Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1884-04-10
HOW PHGBE KEPT THELIGHT.
Harper's Young People.

row ESCAPES ATblI SulpWftcK ndU con-
WINGED him that it was desirable to
have something solid beneath his
feet and he had with considerable
diiliculty-for there had been suspic-
ions that Saul was not Steady
enough for a lighthouse keeper-ob-
tanned the position on Plum PUDDING
rock Phoebe was born there. and
her mother dying when she was very
small, had grown up there almost as
wild and unframed as the sea gulls
that built their nests in the crevices of
the rocks. Quite as unframed she
might have been if it had not been for
Aunt Huldah Maria, who lived on
Mouse Island. Mouse Island was on
ly half a mile from Plum Pudding.
Like the Plum-Padding, it was named
for its shape, but it required a greater
effort Of the imagination to see the
mouse than the pudding; it
looked more like the mouse made
with handkerchief than the genuine
animal But it had veritable mouse
tall a long narrow strip of land ex-
tendi ng outinto the water, and on
this strip most of the inhabitants
lived, the other part of the island be-
ing rocky and barren. Aunt Huldah
lived on the very tip of the mouse's
tail, in queer little house that was
made of the hull of an old ship-the
very ship of which her husband had
been mate when he started on his last
voyage. There was a school on
Mouse island for six months in the
year, and Phoebe went to it-some
times she could not 90 regularly
although it is very sad it must be told
because it was not always safe to
leave her father ia charge of the
lighthouse. He had been steady
ever since he assumed the position of
lighthouse keeper fifteen years before,
until the last year. Even after that
long period of successful resistance
his Old enemy, the love of drink, had
fallen upon him and conquered him.
Phoebe alone knew it.
Capt Saul, as everybody called
him, had always been in the habit of
going to Jim Bowliug's shop at Pc
donquit harbor, which was sort Of
sailors snug harbor," to smoke his
pipe and spin yarns with his old Gro
MES, but he never drank anything
there. And it was only within the
last year that he had brought any
thing home to drink Now he did it
often; indeed it was seldom he came
home without it, and all by himself
he would have a drinking bout
growing merry at first and singing
old sea songs and cracking jokes, and
poor little Phoebe, who did not know
the cause would think his mood was
delightful, and wish he would always
seem as happy; but soon he began TO
drink more heavily, and would pass
from the merry stage into the cross
and irritable one, and then become
stupid, sleepy, utterly helpless. And
besides her grief and humiliation was
constantly anxious lest her father
should lose his situation. They had
no money, and where in the wide
world could they fnd another home
if they had to leave the Plum Pud
ding.
This was the sorrow and that had
changed Phmbes face from a round
and rosy and dimpled little one so that
it was now pinched and wan, and had
a care worn look that was sad to see.
There were several men that wanted
Capt. Saul's position at the light house
and would be glad to report anything
that they could discover to injure
him. Every day Phoebe expected that
the blow would fall and they would be
obliged to leave their home. Aunt
Huldah Maria knew that something
was the matter at the light house, but
what it was she could not discover.
Phmbe's dead mother was her only
sister, and She had never approved OF
her marrying Capt. Saul She didnOt
like Capt. Saul, and Phoebe knew il
very well. Aunt Huldah Maria was
too busy with her household cares tC
60 often to the lighthouse, but she
watched aud questioned Phoebe very
narrowly whenever she had an op
portunity.
That child has an old head on hel
shoulders, and she would go t. the
stake to save her fatherw Aunt HUI
dab Maria declared. But there's
something wrong over to the Plum
Pudding, and it's my belief that be
lore the year is out Leander Judkin:
will get the place He's watching
saul as cat watches a mouse, and il
saul has taken to his old ways, la
sakes what can that child do to save
The place for him.
There was to be a great merry max
ing on Mouse island, Phmbe's oldest
cousin, Maria Cordilly was to marry
Jed Collins, who was soon 10 sail as
mate Of the Flying Scud, the finest
ship thatever hailed from Pondunquit
harbor. All the relatives rom fan
and near were to be there, to say moth
ing OF every body on Mouse island and
half Podunquit Harbor Aunt Hui
dan Maria's oven was full of goodie;
day and night for two weeks before
hand, and the fiddler from Podunquit
narbor was engaged Mouse island
mad never known such festlvlty be
lore. But when Phoebe said she
didn't think she should come; she
would rather stay at home and lei
her father come, there was terrible
cutlery All the children under u be
gan to scream as loud as their lung,
would allow. and Maria Cordlly said