Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1905 to 1906Montgomery, L. M. (Lucy Maud)
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Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1905 to 1906
Montgomery, L. M. (Lucy Maud)
Short stories, Canadian
She could not leave Uncle George, who was raving wildly, and yet it
was necessary to obtain assistance somehow. Suddenly she remembered
the distress signal. She must hoist it. How fortunate that Uncle
George had once shown her how!
Ten minutes later there was a commotion over at Harbour Head where the
signal was promptly observed, and very soon--although it seemed long
enough to Mary Margaret--a boat came sailing over to the Big Dipper.
When the men landed they were met by a very white-faced little girl
who gasped out a rather disjointed story of a light that hadn't been
lighted and an uncle with a broken leg and a sister tied in her chair,
and would they please see to Uncle George at once, for she must go
straight over to the other Dipper?
One of the men rowed her over, but before they were halfway there
another boat went sailing across the harbour, and Mary Margaret saw a
woman and two men land from it and hurry up to the house.
That is Mother and Uncle Martin, but who can the other man be?
wondered Mary Margaret.
When she reached the cottage her mother and Uncle Martin were reading
her note, and Nellie, just untied from the chair where she had been
found fast asleep, was in the arms of a great, big, brown, bewhiskered
man. Mary Margaret just gave one look at the man. Then she flew across
the room with a cry of delight.
"Father!"
For ten minutes not one intelligible word was said, what with
laughing and crying and kissing. Mary Margaret was the first to
recover herself and say briskly, "Now, _do_ explain, somebody. Tell me
how it all happened."
"Martin and I got back to Harbour Head too late last night to cross
over," said her mother. "It would have been madness to try to cross in
the storm, although I was nearly wild thinking of you two children.
It's well I didn't know the whole truth or I'd have been simply
frantic. We stayed at the Head all night, and first thing this morning
came your father."
"We came in last night," said Captain Campbell, "and it was pitch
dark, not a light to be seen and beginning to snow. We didn't know
where we were and I was terribly worried, when all at once the Big
Dipper light I'd been looking for so vainly flashed out, and
everything was all right in a moment. But, Mary Margaret, if that
light hadn't appeared, we'd never have got in past the reefs. You've
saved your father's ship and all the lives in her, my brave little
girl."
"Oh!" Mary Margaret drew a long breath and her eyes were starry with
tears of happiness. "Oh, I'm so thankful I went over. And I _had_ to
tie Nellie in her chair, Mother, there was no other way. Uncle George
broke his leg and is very sick this morning, and there's no breakfast
ready for anyone and the fire black out ... but that doesn't matter
when Father is safe ... and oh, I'm so tired!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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