Witches Cove

fine haze. The distant harbor lights of Portland, eight of them, gleaming faintly in pairs

ing, yet no sound came from her oarlocks. Oars and oarlocks were padded. She l

rk-eyed Betty Bronson, a city girl from the heart of Ameri

come a little mystery that day. At this very moment, as Ruth rested on her muffled oar, there

them on shore in the hold of a

d been on board her a dozen times and thou

they say, an island in Casco Bay for every day in the year. Each island has its summer colony. These summer folks like an open fire to sit b

e to time to have her seams calked. They beached her at high tide. Low

Betty, along with other girls and boys of the island, swarmed

ld of so ancient a ship, Ruth had led Betty into the very heart of the schooner and had

Come out'

foreign

il they had seen a surprising thing. They had seen three bolts of bright, red cloth in that

d said a few moments later a

obably only red calico, a prese

ee b

ives with seven childre

something strange about those bolts of cloth, and the

caught the creak of oarlocks. The schooner had got off the beach with the tide. Sh

int whisper as the sound of rowing grew lou

sland, p

nothing o

d the old fort. No one livi

terious," B

Black Gull, then we'

er that had lain at anchor in the harbor mon

of canvas, high wages and demand for speed, had

ke bare arms toward heaven, her keel moving with the tide yet

, she seemed to speak of other days, of the glory of Maine's s

e deck, with wind singing in the rigging and setting the s

along the larboard side, about the stern and half way down the starboard side, when of a

came from the bow of the boat.

uth, reversing her strokes and b

e water. "I'm over here! So

a moment she did not move. Something had taken

s of the boat and was calling for help. The next moment, drenched wit

er the chi-chin," she chatter

d Ruth. "Let's s

nt about and alongside. Then, with

ow queer! There's no one staying out here. There n

" said Betty.

. You'll catch yo

eginning to chatter again, "to take o

he painter. "Guess it's safe enoug

e-jackets, hand over hand. Another moment on deck and Betty was doing a wild whi

y girl as she struggled to get back i

s well explore. There's a cabin forward-the Capta

With the aid of two matches Ruth examined its flue, and with a third she lighted the fire

at ten o'clock at night!" Bett

. "That ladder wasn't left there

While you are drying out I'll play I'm

on't t

disappeared through the door. "It isn't s

lost to all sense of impending danger, she walke

han are the fisher-folk's daughters of the coast of Main

th a megaphone at her lips shouting commands to nimble seamen who swarmed aloft. Sails fl

ancient man-o'-war. An enemy's sloop threatened her harbor. With bold daring she set

cied, half real, is a cutter,

rk-faced pirates with cutlasses in their teeth and pistols at their belts. Not an island on the bay but ha

nths. Dark craft, plying the waters, were supposed to be smugglers' boats. A bomb

loth in the beached schooner's hold, and of

Then, "Probably nothing

ladder. What a hiding place for smuggled goods, this dese

pulse gave a sudden leap. There was a fire laid in the cabin. The la

re in the dark. Turning, she started toward the cab

hip, a light flared up. The sight that struck he

en effort she shook herself into action to go tip-toeing down

hes! There's something terrible going to