Show THE FICTION I CORNER THE HURRICANE CANDLE By EDWIN RUTT THE PHE HE landlord was very old He moved with slow tentative steps as if it afraid that his legs might buckle and collapse under the weight of ot his great creat shrunken body His hair was the color of ot bleached silver the backs of ot his hands were mottled and the veins stood out 4 starkly blue But his face tace had the somber dignity that the sea stamps upon those who toll follow ow her You couldn't discount this man because he was old He had presence Ji Hurlow and I were on our way toI to t Nars tt Banks for some fishing and andt I t the old inn had appealed to me We had a creditable dinner I cooked and served by a Portuguese woman a white Mr Hendrickson the landlord explained ex ex- get along without her She comes early and goes late We were the only guests Indeed I gathered that people staying the night there Utere were few and far be be- tween After dinner we sat in a low beamed beamed room that overlooked overlooked overlooked over over- looked the sea Far below we could hear the Atlantic snarling and ravIng rave raving ing at the foot of the bluff bluI Presently the old man got up and went out He returned shortly carrying carrying carrying car car- I a lighted candle Id I'd neverseen never neverseen seen een an arrangement Just like It be be- fore The candle was set In a candlestick but the flame Itself Itsell was protected protect d by a high chimney blown In the shape of ot a gigantic drinking glass The purpose of this was ob ob- The large chimney would protect the flame against being snuffed out by wind was Interested F H HURLOW that thaW that he asked You had to raise your voice when you spoke poke to Mr Hendrickson The old man set the candle In the window It cast a dull livid light That's a hurricane candle he explained They use em In the tropics My grandfather brought this one from the West Indies That was a long time ago now But why put it In the window Hurlow pursued For a moment the old man looked at al him blankly last I J Why he said at Urn Um dont don't know as I rightly know why Because It always has stood In that window at night I expect For four generations As long as weve we've owned this inn As long as theres there's been at sea And are there at sea now I ventured The old mans man's eyes lighted Theres one My son Tom Been J on- on boats since he was eighteen Same as me Same as my father and grandfather before me I didn't like to pry into his busi busi- ness But I was curious about this queer custom of ot burning the Ute candle How old would your son be now Mr Hendrickson I asked Fi y He reckoned on his fingers Lets see seel I was forty-eight forty when Tom y was was born That would make him him him- ten twenty twenty Toms Toms Tom's thirty-five thirty now If it hes he's a day He aint been home for seven years Something like a sigh sounded But hell he'll come The always come back Hell He'll take the Inn here when Im I'm gone Hell He'll marry and have sons And like as not hell he'll burn the candle for em when they grow up and go away to sea said inadequately Its a nice custom I Custom said the Ute old man Yes that's what it is A custom Always done it It And I expect well we'll I go on doing it Until we dont don't own 0 this old inn any more or maybe until all the are arc gone I dont don't know His voice trailed I dont don't know t f. f 4 t tr r r t r fi f fIr I Ir I th i. i a 1 D lY 1 r R i r t The old man was still in his chair chair but but his head bead seemed to have dropped further farther on one side Have you any other sons inquired Inquired inquired In in- Hurlow No No more sons and no daughters daughters daughters daugh daugh- at all Just the one Just Tom Outside the sea was banging the cliff with more force torce Ponderous smacking blows There was a whine I In the wind Its getting rough out there Hurlow said I looked at the old man He had fallen asleep in his chair Hes pretty ancient I said Hurlow was walking around This is an eerie place he said All at once the candle flickered That candles candle's getting low I re- re re re- marked Think we ought to wake him Why I 1 dont don't know But he mightn't want it t to go out Hurlow began exploring In a corner Hello be he said presently Aradio A Aradio Aradio radio Turn it on and you will wake him I saidI saidI saidI said I doubt it it Hurlow spun the Ute dials Low silky music stole into the room The old man never stirred The candle flame Wavered again Lets take that candle awa away from the window I said The Th e wind must be getting at It through eh h the chinks How can it with that glas glass s dingus said Hurlow Ah IAh ha heres here's a news commentator The news commentator came o on n crisply A strike in Minneapolis 1 I listened without much interest Suddenly Suddenly Sud denly unexpectedly the news commentators com corn voice rose higher Port of Spain Trinidad A violent via vio lent hurricane struck Trinidad this afternoon destroying property valued valued val at half hall a million dollars But s so far as can be learned only one lit life lite was lost and the man unfortunately unfortunately was an American Able Bodied Bod led Seaman Thomas Hendrickson was swept to his death denUl from th the e tanker Pocohontas when the gale gal struck Port of Spain harbor THE HE words seemed to crash lik like e strayed lightning into the room For a second we stared at one another another another an an- other in stunned silence Then The n Hurlow gasped Hendrickson an and d snapped off the radio I I wheeled around then The old man was still in his chair But his head seemed to have dropped further further further fur fur- ther on one side and be he had slumped down Suddenly Hurlow darted across I the room and took hold of ot his wrist But he straightened up presently and turned to me a puzzled half half- frightened expression on an his face wrong Jimmy he said I I 1 I cant can't find his pulse And he he-he he he isn't breathing I leaped to my feet but stopped before I could take a stride A queer gray shadow seemed to steal across the Ute room There was a faint flicker of light a faint taint hiss The candle guttered and went out |