FOR THE CHILDREN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14208, 3 November 1909, Page 9

FOR THE CHILDREN.

THE LITTLE OUTCAST.

v BY 31. E. HEWARD. " The boat rose and fell lazily in the gentle swell of the waves and the boys lay at full length on the strip of sandy > beach like cats basking in the sunshine.. ~ Along the shore presently came a little •> girl, poorly but neatly dressed. As she ' passed the boys she bobbed a quaint little,' curtsey and wished them a pleasant "g00d!.!,, afternoon. . The elder boy raised his hat in answer, but the younger one stared - out to sea and ignored the greeting altogether ; the little girl coloured and her eyes filled with tears as she passed on. " Who is she, Victor, I don't remember * seeing her before.'-' VOh! a kid from the village.". ' JI "Why didn't you speak?"- A ' "Oh! wo never do, no one takes any notice of her, her people were an awfully. • bad lot; she's come here to .some distant r relations, but they are not over fond of ' her. ..;■■■■■ . . When they reached home they found tea _ ready and their three little sisters in-; a frantic state of excitement over a let- " ter from their parents, who - had been travelling abroad. „ "Your mother says your uncle met them at Southampton and will * bring ' them ->/ on in his yacht, so they will be there latei to-night, Miss Burton, the governess, in- '! : formed them. ; . ... . . .. .iv .'The. boys had nearly finished their' . work when the door burst open and. Maiappeared on the threshold. - << r- I!0y n S ' she-said in an awed tone, Jim Biggs has just come up from' the ; village • and he says Wenham, from ' the ' lighthouse you know,-has fallen down tha " cliffs and nearly killed himself; ' they've s?;: only just found him, and, it's, as dark as & | pitch, an' they can't get out to the light- " house to light the lamps." . . - . _" But v surely there were two men!!, there?,, asked Cuthbert, ."there usually:! are.' .. "Yes, but Giddons got fired out last week and the new man hasn't got in - yet. By Jupiter, it's a-go," and Victor drew in his lips for a whistle, but stopped * short. "I. say, uncle doesn't know the ,' ' . coast, and if there's •no light he won't *' see—" "Let's -go down to the ' beach i and see . what they're doing," lie said. V They snatched up their caps, "and shout-' ing their intentions to Miss Burton were - r off like a flash; 'Outside. the wind nearly'" • took . .them off. < their feet, and mingled L ' u • with its howling came the sullen thunder i! - of the sea.

"Hi, Ben!" cried Victor as well as lie •' could "above the" tumult. "What are'vou 4 • going; to do?" - ■ >y j "Don't rightly know, Master Victor," - the old salt answered. " The sea's too rough : to get a boat out there now. If we'd found' • ' it out afore we might ha' done something, bat it's too late." . "But our uncle's yacht is coming, with ' mother .and ;,father,bn':board.^||p|»^p|sg||||Q "Eh! but that's bad. Its blowin' up for a dirty night and it'll be rough enough out there on the reef with an off sea wind blowin. Tis to be hoped the 'skipper - knows what he's about.

b ■ " There's lights 1 out yonder," said a man I suddenly. • ; , v..V- ;> • " The yacht, I know, it's the yacht," ex- *J.; claimed Victor. "Can't you get to the • lighthouse anyhow, suppose she runs on the 7 reef : " "'Tain't possible''to get out, sir, with a" f 1 sea S like this. h She won't attempt /to • come-Wffe; in, I shouldn't think. Her skipper'll knowit's a dangerous bit." "Thy lights are changing colour," said Cuthbe suddenly; " what does that ■,!, ' mean?" .. : - ..: ; ; " She wants help, she can't stand against';the. gale, it's, drivin' her inshore.,' Ay, iif ,y /ft only tho - lighthouse could show her . she ■ - !. toight minage it." ££;:•;'• .v, ¥, :■■■ $jpjjg "Is there no one at: all at the light-V/ house?" %■ V;.-. I " Nary a soul." . ... , . . " And you can't possibly get out to it." ■ " No." V " . . Victor shut' his eyes;* he could hot bear , < to see the lights. . Was . she •to, be wrecked . ' and their parents drowned before their ; very ~ ' t eyes? A sudden, shout made him open them ; again. ' ... •/./." ■ -.''v',' v.>i'-' ,■' " Look Look! the lighthouse!" , And sure enough/ in the very nick of." time, the rays of the great arc lamp gleamed out across the pitchy darkness. .; . Yes, the .lamp was alight, and there was >: r .'= no one in the lighthouse.. Thank God! at last the way was clear, and cheer upon cheer rang lustily out, as the yacht made -her ~ { way carefully up to the little pier. ; , " " But why the,, dickens, didn't you light ; up sooner?" demanded the captain. ' " Well, sir, old .Wenham bein' as it were, disabled, we didn't find it out till too late , to- get out to the, lighthouse, so there . ain't *-* no one there." "Then who lighted the lamp at last?" y 4 ", - "No one, sir." * '->» "But; man, it's alight now." . -'• • "I know, sir; it- just lighted itself as we y stood awatching." • . ,'i "Fiddlesticks," said the , captain, ~." "Brown," turning to; his lieutenant, " have,, the ' boat ready Ihe first thing v to-morrow. s I'll go over and see for myself. There must have been someone there." . i With the first peep of day, Captain Fitz- , gerald was up and off to the beach, but the 'J boys saw him go and came racing after |T " V him.' ' "Do let us come too, uncle," they plead-' ed, and he gave a willing, assent. The 1 .,', boat was ready, " and ! the storm = having ; blown itself out, they were able to reach their destination with little difficulty. The ' ; ■ door was not fastened and Uncle Bob pushed it open. All was silent and deserted, •! and a weird feeling crept over the boys. Who had lighted- the lamp? After a short examination their uncle led the way up the narrow winding stairs, to the room at the top, in which the great light stood. No one was, about anywhere. "By jove, that's queer," muttered the captain to himself. " Hallo i" ■ , For there in the corner, curled up in a ,big pilot coat, fast asleep lay the little girl whose " people were such a bad lot." , >t " Hello, lassie," said the captain, gently, bending over her, "wake up." : A pair of brown eyes opened and looked V up at him wohderingly. " " Have you been here all night by your-. - 4 ' self, poor little soul?" -'V - ' " Yes, 'sir." " Who lighted the lamps?". - "I did, sir. Wenham didn't come back." "No, he's hurt, and couldn't but how came you here, and how did you manage?" " Wenham had often shown''me how to., do it, he was good to me.;. I often coma . here when they don't want, ma ashore," she - finished, with a.' shrinking look at the boys. L ..v ■'- 1 '"By jove!" said the captain,l'll tako cure the village hears of this."; - : £ ; VVv.He was as good as . liia - weird. - They, -~ carried her back to the shore in triumph. 1 ., .' . H And to f his credit, be it ; said, that when|s his uncle landed and * told ?, the! story Ito the ; '" assembled fishermen, .it wax . Victor himspJf || I