Show FICTION TION COWER CORNER THE HURRICANE rf CANDLE by RUTT nutt landlord was very old he arhe THE A moved with slow tentative steps as if afraid that his legs might buckle and collapse under the weight 0 of his 9 great reat shrunken body his hair was the color of bleached silver the backs of his hands were Inott mottled led and the veins stood out starkly blue but his face had the somber bomber dignity that the sea stamps upon those who follow her you discount this man because he was old he had presence hurlow and I 1 were on our way to barsett banks f for or some fishing and the old inn had bad appe appealed aled to me we had a creditable dinner cooked and served by a portuguese woman ashes a white Porty goc gee mr hendrickson the landlord jand lord exi get along without her she comes early and goes late I 1 we were the only guests gue ats indeed I 1 gathered that people staying the night there were few and far between after dinner we sat in a low beamed room that overlooked the sea far below we could hear the atlantic snarling and raving at the foot of the bluff presently the old man got up and went out he returned shortly carrying a lighted candle id never teen seen an arrangement just like it before the candle was set in a candlestick but the flame itself was protected by a high chimney blown I 1 in n the shape of a gigantic drinking glass the purpose of this was ob alous the large chimney would protect the flame against being h 1 muffed out by wind was interested H that he asked you had to raise your voice e when you spoke to mr hendrickson the old man set the candle in the window it cast a dull livid light a hurricane candle he explained they use ern cm 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 11 hurlow pursued for a moment the old man looked tt at him blankly why he said at last um I 1 dont know as I 1 rightly know why because it always has stood in that window at night I 1 expect for tour four generations As long as weve owned this inn As long as theres been Hendrick sons at sea and are there Hendrick sons at tea sea now I 1 ventured n the old jold maws mans eyes lighted theres one my son tom been on boats since he was eighteen same bame as me same as my father tad and grandfather before me I 1 like to pry into his business but I 1 was curious about this queer custom of burning the candle how old would your son be now rr mr hendrickson I 1 asked ile he reckoned on his fingers lets lee J I 1 was forty eight when tom kwas as born that would make him ten twenty toms thirty five now if hes a day he aint been home lor for seven years something I 1 like ike a sigh sounded but hell come the Hendrick sons always come com e back hell take the inn here when im gone hell marry and have sons and like as not hell burn the candle tor for lem cm when they grow up and go away to sea its a nice custom I 1 said inadequately qua tely custom said the old man yes what it Is A custom always always done it and I 1 expect well go on doing it until we dont own this old inn any more or maybe until all the Hendrick sons are gone I 1 dont know his voice trailed 1 I dont know the old man was still I 1 in his dropped further farther on one side have you any other sons inquired hurlow no no more sons and no daughters 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 its getting rough out there hurlow said I 1 looked at the old man he had fallen asleep in his chair hes pretty ancient I 1 said hurlow was walking around this is an eerie place he said all at once the candle flickered that candles getting low I 1 remarked think we ought to wake him why 1 I dont know but he want it to go out hurlow began exploring in a corner hello he said presently A radio turn it on and you will wake him I 1 said 1 I doubt it it hurlow spun the dials low silky music stole into the room the old man never stirred the candle flame wavered again lets take that candle away fr from orn the window I 1 said the wind must be getting at it through the chinks how can it with that glass dingus said hurlow ah ha heres a news commentator the news commentator came on crisply A strike in minneapolis I 1 listened without much interest suddenly unexpectedly the news commentators menta tors voice rose higher port of spain trinidad A violent hurricane struck trinidad this afternoon destroying property valued at hatt half a million dollars but so far as can be learned only one life was lost and the man unfortunately was an american able bodied seaman thomas hendrickson was swept to his death from the tanker pocohontas when the gale struck port of spain harbor THE T HE words seemed to crash uke like strayed lightning into the room for a second we stared at one another in stunned silence then hurlow gasped hendrickson and snapped off the radio v V 30 lair but his head seemed to have I 1 wheeled around then the old man was still in his chair but his head bead seemed to have dropped fur ther on one side and he be had slumped down suddenly hurlow darted across the room and took hold of his wrist but he be straightened up presently and turned to me a puzzled hall half frightened expression on his face Some things wrong jimmy 0 he said 1 I I 1 cant find his pulse and bhe b he he 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 taint faint hiss the hur hurricane rican candle guttered and went out ut |