Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1870-07-08

with the gale, the architect who built the
| lighthouse had SO thoroughly done his
work, the elements might shake but could
not destroy it. .ss. ~ =
| The faithless person was the oil con-
| tractor, or the government agent who had
employed him. Whichever was the guilty
party, a previously mean thing had they
done. 80 y +.
There were two kinds of oil used at the
| lighthouse, called the summer strained
and the winter strained oil, and the for
mer CONCEALED so readily, that 1T would
not burn at all in that exposed place when
| the cold reached a certain intensity. e.
Now, the contractor had placed some
extra hogsheads of the cheap summer
strained oil in this years allowance, max
| ing the supply of the better kind so short
| that Mr.. Malcolm had been at his wits
| end to make it last through the severe
weather And the last drop had been ex-
hausted before this storm came on, since
| it was very late in the season. '' 80 :
| Still, late as it was (the month OF March
| had comm enced J, there had been great
showers of snow and rain, and now that
these had ceased; the thermometer rap
| idly fell until the cold was as severe as that
Of any winter night, and the oil had cons
gealed Seven of the sixteen lamps were
already out, and the others were burning
very dimly,, when 81 Robbie . climbed
through the trap door into the lantern.
| But one thing could be done, and that
was to heat some oil in a kettle over, the
| fire, and then refill the lamps with it one
| by one and all this in the bitter cold
night, with so many weary stairs to coup
and down between the top of the tower
and the stove in the little kitchen,-the
two helpless ones still to be tenderly cared
for. baor Ts'nza1 eag sslau..s as-as ~ ssyt
Those were terrible hours for that lone
ly little boy, but through them all his
brave young spirit watched and toiled
with unceasing devotion. laef 3-.s .-a.
All night long, fed by one childish
hand, some light still streamed over that
raging ocean to tell where the tower, yet
stood and every extinguished lamp those
numb little fingers set once again bright
and burning in its I place was
like prayer sent up to Heaven to save
those in the lighthouse, even as they had
tried to save those on the sea. No doubt
something of that great calm and peace
which comes, from c the consciousness of
having done ones best came, even in his
grief and trouble, to the little lighthouses
boy.
The morning dawned at last over the
wild ocean waste, and on the top of the
tower that had SO often and often shone
to save the stormstossed mariner poor
Robbie hoisted his little flag Of distress. g
do not know exactly how many hours
it was before help reached him. or how
long time passed ere that poor father
and mother were strong and well again,
n INfl ~ IL
faith and courage of their little boy !; and
am very glad to say that the govern
ment SO lar appreciated the conduct Of
this noble lad as to provide for his educa-
tion until he should become of age.
Il sincerely hope no, more summer
strained oil, that must be boiled at mid
night to make it burn. has been sent to
worry those who have lighthouse lamps to
tend, whether they are grown-up men or
brave little boys like Robbie Malcolm. -
Our Young Folks. --------