Show FICTION coom TEC THE HURRICANE CANDLE by EDWIN RUTT HE landlord was very old he L moved with slow tentative steps i if afraid that his legs might ickle and collapse under the eight of his great shrunken body s hair was the color of bleached iver lver the backs of his hands were e bottled and the veins stood out arkly blue but his face had the imber dignity that the sea stamps on n those who follow her you julan t discount this man because was old he had presence hurlow and I 1 were on our way to adsett banks tor for some fishing and ie old inn had a appealed to me we had a creditable dinner aked and served by a portuguese oman she s a white Porty gee mr endrickson the landlord ex lamed couldn coulden t get along without r she comes early and goes te we were the only guests indeed gathered that people staying the there were few and tar far be een after dinner we sat in a low amed room that over aked the sea far below we could ar the atlantic snarling and g at the foot of the bluff presently the old man got up and ent out he returned shortly car ing a lighted candle I 1 d never en an arrangement just like it be re the candle was set in a ind nd lestick but the flame itself was by a high chi chimney niney blown the shape of a gigantic drinking ass the purpose of this was ob ous the large chimney would the flame against being buffed out by wind was interested what s that he asked you d to raise your voice when you oke to mr hendrickson the old man set the candle in the aindow it cast a dull livid light that s a hurricane candle he they use em in the ipacs my grandfather brought Is one from the west indies that as is a long time ago now but why put it in the window alow pursued for a moment the old man looked him blankly why he said at last urn um I 1 n t know as I 1 rightly know why cause it always has stood in that adow at night I 1 expect for four ae rations lons As long as we ve ned ed this inn As long as there s en Hendrick sons at sea and are there Hendrick sons at a now I 1 ventured the he old mans man s eyes lighted here ere s one my son tom been boats since he was eighteen ne me as me same as my father d i grandfather before me I 1 didn dian t like to pry into his bus busl ss is but I 1 was curious about this set custom of burning the candle how old would your son be now r hendrickson I 1 asked he ie reckoned on his fingers let s el I 1 was forty eight when tom as born bom that would make him ten twenty tom s thirty five now it if he s a day he am t been home for seven years something like a sigh sounded but he 11 come the Hendrick sons always come back hell he 11 take the inn here when I 1 in gone hell he 11 marry and have sons and like as not hell he burn the candle for em when they grow up and go away to sea it s a nice custom I 1 said made custom said the old man yes that s what it is A custom always done it and I 1 expect we 11 R go on doing it until we don t own this old inn any more or maybe until all the Hendrick sons are gone I 1 don t know his voice trailed I 1 don t know V the old man was still in his dropped further on one side have you any other sons in quiren hurlow no no more sons and afo no daugh at all just the one just tom outside the sea was banging the cliff with more force ponderous smacking blows there was a whine in the wind it s getting rough out there hurlow said I 1 looked at the old man he had fallen asleep in his chair he s pretty ancient I 1 said hurlow was walking around this is an eerie place he said all ali at once the candle flickered that candle s getting low I 1 re marked think we ought to wake him himl why I 1 don t know but he lightn t want it to go out hurlow began exploring in a comer corner hello he said presently A radio turn it on and you will wake him I 1 said I 1 doubt it hurlow spun the dials low silky music stole toto into the room the old man never stir the candle flame wavered agam again lets let s take that candle away from the window I 1 said the wind must be getting at it through the chinks how can it with that gl gliss iss dingus said hurlow ah ali ha here s a news commentator the news commentator came on crisply A strike in minneapolis I 1 listened without much interest sud denly unexpectedly the news corn coin menta tors voice rose higher port of spam trinidad A vio lent hurricane struck trinidad this afternoon destroying property val lied at half a mill on dollars but so far as can be learned only one life was lost and the man bately was an american able bod led seaman thomas hendrickson was swept to his death from the tanker pocohontas when the gale struck port of spam spain harbor phe HE words seemed to crash like strayed rayed lightning into the room for a second we stared at one an other in stunned silence then hurlow gasped hendrickson and snapped off the radio lair but his head seemed to have I 1 wheeled around then the old man was still in his chair but his head seemed to have dropped fur ther on one side and he had slumped down suddenly hurlow darted across the room and took hold of his wrist but he straightened up presently and turned to me a puzzled halt half frightened expression on his face something Some things s wrong jimmy he said I 1 I 1 can t find his pulse and he he isn t breathing I 1 leaped to my feet but stopped before I 1 could take a stride A queer gray shadow seemed to steal across the room there was a taint faint flicker of light a faint hiss the hurricane hur rican candle guttered and went out |