Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 320 — page 3: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

the crew of the ship. to destroy. eS ** Come on, brave shin, to your fate, and God engaged as beacon-tender opposite the channel, e would have been in utter dismay that night of os instead of dread that all might not go we ’ The Sea Sorceress. have mercy upon all who perish, excepting those two, for whom I make many suffer. ‘**See! my fires burn up grandly, and Elmore | believes that they mark the course through the He had taken the old man to the cliff, near | reefs and islands which he is to steer; but little the Haunted Fort, and to the entrance to a ravine, where the two beacon-fires were to be He had told him the signals that the vessel must give before he should light them, and then had taken him to a fisherman’s cot that over- hung the waters, and which was to be his home. Stores in plenty had been sent to the cot from the mansion, and pine-knots bad been placed upon the spots selected for the beacons, with nothing to do but to light them. Several days had the old man been on duty, fishing and sleeping by day to pass away time, and watching a greater portion of the night. a the looked-for ship had not hove in sight. hen the storms which sweep along that coast in the autumn set in, and the lone watcher in the cot kept constantly on the alert. At last he spied a vessel late one afternoon, and he knew she must be the long looked-for craft, for she was certainly not a war-ship, as his practiced eye at once told him. earer and nearer the vessel came, and as she was now headed for the point where the channel was, there could be no doubt but that it was the expected bearer of Lieutenant Elmore and his wife. With her coming the storm began to increase in fury, as though to make her passage through the dangerous channel more difficult, and the old man smiled quietly as he noticed 40, “Blow, you good winds, toss, you reckless sea ‘waves, for you bavs work to do this night, “It is too tiresome waiting for my revenge through long years, so you strike together, and the man who killed my child, and the woman who lured him from her, will go down together in your depths, **Innocent ones must suffer with the guilty, but that has been the way of the world from its beginning, and I will bear their lives on my conscience to punish Elmore and his bride.” The shadows now began to deepen, while the winds howled more furiously through the snes, and the roar of the surf became almost eafening. Watching the ship attentively the beacon- tender saw now that there was no doubt as to _her being the looked-for ship, as she was head- ing. directly for the channel entrance, urning upon her a glass which he carried hung over one shoulder, he muttered; *¢ It cannot be other than the craft. **Ha! ha! now my work will soon be done, and you, my poor Nora, will be avenged.” Night had now fallen, but off upon the sea the lights of the vessel could be seeh, Then a burst of flame came from her bows and soon after there followed the deep boom of a gun, the same that told Judge Elmore that his son was off-shore and about to venture in through the dangerous channel. + Instantly the beacon-tender whirled a lantern ha ree times around bis head, forming a circle of e. It was a signal, and on board the vessel came apn answer with a red lantern. ** Bravo! it is the signal, Now for the next test,” and the lantern was whirled twice about his head. ra Again came an answer, this time with a ren lantern, and three times it made a circle n the air from the ship’s deck, “Ha! ha! ha! the signals are correct, and now to light the beacons,” cried the old man, - Instantly he darted along the ridge until he came to a rocky point, and here he paused, In a sheltered nook was a pile of fat-pine knots, and to these he quickly touched the flame Of his lantern. Instantly there flared up a bright blaze in the intense blackness of night, and a lucid pathway was cast off over the dark waters, to be greeted by a cheer from the ship’s crew, and their voices were borne upon the wind to the ears of the old man as he hastened on to another point. Here was another pile of pine fagots in a sheltered corner of rocks, and these were kin- _ aed, as bad been the others, With this second pathway of light flaming across the waters another cheer was heard from _“ Ay, cheer on, my gallant fellows, but you to your doom, little believing that these two you deem beacons of safety are lurid lights does he dream that they lead him directly upon Graveyard Reef and Wreckers’ Island. ** If chance should cause bim to miss the one, the other he can never avoid. ‘‘ Hal ba! now [ will stand here by this pile of fagots, which Judge Elmore told me to light, and await the end.” So saying the old man took his stand by the ile of fagots on te cliff near the Haunted ort, and which if he had lighted instead of the false beacon, would have guided the vessel safely through her dangers, if under the guid- ance of skillful bands, Out over the black waters flamed the two false fires, and trusting in them the noble craft came flying on while every heart on board beat high with hope. CHAPTER IV, A STRANGE SCENE IN THE HAUNTED FORT. ‘ THERE she comes, hastening to her doom, ‘‘God forgive me for making the innocent suffer; but perish who may, I must destroy Elmore and his bride, ‘*TIa! ha! see how bravely her pilot rushes on, trusting in this bright firelight! ‘‘ No! by Heavens! she changes her course! ok just as the breakers foamed beneath her ow. ‘* But she is too far in to extricate herself now; but it was a quick eye that detected those reefs ahead, and a bold, strong hand that put her about, ‘Ha! she luffs up from the Wreck Reef! ay, and rounds Lizard Point—now if she changes her course dead before the gale, I will know that she has a pilot on board whom my false beaccns cannot deceive even in the blackness and storm of this night. ‘¢Heaven have mercy! she has a pilot at her helm, for now sbe heads for the cliff through the channel in the reefs. ‘* Now she passes safely through, and heads for the island channel, the man at her helm dis- regarding utterly my lights and steering as he should for safety. ** He passes the islands, ay, and puts his helm hard down to run for the river haven. ‘* He has saved the vessel, and cheated me of my revenge, ‘In God’s mame who can he be? “ There is but one living being that I know of upon this coast who could do what yonder pilot has done, and he—no! no! no! it cannot be that he is on board that vessel, **Great God! should he be, and my act have sent him to his death!” As though appalled at the thought the old man covered bis face with bis hands, and thus stood for an instant. Then he said quickly: ‘1 must be off, for when they tell the story of the false beacons [ will be hunted down.” Away he darted through the darkness, and yet made no false step as he burried along the ridge in the direction of the Haunted Fort, Reaching the cavern entrance to the old ruin hé entered it without hesitation, and soon after a light glenmed in one of the cave chambers in the rear of the for ress. The roar of the waves and the howling of the winds still were beard within, but unheeding them, the old man seated himself at a rude table and buried his head in his hands, The cavern-ehamber was large, and the walls were evenly hewn, . In one corner stood a rustic cot with neat bed- clothing upon it, and an open chest near by confalned wearing apparel that had a feminine ook, A table, a chair, bench, a few cooking utensils upon a hearth, for a chimney was built up there to the roof, and a shelf upon which were dishes and provisions completed the furnishing of the dismal retreat, for dismal it was in spite of the ruddy glow of the lamp. For along time the old seaman rested with his face in his hands; so long in fact, that one would have deemed him asleep. But suddenly he started, for a slight sound was beard in the court of the fortress, which the wind and waves had not made, Again it was beard, and the old seaman sprung to feet, his eyes bent in seeming horror upon the exit from the cavern, which led out into an arched tunnelway opening upon the interior court of the fortress Before this tunnel were the graves of the murdered garrison, and to gain the inner cav- . “i ; 1“ Ses s y > ™ y it ae lbs =% vali “ye ft ‘Tes ‘ ~* P . a “si 1 ae A Phas eae) ay Wy >. - . ax ern, one had to pass in among the liftle mounds that marked the last resting-place of those why had so mysteriously lost their lives. ‘‘Tt is a human step,” said the seaman in 4 hushed tone, and he gazed toward the cavern exit. Along the tunnelway came the sound, and then into the rock chamber stepped a slender form. lt wasa boy, or rather youth of perhaps fifteen, with a well-knit figure, broad shoulders, upright form, and a face that was frank, fearless and full of intelligence and conscious power. {t was a handsome, striking face, seldom seen in one of his years, He was dressed in duck pants, a jacket of blue cloth, and a tarpaulin sbaded his dark curls, ‘* Ah! who have we here?” cried the youth, placing his hand upon a knife in bis belt and stepping toward the old seaman, who stretched forth his arms and said in thrilling tones: ‘*Oh, Ned, my son! my son!” ** Mother! other! can this be you?—and in that dress! the dress of a man!” cried the youth in amazement, Instantly the tarpaulin was taken from the bead, and a mass of white hair fell over the shoulders, while a false beard was jerked off the face, and a woman stood revealed, A woman with a dark, stern face, piercing black eyes, and the look of one who had become old before her time. Traces of beauty yet rested upon every fea- ture: but the beauty of the past had been marred by the traces of sorrow and trouble which later years had left there. Her form was graceful and slender, and she seemed to shrink from being seen by her son in mau’s garb, ‘Yes, Ned, my noble boy, I am your mother, though you see me in a disguise [ meant not that you should know that I had put on,” and she stepped once more toward him, as though to embrace him, but he said with strange stern- ness for one so young: ‘* Mother, [ landed but a short while ago from a noble vessel, and learned that ange lmore had engaged an old reaman to attend to light- ing the beacon fires upon the coast. ‘That man lighted false beacons, to lure her to ruin and death, and men came bere to find the one who had betrayed his trust, ‘The beacon-tender they could not find, for he bad suddenly and mysteriously eel 3 ‘¢ Now I came on bere, where I knew I would find you, as you dared not live in your cottage, and I find you in the disguise of an old seaman, with white hair, a gray beard and sailor suit, just as the false beacon-lighter was described to e. ‘‘Oh mother! what does this mean?” He stood before her, drawn up to his full hight, his face stern, yet sad, and gazing upon her with a look from which she seemed to shrink. Twice she attempted to speak before she found utterance for the words: ‘** Ned, my son, I am the guilty one, **1 lighted the false beacons.” CHAPTER V. SAILOR BOY NED, ‘‘Mother! you lighted those false beacons?* said the youth in a low, earnest tone, *“*1 did, Ned,” was the firm reply. “To lure that noble vessel to destruction?” 6 Yes. ” ‘To cause her crew and passengers to perish, mother?’ 4c Yes,” ‘‘Oh, mother! what can have tempted you te commit sucb a crime?” “* Revenge |” She fairly hissed the word, **Revenge? Ah! I remember, Elmore was on board. ‘* Yes, and his wife.” ‘* And you sought their lives?” ‘*) did, for he murdered your sister Nora.” ** But what had his young and innocent bride done?” ‘She tured him from Nora,” ‘No, mother, for the lieutenant was engaged when he met Nora. ** My sister saved his vessel from destruction, by piloting it into the river haven, and Lieuten- ant Elmore became her acknowledged lover. ‘* He gave her up and married another, and or Nora took her own life by springing from his old ruin into the sea. ‘For her life [ hold him as guilty, and one day I shall keep my oath, mother, and hold him to account for his erime. Lieutenant ; P vv ( P ‘: ‘ = * a a aS ae. Jaw ~ | yt, chook: ~ +» 4 => », Sa »* i . Ay "de ‘ “we ‘ - ee’, »..Ccom