Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1877-06-28
MELVIN THEEIGHT-HOUSE
BY SUSAN ARCHER WEISS.

On the lonaly Carolina coast are
many small islands, interspersed
with sandy shoals and rocky reefs,
which render it dangerous for vessels
that approach too near. On this ac-
count lighthouses are established at
proper intervals, and it is about the
dwellers of one Of these that l have
little story to tell.
The name OF the keeper of this
lighthouse was John LATHE. His
wife was dead, and he lived there
with his two children, and faithful
and attached negro couple, whom the
children called Nanny Sllyie and
Uncle Brister. Silvie had been their
nurse, and both she and her husband
loved them as though they had been
their own.
You may think light house on a
small island-where no one else lived
except two fishermen's families-a
lonely place tor two children. Per-
haps it was; but Jack and Nelly did
not think so. In good weather they
had splendid times on the beach, run
ming up and pown the firm white
sand, hiding amid the rough rocks
that at low tide stood above the wa
ter, or picking up pretty shells, and
bits of many.colored sea-weed thrown
up by the waves. Sometimes they
played with the waves themselves, as
merrily as though they had been liv-
ing playmates. They would go low
down to the waters edge, and watch
some swelling billow as it came roll
ing onward to the shore, and cry de-
family "Come on! you can't catch
us :" and then, as the white foam
cres: curled threateningly over toward
them, they would run up the beach,
with the billow in full chase. until the
foamy crest broke about their bare
little feet, and went gently sliding
back into the sea, to give place to
another. Sometimes the billow would
oyertake them, end give them thor
ough drenching; but this only excited
their mirth. For sea.water does not
give chills end colds,an it soon dries;
and as their dress was coarse and
simple, there was no danger of that
being hurt.
One day, by some accident, the
glass of the lighthouse was broken,
and Mr.. LATHE found it necessary to
90 in his boat to the mainland, in or
der to procure materials for repairing
it. The little town at which he made
these purchases was FIVE or six miles
inland and he might not return until
quite late.
"If / am not back before sunset,
Brister, "said he to his sable assistant,
"be sure to light the lamp in time.
You know it will be as necessary to
me as to others
He said this because between the
lighthouse and the shore were many
dangerous rocks, some lying beneath
the surface of the water, and others
above it, to run upon which in the
dark would break boat to pieces.
But Mr.. Latte was familiar with the
channel, and he knew that with the
light for a guide he could steer so as
to avoid the rocks.
Now, Mr.. Latte had not been long
gone when there came TO the light
house, in hot haste, a little ragged
boy, begging that Aunt Silvie would
come to his mother, who had been
taken suddenly and dangerously i'll.
There was no doctor on the island, and
Silyie was very clever as a nurse. So
she fastened away with all speed to
the fsherman's wife, who lived quite
mile distant, at the opposite extrem-
ity of the island-frst, however, tell
ing the children to be good and not
stray away from the lighthouse, and
warning her "ole man. to take good
care of them, we'll knowing, at the
same time, that such warning was not
necessary, for Uncle Brister would
have sacrificed his own life for the
little ones, whom he had helped to
carry in his arms almost from the day
of their birth. They were gentle and
obedient children, though it had al
ways been observed that Nelly, who
was only seven years old, possessed