Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-01-05
~ THE LIGHT HOUSE.
/ New Years >tOry.

II was the last day in the old year, and
yet il did not seem much like winter,
though the maple trees were bare and the
flowers all dead. The oaks were covered
thickly with leaves. True, when the wind
blew, il rustlcd through brown, dry foil
age, very different to the living tints of
months back but when You looked ut the
soft, muddy roads, OF the clear blue sky,
you scarcely realized that it WAS Just past
Christmas.
John Hudson, keeper of the lighthouse
at Fishing Point, was brushing his wealth
er-beatrn coat (unce black ; now almost
"saee-gra" and giving parting direc-
tons to- inhn Hudson, Jr.,-called Jack
by his ianiliars Now mind and don't
set the house On fire while am gone.
must fix that chimney when | get back,
or well BE- burnt oUt vet and don't take
to fooling with the oil-there isn't very
much of II left now. There's that cord
of wood in the yard. guess you had
better fill the wood-boXes, and pick up n
bit. / expect the inspector will be round
before long, and We want to have every
thing taut and trim when he comes. Get
your dinner when you're ready | may
be back in time, and | may not, with all
these errands to do in the village; but
any way, | shall be home tins afternoon.
Good-by, sonny, and he tramped briskly
away through the trees
"Stub Stub here, sir You must
stay home with me. Father don't want
You. There's rat surc's live. Sic it,
Stub S-s-s sic it ~
Now" said Jack, after an exciting
chase, in which boy and dog had howled
and barked most powerful duet, "now
Stub, we'll wash the breakfast dishes,
won't wc?'
Stub looked knowing assent. and sat
gravely on Il chair (Which he first knock
ed the cat Off while Jack washed and
dried the few dishes MS deit rs II girl. He
had lived here as long MS he could remem-
Der. His earliest recollection was look
ing at the bright reilt ctor upstairs, and
seeing III it II sweet, loving face, with ten
der blue eyes, near his own. The next
memory OF the face was in coffin, pale
and still, while his father held his hand
and, the minister from the village talked
in low, sad tone BIT this was years
ago. when Jack was (as he would inform
YOU "oniy a little fellow" Now. from
the digniiied age of ten years, lie felt
himself almost arrived at mans estate
His father was formerly sailor, but in
consequence Of losing some of his fingers
in the icy regions of the north, he had to
accept the position of lighthouse keeper
loving the sea too well to think for n
moment Of any work further inland
Such stories as he used to tell Jack in the
winter days, when they would be cut off
by snow drifts from the rest Of the world.
Such thrilling adventures delighted the
boys ears in the long, solitary evenings
81 4 ..l,,,
tremendous whale capsized boats crew,
and two men got drowned ; Of hemutiny
that once broke ont on the Fair Betsey,
and the sncaiing Italians who got put in
irons for starting 1t.
kind Of feeling after these stories, but the
morning light always drove away the
shadows, and he would vow 10 himself
never to allow such ridiculous stories to
trouble himagain.
"Stub, let's play Robinson Crusoe in
the yard, now the dishes are all washed ;
Jane Ito the cat, yon can come, too, ii
you want to, snid Jack, opening the
door. Stubb accepted the invitation for
himself and Jane by making a dart at her
as she lay blinking near the stove, and
rushing her ont of doors with scant cere-
mony.
"This shed here shall be the cave, and
I'll wear fathers fur cap and be Robin
son Crusoc. You eau he Friday. Stub
you nre black, and you don't know much
and Jane shall sit up here on the wood
pile and be the parrot Now. Friday,
you just stay there while 60 to get some
sticks for the wood-box = and Jack, max
ing his work into play, worked with n
will, while the waves romped and tossed
about on the shore like merry children,
and little gray cloud no bigger than O
mans baud, rose slowly in the north and
made another dash Of color in the bril-
liantshy.
"Why. | declare ii it amt going to
snow wish father would hurry up.
How quickly the clouds have come aud
they so heavy, too, ms if they were Just
bursting with the piles of nowilakes hid
away in them On my, won't it be jolly
soasting, though 1t has not been half
winter yet-no snow, except little that
melted right away, and none Of the ponds
were froze over. guess had better see