Rilla of the Lighthouse

entered the room. The tea kettle was singing cheerily on t

one boot, "what in tarnation have you got stowed away in that cave o' yourn that you're so plumb interested

is suspicions would indeed have been aroused. When she did turn with the black iron spider to put upon the stove, she was greatly r

is thoughts into other channels, "was th

e ejaculation that the new channel into which

I sure sartin was plaguey glad yo'd stayed anchored here on Windy Island. I don't want yo' to run afoul of any city folks-gals neither-with hifalutin' notions; they're all a parcel o'--" The old man's s

est his "gal" took in the despised city folks, and he beamed across the table at her as he continued: "Sho now, Rilly, here's some news on a d

he said, but her thought was inquired: "How can that city

o would be passing that evening on their homeward way from

s knee and telling her wonderful tales of fairy folk who lived on that far away and dearly loved Emerald Isle where his boyhood had been spent. Never had the girl

er here," old Cap'n Barney would end, wi

f ye need me." Rilla, with rapidly beating heart, stood in the open door and watched her grand-dad as he slowly descended the steep stairs leading to the little whar

mself, to be doing something of which her grand-dad would disapprove, a

rmly to one end of a long rope. Going to the edge of

ing up. He waved his cap in greeting and the

eaning over as far as she could with safety she called: "Like's not you

concerning some other manner of reach

he ate with a relish the homely fare which the basket contained. He had not realized that he was ravenously hungry. When th

s constantly on the alert for the possible approach of Rilla's grandfather. "What an old ogre he must be," t

the keeper of the light that he wished to be taken to town, but the "storm maiden" had seemed so truly distressed at the mere thought

lhouse when she heard her grandfather's voic

basket of food to the cave, she questioned. But, since he was still on the lower shore farthest from the cliff, this w

tarnation lot o' tears in this ol' net. Have you ti

man would not have believed it possible for his "gal" to have been secretive, and yet, during the three hours that followed while these two sat on low stools mending the many tears in the net, Cap'n Ezra glanced often across at the girl, who, with bent head and flushed cheeks, was working industriously. Never before had he known his "gal" to be so silent. Usually her happy chatter was constant

ng long across the shimmering waters and toward the town. When he spoke there was almost a wistful note in his voice. "Barney's been tellin' me that I'm not doin' right by yo', Rilly gal," the old

y rebuked him, "how can yo' be askin' that? Didn't I promise I'd never be leavin' yo'? I don't want to go. I'd be skeered

in the arms of the old man, lifting ey

in' of all this, lest 'twas that Barney said that gals had a natural hankerin' for young folks, an' I s'pose maybe they

he girl implored. "Yo're goin' to live as lon

e," he said, "trying to sink a ship afore it strikes a shoal, se

hatter as was her wont, the old man often found his thoughts wandering.

ot found another opportunity to slip away to take food to him and y

ly for her grand-dad, and for the father who never came, but also fo

and-dad and tell him all that had happened and that never, just never