should have thought everybody would be fully satisfied in that respect." He held up the lantern." "Well, that's curious," he cried. "I imagined you were the other young lady. The water is needed in the hos pital." "Why didn't you say so?" she .snap ped, being in reality very angry with herself for her flippancy. She gaye him a full pail, and he quitted her. Constance, having delivered her fa ther's message to Mr. Emmett, was greeted with a tart question when she re-entered the kitchen. "Why on earth didn't you . tell me that young man was attending to the Injured people? Is he a doctor?" "I think not What happened?" "He came for a second supply of wa ter and nearly bit my head off." "Oh. Enid! I am sure he did not mean anything. Didn't you recognize him? It was he who climbed the mast and flung the rope to us." "There." said Enid, "I've gone and done it! Honestly, you know, it was I who was rude. He will think me a perfect cat." "That isn't what people are saying," explained Mr. Pyne, whose approach was deadened by the outer noise. "There's a kind of general Idea floating round that this locality is an annex of heaven, with ministering angels in at tendance." In the half light of the tiny lamps he could not see Enid's scarlet face. There was a moment's silence, and this very self 'possessed youth spoke again. "The nice things we all have to tell you will keep," he said. "Would you mind letting me know in which rooms you have located the ladies?" Constance, as major donio, gave the information asked for: "They are in the two bedrooms over head. Poor things! I am at my wits' end to know how to get their clothing dried. You see, Mr. Pyne, my sister and I have no spare clothes here. We only came to the rock this afternoon by the merest chance.". "That is just what was troubling me." he answered. "I am sort of in terested in one of them." "Oh." ;td Constance. "I do wish I could help: but indeed, my own skirts are wringing wet." "From what I can make out, then, my prospective step-aunt will catch a very bad cold." The queer phrase puzzled the girls, but Constance, rarely for her, jumped at a conclusion. "Your prospective step-aunt You mean, perhaps, your fiancee's aunt?" she suggested. "I don't know the lady. No, ma'am. I was right first time. Mrs. Yansittart is going to marry my uncle, so I keep an eye on her stock to that extent" "How stupid of me!" she explained, while a delighted giggle from Enid did not help to mend matters. So Con stance became very stately. "I will ask Mrs. Yansittart .to come out and speak to you" 6he began. "No, no! I don't wish that You might tell her I am all right That Is the limit And may I make a sug gestion?" "Pray do" "It will help considerably If the wom en folk take It in turn to get into the beds or bunks. Then some of their linen could be dried at the stove. -1 will take charge of that part of the business If I may; otherwise some of them win die." Tbtglrir agreed that tUtvw cap ttaltde& Orastasw&tL'.ftBstalEa. In the first room she"I!rjaiJedf "Is Mrs. Vansittart here?" "Yes," said a sweet but rather queru lous voice. A lady who had already appropriated the lower bunk raised herself on an el bow.. The little apartment like every part of the building save the rooms reserved by Brand's directions, was packed al most to suffocation. This, if harmful hi one respect was beneficial in an other. The mere animal warmUl of so many human beings was grateful aft er the freezing effect of the gale on people literally soaked to the skin. The girl, not unmoved by curiosity, held the light so that it illumined Mrs. Vansittart A woman of forty, no mat ter how good looking and well pre served she may be, is in sorry plight under such conditions. Constance saw a beautiful face, deathly white and haggard, yet animated and clearly chiseled. The eyes were large and lus trous, the mouth firm, the nose and chin those of a Greek statue. Just now there were deep lines across the base of the high forehead. The thin lips, allied to a transient hawklike gleam in the prominent eyes, gave a momentary glimpse of a harsh, per haps cruel disposition. A charming smile promptly dispelled this fleeting impression. Instantly Constance was aware of having seen Mrs. Vansittart before. So vivid was the fanciful idea that she became tongue tied. "Do you want me?" asked the stran ger, with a new interest and still smil ing. Constance found herself wonder ing If the smile were not cultivated to hide that faintly caught suggestion of the bird of prey. But the question re stored her mental poise. "Only to say that Mr. Pyne" she began. ."Charlie is he saved?" Mrs. Vansittart certainly had the faculty of betraying intense interest The girl attributed the nervous start the quick color which tinged the white cheeks, to the natural anxiety of a wo man who stood in such approximate degree of kin to the young American. "Oh, yes," said the girl, with ready sympathy. "Don't you know that all of you owe your lives to his daring? He asked me to to say he was all right, and that he hoped you were not utterly collapsed." The addendum was a kindly one. No doubt Mr. Pyne had meant her to convey such a message. Mrs. Vansit tart, it was evident, had received a shock. Perhaps she was a timorous, shrinking woman, averse to the sudden stare of others. "I know nothing," she murmured. "It was all so horrible. O God, shall I ever forget that scene In the saloon? How the people fought They were not human. They were tigers, fierce tigers, with the howls and the baleful eyes of wild beasts." This outburst was as unexpected as her staccato question. Constance bent over her and placed a gentle hand on her forehead. "You must try to forget all that," she said soothingly. "Indeed, it must have been very terrible. It was dreadful enough for us, looking down at things through a mist of foam. For you But there! You are one of the few who escaped. That is everything. God has been very good to you!" She was stooping low and holding the lantern in her left hand. Suddenly Mrs. Vansittart's eyes gleamed again with that lambent light so oddly at variance with her smile. The slight flush of excitement yielded to a ghostly pallor. With surprising energy she caught the girl's arm. "Who are you?" she whispered. "Tell me, child, who are you?" "My father is the lighthouse keeper," said Constance. "I am here quite by chance. I" "But your name! What is your name?" "Constance Brand." "Brand did you say? And your father's name?" "Stephen Brand. Really Mrs. Yan sittart, you must try to compose your self. You are overwrought and" She was about to say "feverish." In deed, that was a mild word. The strange glare in Mrs. Vansittart's eyes amazed her. She shrank away, but only for an instant With a deep sigh, the lady sank back on the pillow and fainted. Constance was then frightened be yond question. She feared that the sei zure might be a serious one under the circumstances. To her great relief an other woman, who could not help over hearing the conversation and witness ing its sequel, came fb the rescue. "Don't be alarmed," she said. "Mrs. Vansittart Is very highly strung. She fainted in the saloon. She does not realize that Mr. Pyne not only saved her, but nearly every woman hare, when the door was broken open. Now, don't you worry, my dear. I will look after her. You have a great deal to do, I am sure." Constance realized that the advice was good. She could not attend to one and neglect many. Telling the women of the plan to dry their underclothing in sections, she ask ed them to help her by arranging mat ters so that their garments should be divided into lots. Then she went to the second bedroom and made the same suggestion. The case of the sufferers In the hospital required more drastic measures. The little girl she stripped with her own hands and clothed her in one of Brand's flannel 6hirts and a commandeered reefer jacket Two of Brand's spare suits and a couple of blankets enabled the two in jured women, who were able to walk, to get rid of their wet garments In the crowded room beneath, and the lockers of Jackson and Bates made It possible for the men who most needed attention to be made comfortable by the invalu able hospital orderly. Constance was kept busy flying up and .down to the. kitchen. whlfe SnM. bavtng met all immediate 'demanas "in the matter of a hot beverage and some thing to- eat supplemented her labors. Pyne worked like a Trojan. As each pile of sodden garments was delivered to him he squeezed out as much water as possible with his hands and then applied himself to the task of baking them dry. He did this, too, in a very efficient way, speedily converting the kitchen into a miniature Turkish bath. At the end of an hour he had succeeded so well that more than one-half of the females were supplied with tolerably dry and warm .underclothing. With their heavier garments of course noth ing could be done. Once, on the stairs, Enid detained Constance for a moment's chat ' "Mrs. Yansittart is odd," she said." Constance, so taken up was she with many errands, had forgotten the lady. "How thoughtless of me," she cried. "Is she better?" "Yes, but when I went in just now to give her her clothes she said to me, 'Are you the sister of the other of Constance Brand?' It was no time for explanations, so I just said 'Yes.' She gave me such a queor look and then smiled quite pleasantly, apologizing for troubling me." Constance laughed. "Perhaps she knew dad years ago," she said. "What do you think Mr. Pyne said about her?" ' "How can I tell? Did you speak of her to him?". "I told him she had fainted when you delivered his message. He said, 'Guess she can faint as easy as I can fall off a house.' Isn't he funny?" "I think he is splendid," said Con stance. The wreck was now wholly demolish ed. The first big wave of the retreat ing tide enveloped the lighthouse and smote it with thunderous malice; Screams came from the women's quar ters. "Go, Enid," said Constance. "Tell them they have nothing to fear. They must expect these things to happen for nearly two hours. Tell them what dad said. Twenty-five years, you know." Brave hearts! What infinite penetra tion inspired the man who first said, "Noblesse oblige !"N Constance looked In at the kitchen. Pyne loomed through a' fog of steam. "Pay no heed to these" she was in terrupted by another mighty thump and cataract roar "these blows of Thor's hammer," she cried. "Play me for an anvil," he returned. She descended to the depths to reas sure the men. Talking with shrill cheerfulness at each doorway was easy. It helped her to go down, down, feeling stone and iron trembling as every surge . was hurled many feet above her head. At last she stood on the lowest floor. Beneath her feet was naught but granite and iron bars. Here was solidity. How grateful to know of this firm base, rooted in tie very world. Her heart leaped to her mouth, but not with fear. She was proud of the lighthouse, strong in the knowledge of its majestic strength. Nevertheless in this place, the source of her own sense of security, she found uneasiness among the men. They were all sailors in this lowest habitable region. Their preconceived ideas had been rudely reversed. The ship, .the noble structure which defied the storm by yielding to its utmost fury, had for them no terrors. But the stark pillar which flinched from no assault be wildered them. It was impossible to believe that it could withstand the strain. Ha! " Listen to that The bat tering ram of ocean applied to a thin shaft of stone. Surely It must be pounded into fragments. Said one with indefinite bellow amid the black turmoil: "I can't stand this, mates." ."Ho. aj.oft. for me!" cried another. The Kind You Have Always in use for ovei 30 years, and f fT'&tCs&'Zi A Ilr.-esr All Counterfeits, Imitations and Just-as-good ' are but Experiments that trifle -with and endanger the health of Infants and Children Experience against Experiment hat is C Castoria is a harmless substitute for Castor Oil, Pare gorie, Drops and Soothing Syrups. It is Pleasant. It contains neither Opium, Morphine nor other Narcoti substance. Its age is its guarantee. It destroys Worms and allays Feverishness. It cures Diarrhoea and Wind Colic. It relieves Teething Troubles, cures Constipation and Flatulency. It assimilates the Food, regulates the Stomach and Bowels, giving healthy and natural sleep The Cuildreirs Panacea The Mother's Friend. GENUINE the s7 The Kind You Hp Always Bought In Use For Over 30 Years. aVe vput'' ie.. whispered. "Let's die with bur eyes open, any how," chimed In a third. But a light flashed In the rolling orbs of the man who was already on the stairs. Astounded, he drew back. Constance stood in their midst, a mere girl, radiant, smilingly unconcerned, addressing them in calm words broken : only by the fitful noises. . '. , "Sorry your quarters so very un ' pleasant. Only last a couple of hours. . Tventy-five years far worse gales. Want any more cocoa?" "Thank you kindly, miss, we're quite comfortable." This from the man who wished to die with his .eyes open. "Please, miss, may we smoke?" said ! he who couldn't stand it. Constance "hesitated. Blithely uncon scious tfiat a whiff of mutiny had swept through the storm tossed fold, , she pondered the problem. She saw no harm in it. "Yes," che said. "Smoke by all ! means. I will ask my father, and If It should be dangerous I will come back and let you know. In a few hours It will be daylight and if the sea falls he will come and open the door." By sheer inspiration she had uttered the formula destined to annihilate the necromantic bluster of the hammering waves. Open the door! So this pon derous racket was a mere tidal trick, a bogy, which "each passing minute would expose more thoroughly. "All right miss, an' Gawd bless yer!" growled one who had not spoken hith erto. There was a chorus of approval. Constance gave a little gulp. The cul tured and delicate lady lying In the bunk above had not spoken so. "Indeed," she gasped, "God has blessed some of us this night" Then she fled, further utterance fall ing her. Nearer the sky Brand tended the lamp and discussed matters with Chief Officer Emmett The sailor, with the terse directness of his class, told how the Chinook had made an excellent voyage from New York until she ran into bad weather about 400 miles west of the Lizard. "It seems to me," he said, "as If we dropped on to the track of that hurri cane after it had curved away to the norrard and that the blamed thing swooped down on us again when we were abreast of the Bishop light" Brand nodded. This surmise agreed with his own theory of the storm as indicated by the sea. Mr. Emmett held out a clinched fist with thumb jerked toward the reef. "I wouldn't breathe a word if he wasn't gone," he said, "but the old man was drivln her too hard. I' knew it and Hw ch!of knew It" jcpint. tb Continued on second page 3 for eA!M'vn 'vttt, "Bought, and which has been nas borne the signature of has been made under his per- rs ft osift tr fflonftivft von in this. ASTORIA TOR I A ALWAYS Signature of