Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-08-29
Tht family Girtlf,
Nellie in the Light HOnSe,
By SUSAN ARCHER WEISS.

L By SUSAN ARCHER WEISS.
, On the lonely Carolina coast are man
small islands, interspersed with sand
shoals and rocky reefs, which render
4 dangerous for vessels that approach TO
= near. On this account lighthouses are e>
tabIishcd ut proper intervals, and it is abor
the jewellers in one of these that have
little story to tell.
The name of the keeper of this light
house was John LATHE. His wife wa
dead, and he lived there with his tw
children, and faithful and attached negr
couple, whom the children called MANN
Sylvie and Uncle Bristcr. Sylvie had bee
9 their nurse, and both she and her HUSBAND
loved them us though they had been thei
,, own
You may think lighthouse on u smal
lsIand-where ne one else lived exccp
two iishermen's familes-a lonely plac
for two children. Perhaps it was; bu
Jack and Nellie did not think so. In goor
weather they had splendid times on tn
beach. running up and down the firm
white sand, hiding amid the rough rock
that at low tide stood above the waters, O
picking up pretty shells, and bits of many
colored sea-weed, thrown up by thu
waves. Sometimes they played with th,
waves themselves, us mcrrIy us though
they had been living playmates. They
would go low down to the waters edge
and watch some swelling billow rs it came
rolling onward to the shore, and cry def
antly: Come on you can't catch usn
aud then, as the white foam-crest curlc,
lhreateningly over toward them, the,
would run up the beach, with the billoW
in full chase, until the foamy crest broke
about their bare little feet and went slid
ing back into the sea, to give place to an
other. Sometimes the bilow would over.
take them, and give them a thorough
drenching; but this only excited theil
mlrth. For sea water does not give chills
and colds, and it soon dries; and as theil
dress was coarse and simple, there YVES no
danger of that being hurt
One day, by some accident, the glass OF
the lighthouse was broken, and Mr.. Lat
tie found it necessary to 20 in his boat to
the mainland, in order to procure mater
ials for repairing it, The little town at
which he made these purchases was some
five OF six miles inland; and he might not
return until quite late
eff am not back before sunset, Bris-
ter" he said to his sable assistant, " be
sure to light the lamp in time. You know
1t will beas necessary to me as to others. -
lie said this because between the light
house and the shore were many danger
Gus rocks, some lying beneath the surface
of the water, and others above it, to run
upon which in the dark would break i
boat to pieces. But Mr. LATHE was famil-
iar with the channel, and he knew that
with the light for II guide he could steer
so us to avoid the rocks
Now, MIR. LATHE had not been lone conc
when there came to the lighthouse, in hot
haste Il lltlle ragged boy, begging that
Aunt Sylvie would come to his mother,
who had been taken suddenly and danger
ously Ill. There was no doctor on the is
land, and Sylyie was very clever as Il nurse.
So she FASTENED away with all speed to the
llsherman's wife, who lived quite II mile
distant, at the opposite extremity of the
lsland-IirSt however, telling the children
to be good and not stray away from the
lighthouse, and warning her "ole man "
10 take good care of them, well KNOWING.
mt the same time that such warning was
not necessary, for Uncle Brister wouId
have sacrificed his own life for the little
ones, whom he had helpe to carry in his
arms almost from the day of their birth
they were gentle and obedent children
though it had always been observed that
Nellie, who was only seven wears old.
possessed much more lirmncss aud Cccis
ION OF character than Jack, nearly two
years her senior. She was also more
generous; and am afraid that with all
her decision she gave up too much to her
brother, and helped to make him selfish |
For instance: if they We're sent to Jem
Longs for fish, generally it was Nellie
VINO carried the basket, while Jack anus |
ed himself with playing on the way: or.
if SyIvie made ginger, cakes or "pufls,''
and gave the two first baked to the chill.
dren, it was Jack who claimed the biggest
or the nicest-looking, and not unfreouent-
Iy got a taste OF Nellie's also.
The children played all this mornino
very happily together, building fort Of
loose rocks, like the great stone fort which
-hey could see in the distance, many miles
away. In the afternoon they went in.
toors, where they found Brster, standno
1t one of the windows. shading his ewes
with his hand and looking anxiously TO-
ward the West
DO you see the boat, Uncle Brister?n
inquired Jack, standing on tp-toe to look
mt WV ~ wv"
please de Lord, | wish | could dat,
answered the old man, more us if spenkino
o himself than to them. II don't like |
Ie looks o dat ere sky, and dere aint i
ever no good in dem switchy mares
ais" pointing to some long scattered f
louds which were moving rapidly M |
rom the West. "Ef l knows anything i {
ii, | knows we'se gwine to have a b
queelln'' spuain' storm. Please de Lord, d
lassa and Sylvie was safe home" S
The old mans prediction was correct. d
less than an hour the wind burst upon o
lem. the waves were dashed into foam. d
nd the storm roared around the light b
ouse in all its fury. The children, sitting II
the fire, listened to the roaring of the ft
md and the waves without, and felt the W
aIIs tremble with the force of the tenn e
est. Old Brister had gone about and "
AIDE all secure; and now, as it began to il
row dusk, he started up the winding h,
aircase, that led to the top of the tower, al
order TO light the lamp. As he crossed I'll
c room the children noticed that he of
nggered II little, and caught hold of the VI
'or-post TO steady himself Then he put re
5 hand to his forehead, and so stood sin af
and then began to ascend the w
'irs. An instant after there was a heavy
Il, and 10 their horror the children saw in
g old man lying at the foot of the stairs tn
otlonless and apparently dead. let
They started TO cry and rushed toward tn
II. He was not bleeding anywhere but
breathing was thick and heavy, and thu
ugh his eyes were open he did not an is
II 10 see them, or to know anything, tir
e truth was, the old man had had n tel
oke of apoplexy. tin
What shall we do? oh, what shall we lig
cried Nellie; bursting into an agony hol
tears. he