dick hand did his best to compel torn lupton to get in the buoy, but could not. tom, who had muscles of iron, held back and at the same time gripped dick with a grip that meant business and thrust him forward, yelling against the side of his face: “skipper last! i’m skipper here ... all there is.... get in. wonderful work ... thanks....”

so dick got in and was hauled back to land. he made all haste to the house and got there to find mary vanton at the foot of the staircase, her boy beside her.

at the sight of him she lifted her eyes, and they showed some of their usual brilliance in the joy at seeing him standing safely before her. she made a gesture up[293] the stairs, took the key of her room from her pocket, and handed it to him.

dick went up, not knowing what he should find. he took a long look at the face of what had been guy vanton, left the room, quietly relocking the door, and came downstairs. without pausing for warmth or coffee he hurried out into the storm. he must be on hand when tommy landed.

he gained the top of the dune and looked seaward. it was still two hours or more to faintest daybreak. out of the blackness beyond the signal to haul away had been received. the men began hauling.

just what happened is a matter of conjecture. whether the whole ship dissolved in pieces all at once or whether the mainmast, weighted by the fallen mizzen carried away and fell, it can never matter. of a sudden the line bearing the buoy collapsed into the water. with shrieks, yells, prayers, and frantic effort the men of the crew, dick helping them, hauled away as for their lives—it was, most certainly, for one of their lives, the best, the worthiest. but the falling line had become entangled in floating wreckage; there was no light to see what had taken place; after a succession of mighty efforts the line snapped and they hauled inshore nothing but a frayed end of rope. tommy lupton, who had been keeper of the lone cove coast guard station, who had risked his life to save a few poor sailors, tommy, forever a boy, forever dreaming of doing some[294] act of bravery, simple, devoted, courageous tommy, had fulfilled his hope and gained his desire.

there is something priceless in the world. he possessed it.