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THE
PILLAR of
LIGHT
(CONTINUKD.)
"1 atn belter," bIio explained; "quite
recovered. I wave up my bunk to one
who needed It."
"1 ttru sure wo are all doing our best
to help one another." volunteered Enid.
"Kut I am restless. The sight of
your sister aroused vague memories.
Do you mind I find it hard to explain
your name Is familiar. I knew some
people called Brand a Mr. Stephen
'tniuil and his wife."
She halted, seemingly at a loss. Enid,
striving helplessly to solve the reason
for this unexpected confidence, but
quite wishful to make the explanation
vasler. found herself interested.
"Yes," she said. "That Is quite pos
sible of course, though you must have
been quite a girl. Mrs. Brand died
manj years ago."
Mis Vanslttart flinched from the fee
ble rays of the lautern.
"That is so 1 think I heard of of
Sirs. Brand's death in London, I
fancy, but they had only one child."
Enid laughed.
"1 am a mere nobody," she said.
"Dad adopted me. I came here one
lay in June, nineteen years ago, and I
must have looked so forlorn that he
took me to his heart, thank God!"
Another solemn chord of the hymn
flouted up to them:
"Let all thy converse bo sincere,
Thy conscience as tho noonday clear."
The rest of the verse evaded them.
Probably a door was closed.
Mre. Vanslttart seemed to be greatly
perturbed. Enid, intent on the occupa
tion of the moment, believed their Ut
ile chat was ended. To round It off, so
to speak, she went on quickly:
"I imagine I am the most mysterious
person living In my early history, I
mean. Mr. Brand saw me floating to
ward this lighthouse In a deserted boat.
I was nearly dead. The people who
liad been with me were gone either
starved and thrown into the sea or
kuocked overboard during a collision,
iis the boat was badly damaged. My
linen was marked 'E. T.' That is' the
only definite fact I can tell you. All
the rest is guesswork. Evidently no
body cared to claim mo, and here I
41111."
Mrs. Vanslttart was leaning back in
the deep gloom, supporting herself
Against the door of the bedroom.
"What a romance!" she said faintly.
"A vague one, and this is no time to
gossip about It. Can I get you any--thing?"
Enid felt that she really must not
prolong their conversation, and the
other woman's exclamation threatened
further talk.
"No thank you. You'll excuse me, I
know. My natural interest"
But Enid, with a parting smile, was
halfway toward the next landing, and
Mrs. Vanslttart was free to re-enter
the wowded apartment where her fel
low hufferers were wondering when
they would see daylight again. She
did not stir. Tho darkness was intense,
the narrow passage drafty, and tho
column thrilled and quivered In an un
nerving manner. She heard the clang
of a door above and knew that Enid
bad gone into the second apartment
given over to tho women. Somewhere
higher up was the glaring light of
which she had a faint recollection,
though she was almost unconscious
-when unbound from the rope and car
ried into the service room.
And at that moment, not knowing It,
she had keen near to Stephen Braud,
anight hav spoken to him, looked Into
his face. What was he like? she won
lorcd. Had he aged greatly with tho
years? A lighthouse keeper! Of all
professions In this wide world how
came he to adopt that? And what ugly
trick was fate about to play her that
.she should be cast ashore on this deso
late rock where ho was In charge?
Could she avoid him? I Tad she been
Injudicious In betraying her knowledge
of the past? And how marvelous was
the likeness between Constance and
her father! The chivalrous, high mind
ed youth she had known camo back to
bor' through the mists of time. The
calm, proud eyes, the firm mouth, the
wide expanse of forehead woro his.
From her mother tho woman who
"died many years ago," when she, Mrs.
Vanslttart, was "quite a girl" tho girl
inherited tho clear profile, the wealth
of dark brown hair and a graco of
movement not often seen In English
women. Though her tooth chattered with tho
cold, Mrs. Vanslttart could not bring
herself to loavo tho vaultllko stairway.
Once moro tho hymn singers cheered
their hearts with words of praise. Evi
dently thoro was ono among them who
not caily know tho words, but could
load tlioni mightily In the tunos of
many old favorites. .
By
Louis Tracy,
Author of
"The
Wings
of the
Morning"
Copyright. 1004, by
Edward J. Clode
Tho opening of a door caused by tho
passing to and fro of some of the ship's
otllcers brought to her distracted ears
the concluding bars of a verse. When
the voices swelled forth again she
caught tho full refrain:
"nalso thine eyes to heaven
When thy splrltM quail,
"When, by tempests driven,
Heart and courage fall."
Such a message might well carry
good cheer to all who heard, yet Mrs.
Vanslttart listened as one In a trance
to whom tho dlvlnest promise was a
tiling unasked for and unrecognized.
After passing through the greater peril
of the reef In a state of supine con
sciousness, she was now moved to ex
treme activity by a more personal and
selllsh danger. There was she, a hu
man atom, to be destroyed or saved at
the idle whim of circumstance; hero,
with life and many things worth living
for restored to her safe keeping, she
saw imminent risk of a collapse with I
which the nebulous dangers of the
wreck were In no way comparable. It
would have len well for her could she
only realize tho promise of tin hymn.
"Our light atllictloii, which is but for a
moment, worketh for us a far more ex
ceeding and eternal weight of glory."
Not so ran Mrs. Vanslttart's Jumble
of thoughts. The plans, the schemes,
the bullded edifice of many years,
threatened to fall In ruin about her.
In such bitter mood there was no con
solation. She sought not to find spir
itual succor, but bewailed the catas
trophe wbicli bad befallen her.
It assuredly contributed to that "af
fliction wbicli is but for a moment"
that Constance Bhould happen Just
then to run up the stairs toward tho
hospital. Each flight was so contrived
that It curved across two-thirds of the
superficial area allotted to the stair
way. Any one ascending made a com
plete turn to the right about to reach
the door of tho room on any given
landing and the foot of the ladder to
the next.
Hence tho girl came unexpectedly
face to face with Mrs. Vanslttart. The
meeting startled her. This pale wom
an, so thinly clad In the demitollot of
evening wear on shipboard, should not
be standing there.
"Is anything wrong?" she cried, rais
ing her lantern just ns Enid did when
she encountered the sailors.
"No, no," said tho other, passing a
nervous baud over her face. Con
stance, with alert intelligence, fancied
she dreaded recognition.
"Then why are you standing here?
It Is so cold. You will surely make
yourself ill."
"I was wondering If I might see Mr.
Brand," came tho desperate answer,
the words bubbling forth with unre
strained vehemence.
"See my father?" repeated the girl.
She took thought for an instant. The
lighthouse keeper would not bo able
to leave the lamp for nearly three
hours. When dawn came she knew lie
would have many things to attend to
signals to tho Land's End, tho arrange
nient of supplies, wbicli he had al
ready mentioned to her, and a host of
other matters. Four o'clock In the
morning was an unconventional hour
for tin interview, but time Itself was
topsy turvy under the conditions prev
alent on the Gulf Bock.
"I will ask him," she went on hur
riedly, with an uncomfortable feeling
that Mrs. Vanslttart resented her Ju
dicial pause.
"Thank you."
To tho girl's ears tho courteous ac
knowledgment convoyed an odd note
of menace. If the eyes are the win
dows of tho soul surely tho voice is Its
subtle gauge. The more transparently
simple, clean minded tho hearer, the
more accurate Is the resonant Impres
slon. Constance found herself vaguely
perplexed by two jostling abstractions.
If they took shape It was In mute ques
tioning. Why was Mrs. Vanslttart so
anxious to revive or, It might be, probe
long burled memories, and why did her
mobile smile seem to vein a hostile In
tent? Unt the fresh, gracious maidenhood
In her cast aside these unwonted
studies In mind reading.
"IIo has so much to do." she ex
plained. "Although there are many of
us on the rock tonight ho has never
been so utterly alone. Won't you wait
Insldo until I return?"
"Not unless I am In the way," plead
ed the other. "I was choking In there.
Tho' nlr hero, tho spaco, aro so grate
ful." So Constance passed her. Mrs. Van
Elttnrt noted tho dainty mauner in
which sho picked up her skirts to
mount tho stairs. She caught a glimpse
of tho tailor made gown, striped silk
uu.Jorsiilrtt welj fitting, low heeled,
VTHAT Package Is Air Tkht
Cheap, ordi
nary coffee, both
bulk and package,
loses most of its
goodness before it
reaches your kitchen
because it is not prop
erly protected against
the elements.
and aroma. That is
fragrance. If you
The
Rooster
on the fence
identifies the
'package.
Look for
it.
wide welted expensive "boots. Trust a
women to see all these tilings at a
glance, with even the shifting glimmer
of a storm proof lantern to aid the
quick appraisement.
As the girl went out of her sight a
reminiscence came to her.
"No wonder I was startled," she com
muned. "That sailor's coat she wears (
helps the resemblance. Probably It Is
her father's."
Then the loud silence of the light
house appalled her. Tho singing had
ceased or was shut off by a closed I
door. One might as well bo In a tomb J
as surrounded by this tangible dark- (
ness. The tremulous granite, so cold
and hard, yet alive In Its own grim
strength, the murmuring commotion of
wind and waves swelling and dying in
ghostlike echoes, suggested a grave, a
vault close sealed from the outer
world, though pulsating with the far
away existence of heedless multitudes.
Thus, brooding In the gloom, a tor
tured soul without form and void, sho
awaited the return of her messenger.
Constance, after looking in at the hos
pital, wont on to tho service room. I lor
father was not there. She glanced up
to the trimming stage, expecting to see
him attending to the lamp. No. He
had gone. Somewhat bewildered, for
sho was almost certain he was not In
any of the lower apartments, she climb
ed to tho little door in the glass frame.
Ah! There he was on the landward
side of the gallery. What was the mat
ter now? Surely thoro was not an
other vessel in distress. However, be
ing relieved from any dubiety as to bis
whereabouts, she went back to tho
service room and gave herself tho lux
ury of n moment's rest. Oh, how tired
she was! Not until sho sat down did
she realize what it meant to live as sho
had lived and to do all that sho had
done during tho past four hours.
Her respite was of short duration.
Brand, bis oilskins gleaming with wet,
camo in.
"Hello, sweetheart! What's up
now?" he cried In such cheerful voice
that she knew all was well,
"That was exactly what I was going
, to ask you," she said.
j "Tho Falcon Is out there," ho replied,
i with a side flod toward Mount's bay.
Constance knew that the Falcon was
a sturdy steam trawler, a bulldog little
ship, built to face anything In tho
shape of gales.
"They can do nothing, of course," sho
commented.
"No. 1 stood between them and tho
light for a second, and they evidently
understood that I was on tho lookout,
as a lantern dipped several times,
which I Interpreted as meaning that
thoy will return at daybreak. Now
thoy are off to Penzance again."
"They turned safely then?"
"Shipped a sea or two, no doubt, Tho
wind is dropping, but tho sea Is run
ning mountains high."
He had taken off his oilskins. Con
stance suddenly felt a strong disincli
nation to rise. Being a strong willed
young person, sho sprang up Instantly.
"I came to ask you If you can see
Mrs. Vanslttart," she said.
"Mrs. Vanslttart!" ho cried, with a
genulno surprise that thrilled her with
a pleasure she assuredly could not ac
count for.
"Yos. She asked If she might have a
word with you."
IIo throw his hands up in comic de
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spair.
"Toll the good lady I am up to my
eyes In work. Tho oil is .running low.
I must hie me to the pump nt once. I
have my Journal to fill. If there is no
sun 1 cannot heliograph, and I have a
host of signals to look up and got
ready. And a word In your ear, Connie,
dear. Wo will bo at home' on the rock
for the next forty-eight hours. Glvo
the lady my very deep regrets and ask
her to allow me to send for her when I
have a minute to spare some hours
bonce."
She kissed him.
"You dear old thing." she crlod. "You
will tiro yourself to death, I am sure."
He caught her by the chin.
"Mark my words," ho laughed. "You
will feel this night In your bones Ion
ger than I. By the way, no matter who ,
goes hungry, don't prepare any ureaic
fast until 1 come to you. I suppose tho
kitchen Is your headquarters?"
"Yes, though Enid has had far moro
of Mr. l'yne's company. Sho Is cook,
you know."
"Is Pyno there too?"
"Ho is laundry maid, drying clothes."
"I think I shall like him," mused
Itrand. "He seems to be u helpful sort
of youngster. That reminds me. Tell
him to report himself to Mr. Emmett
as my assistant If ho cares for the
post, that Is."
lie did not see tho ready spirit of
mischief that danced In her eyes. Sho
pictured Mr. Pyne "fixing tilings" with
Mr. Emmett "mighty quick."
When she reached the llrst bedroom
floor Mrs. Vanslttart had gone.
"I thought It would be strange If sho
stood long in tills draft," mused Con
Btance. She opened the door. Tho lady
sho sought was leaning disconsolate
against a wall.
"My father" sho began.
"I fear I was thoughtless," Interrupt
ed Mrs. Vanslttart. "IIo must be great
ly occupied. Of course I can see him
In the morning before the vessel comes.
They will send a ship soon to take us
off?"'
"At the earliest possible moment,"
was the glad answer. "Indeed, dad
lias Just been signaling to a tug which
will return at daybreak."
There was a Joyous chorus from tho
other Inmates. Constance had not tho
requisite hardihood to tell thorn how
they misconstrued her words.
As sho quitted them sho admitted to
herself that Mrs. Vanslttart, though
disturbing In some of her moods, was
really very considerate. It never oc
curred to her that her now acquaint
ance might have suddenly discovered
tho exceeding wisdom of a proverb
concerning boeoud thought.
Indeed, Mrs. Vanslttart now bitterly
regretted the Impulse which led her to
betray any knowledge of Stephen
Brand or his daughter. Of all the fol
lies of a wayward life, that was Im
measurably the greatest in Mrs. Van
slttart's critical scale.
Hut what would you? It Is not often
given to a woman of nerves, a woman
of volatile nature, a shallow worldling,
yet versed in the deepest wiles of In
trigue, to bo shipwrecked, to bo pluck
ed from a living hell, to bo swung
through a hurricane to tho secure In
security of a dark and hollow pillar
standing on a Calvary of storm tossed
waves, nud then, while her senses
swam In utmost bewilderment, to bo
producing
Defiance Coffee
we first satisfy
ourselves that the
' coffee is absolutely
right in every re
spect and then use
every precaution to
keep it right.
Defiance Brand.
In Gold
ffi
every
confronted with a living ghosT.'
Yet that was precisely what had
happened to her.
Fate is grievous at times. Tills ha
ven of refuge wAs a place of torture.
Mrs. Vanslttart broke down and wept
In her distress.
CHAPTER X.
PRIMROSE light In the east
heralded a chilly dawn. Tho
little world of tho Gulf Rock
bestirred Itself In Its damp
misery at the news. The frcsli watch,
delighted by the prospect of activity,
clattered up and down the Iron stairs,
opened all available windows, un
damped tho door when Brnnd gave tho
order and busied Itself exceedingly
with the desultory Jobs which offered
to so many willing hands.
It was now by the nautical almanac
dead low water on tho reef, but the
strong southwesterly wind, hurling a
heavy sea completely over the rocks,
showed that tho standards of war and
peace differ as greatly In tho matter of
tides as In most other respects.
As the light Increased it lost Its llrst
warm tinge. Steel gray were sky and
water, somber the Iron bound land,
while tho whereabouts of the sun bo
catno a scientific abstraction. There
fore the heliograph was useless, and
Brand, helped by some of the sailors,
commenced to flaunt his flag signals to
tho watching telescopes on tho faroff
promontory of tho Land's End. The
Falcon, strong hearted trawler, was
plunging toward the rock when tho
lirst lino of gay bunting swung clear
Into tho breeze. And what u messago
it was In Its Jerky phrases Its pro
found uncertainties for communica
tion by flag code Is slow work, and
Brand left much to an easier system of
talk with the approaching steamer.
Chinook New York to Southampton
ntruck roof during hurricane propeller
shaft broken "S survlvora In lighthouse
captain, 101 passengers, olllcera and crow
lost with ship.
Tho awful significance of tho words
sank into the hearts of the signalers.
For tho llrst time the disaster from
l which, by God's providence, thoy had
emerged safely became crystallized in
to sot speech. Seventy-eight living out
of 'JSO who might have lived! This was
the curt intelligence which leaped tho
waves to fly over tho length and
breadth 'of tho land, which sped back
to the States to replace tho expected
uows or a safe voyage, which thrilled
tho civilized world as it had not beou
thrilled for many a day.
Not a soul In tho lighthouse gavo
thought to this side of tho affair. All
woro anxious to reassure their loved
ones, but In their present moribund
condition they could not realize tho
electric effect of the incident on tho
wider world which read and had heart.
to fool.
Even while Stephen Brand was sig
naling to tho Falcon with little white
flags quickly extemporized as soon as
sho uea rod tho Trinity buoy, news
paper correspondents ashore woro busy
nt the telegraph olllco and tholr asso
ciates on tho trawler woro eagerly
transcribing tho llghthouso keeper'
words wherewith to food to fover heat
tho sensation which tho night bad pro
vided for tho day.
Brand, foreseeing tho importance of
in ii -..! i. i
(Coutlnuod on page 0.)
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