The Red Cloud chief., 1883-06-08
THE BAR LIGHTHOUSE.

Government had for several wears
been sadly neElecting a job If mendIng
III the case uf the BAR Lighthouse
hridgc. Here and there boards had be-
gun {" spring suspiciou-ly beneath un-
MARI Footsteps; then the wind had i've
gun T. tear them of. and the rain To- rot
and molder them down. What Wa
every mans business Wa uob-dSs. and
~ individual Wa disposed to Interfere
!, with tine province If that abstract mil
lionairr. the United States Government.
To bc SURE. the keeper of the Bar Light.
jackson Reed. who Wa naturally morr
solicitors concerning the holding out of
the structure than any one els. had
WILDLY and frUitlc~slv patched some of
the worst places. oil and on. after n
hard .--northca>ter.~ when he awoke
mnrr keeniy To- the eNi-cncies of the
ca~e. and the hopeless dilajorincS, Of
HI, taSk-maSt-r. Iiut IL had amounted
u very little. Long nrglect had made
something more than mere patching
necessary. Now the quartcT-mIis bridge
leading Ia the BAR Lighthouse. If not
IN m absolutely unsafe c ndiiion, WIS
not calculated Ia inspire any degree of
confidence in the u -cuStomed cro>~ar
at least. IL VAS not quite 80 bad ai low
tide. or ON a mild. still day. There
Wa ~; - much la fear then beyond \
little fall and a ducking; that l.. IL one
cleared On 81 those ragged apertures
successfully. But on a dark night,
with the winds bowling over IL. and the
ocean laundering beneath il. il wac the
snr1 If a bridge that only a d.>rmbodied
- -.,.fA - -,,-.l - &c. .rssL
any dcwrvr of uonchalance.
The irht-hou~c i'>elf was only mn or
binary dwclling-h"u>c. strongly built.
with a tower for the light. IL stood on
a massive pile of rocks. with It'll. tufts
OF coarse vcgvtat on in the cleffs. Jack
son Reed. who had m unfortunate love
and longing for a garden spot, fad ac-
iuallk wheeled enough earth over from
tn mainland for 4 little patch = few
vari> SQUARE. and when h. was not n
gagged in 4 fruille~s struggle with the
broken hridg he was engaged IN . fruit
less >truE-i with his garden. Apotter-
inc old man WIS jackson Reed. lacking
in n.ryoGS force and quickue>s Of intel
lect, iut he had never let the light 90
Out. andthe only thing that is abs luiely
required II a liCht-hoIi>e kerpyr is 10
keep the light burning for the sailors
who steer hy 4.
til" wonder was that his wife Sarah
should have teen HE wife. she Mas q
person not 81 n different mold merely.
but If al iIercnt kind: not Of adificrent
species. bat a different genus. Nervous
and alert. what her husband accepted in
patient lenCe she received with shrill
-. -. H.
husband patched the bridge. crawling
over its loag rcach on his old knees;
she rallied. a. she watched him. IT the
nerles It Government He uncuu-
pla niugly brushed the sand frum his
little. puny. struggling plants. and she
st her tim face against the wind that
cast IL there.
In both. the religious element or cas-;
Of mind Was -ssraayiy predominant. but
jackson Reed simply looked out on
Nature and into his own soul. and took
In - plain inconirosertihle facts the
broken fridge. the tossing sea. his little
sind-~wepi. sand-s,rewn Caraen-patch.
and God in Heaven. Neither proved
the other ar nullified the other: they
were simply there. But Sarah Reed,
locking out on the frail. unsafe bridge
which connected them with the MAIN
land. and the mighty. senseAcss e
which had swallowed up her father and
a brother whom she had idolized and
the poor little tender green things trying
10 live under her window. had seen in
them 81 MANI dumb cenials Of either
Gods love and mercy or HIS existence.
She MAS a rheumatic old woman now.
almost helpless. in fact. unable TO step
without the help of her husband. And
she sat. day in and dsy cut, Al M Of
the sea-windows Of her sitting-room.
knitting. and holding her defiant old
heart pssisten;ly against the pricks.
The minister n, Rive. q jealous Young
man. with an innocrnt confidence IN his
powers of holy argument. hsd VISITED
her repeatedly. with the view of impruy-
ing her state of mind She had joined
the church over which he presided. in
her youth: indeed. il Was the church
nearest to the lighthouse. and that Was
three miles distant The minister had
heard from one of his parishioners, Who
was a connection of hers. that Ms Reed
had lost her faith. and straightway he
WAS fired with holy ardor to do some
thing for her spiritual benefit But wen
his tonguey confidence and ingenuous-
ness could CLEAN bat little satisfaction
from MS interviews with the rheumatic
and un~iselieving old woman
No. Mr.. Pendleton. she used to say.
shaking a thin rheumatic hand. with An
impressiveness which her hearer might
have copied advantageously in the pull
Dit. III amt no use You kin talk
about seem with the spirit . q o