er to the window and closed it with a bang. When she
came back she found Grace sitting up in bed and staring at her.

"For goodness sake, what's happening?" asked the latter sleepily: "Is it
the end of the world?"

"Search me," returned Betty, inelegantly. She had to almost scream to
make herself heard above the noise of the storm. Furthermore, her feet
were wet and her nightgown was wet, which did not serve to lift her
spirits. In fact, she was feeling decidedly grumpy. "The only thing I do
know," she shouted, "is that I'm nearly drowned."

"Don't you know that getting drowned at night is strictly forbidden?"
Grace began severely, but was promptly smothered by an avenging pillow.
"Why don't you get in bed?" she asked, when she had succeeded in
disentangling herself. Betty was sitting disconsolately on the dry side
of the bed, which happened to be that occupied by Grace.

"If you want to know, just feel the covers," Betty answered. "Next time
I'm going to make you sleep on the side near the window. Think I'll go
in and see if Mollie and Amy are drowned yet," she added, starting for
the door. "Goodness, but this is a heavy storm!"

However, when she started to close the window in the next room she
noticed to her surprise that the rain had slackened, had almost stopped.
But not so the wind. If anything, it had increased in fury.

She was about to turn back and tiptoe out of the room, hoping that she
had not roused the girls, when her eye was caught and held by a vivid
flash of red somewhere out to sea.

Startled, she stood stock still, staring out in the direction from which
that light had come. It seemed weird, eery--that lonesome light sending
its signal out into the storm-whipped darkness. For that it was a
signal, she did not for a minute doubt.

Then it came again--green this time--a light that shot up rocketlike
toward the sky, then, bursting, dived to instant annihilation in the
turbulant water.

Another followed, and another, and then the truth came home to Betty.
Somewhere out there In that foaming sea a ship had met with disaster,
perhaps at this moment was sinking and her crew, were sending out
desperate appeals for aid.

For a moment she felt almost sick with pity and excitement. Then she
controlled herself and ran over to wake the girls.

"Mollie! Amy!" she cried, her voice shrill even above the shrieking of
the wind. "Wake up, wake up! Oh, why don't you wake up?" as the girls
opened sleep-laden