Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1885-09-23
A LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER.

Saul Rundlett and his little daughter
Phoebe kept the Plum Pudding Light
house. Saul had been 81 sailor for half
his life, but two or three narrow es-
capes from shipwrecks had convinced
him that it was desirable to have
something solid under ones feet, and
he had with considerable difficulty
for there had been a suspicion that
Saul was not quite steady enough for
a lighthouse keeper-obtained the
position on Plum Pudding Rock.
Phoebe was born there and her
mother dying when she was very lit
tie, had grown up there almost as wild
and free as the sea gulls that built
their nests in the crevices OF the rocks.
She would have grown up utterly I'M
cultivated if it had not been for Aunt
Huldah, who resided on Mouse ISL
and
There was a school on Mouse Island
for half theyear and Phoebe went to it
sometimes; she couldn't go regularly,
because well, although it is very sad,
it must be told-because it was not
always safe to leave her father in
charge of the lighthouse. He had
been steady" ever since he assumed
the position of lighthouse keeper, fiji
teen years before, until the last year.
Even after that long period of success
ful resistance, his old enemy, the love
OF drink, had fallen upon him and con-
quered him. And nobody knew it but
Phoebe.
Capt. Saul, as everybody called him,
had always been in the habit of going
to Jim Bowling's shop at Pondun-
quit Harbor, which was sailors re
sort, to smoke his pipe and spin
yarns with his old cronies, but he new
er drank anything there. And it was
just within the last year that he had
brought anything home from the har-
Dor to drink. Now he did it often; in
deed, it was seldom he came home
without it, and all by himself he
would have a drinking bout, growing
merry at first, and singing his old sea
songs and cracking Jokes, and little
Phoebe, who did not know the cause,
thought him delightful, and wished he
would always seem as happy; but
soon he began to drink more heavily,
and would pass from the merry stage
into the cross one, and then become
stupid. sleepy, and helpless. And be-
sides her grief and humiliation, she
was constantly anxious lest her faith
er should lose his situation, They
had no money, and where in the world
would they find another home if they
had to leave the Plum Pudding!
This was the sorrow and care that
had changed Phobe's face from a
round, and rosy, and dimpled little
one, so that 1t was now pinched and
wan, and had careworn look that
was sad to see. There were several
men who wanted Capt. Saul's posi-
ton at the lighthouse, and would be
glad to report anything that they
could discover to iniure him. Every
day Phoebe expected that the blow
would fall, and they would be obliged
20 leave their home.
There was to be a great merry max
ing on Mouse Island. PhHbe's Oldest
cousin, Marie Cordilly, was to mar
ry Jed Collins, who was soon to sail
as mate of the Flying Scud, the finest
ship that ever hailed from Pondun-
quit. But when Phoebe said she didn't
think she could come; she would rath-
>er stay at home and let her fathe" go,
there was a terrible cutlery.
Aunt Huldah said Phoebe should
come or she'd know the reason, and
that was what Phoebe did not want
that Aunt Huldah should "know the
reason" So she said if she possibly
could she would come. She tried to
persuade her father not to go to Pom
dunQuit Harbor two or three days be-
fore the wedding, but on that very
day he had an errand that could not
be DELAYED, he said. He came back
only Just in time for Phoebe to get off
to be a. Aunt Huldah's as early
as she had promised. He seemed to
be very kind and afectionate, and
told her not to worry; he would take
care of the light, and kissed her, which
had become quite unusual, and said
it was sd great pity if the mate
couldn't 60 on lark when the cap
tain stayed behind to take care of the
ship" Healways called the lighthouse
a ship, and Phoebe had been the mate
ever since she was five years old.
Aunt Huldah Maria reloiced, even IN
the midst of her labors as hostess, at
Phmbe's bright face. Perhaps the
child had only been alittle overworked
or ailing, and there was not so much
trouble at the Plum Pudding as she
hadfancied. But even whilethe fiddler
was playing his most enhancing
strains, and the wedding cake was be-
ing passed in most generous slices,
Phoebe heard whisper that made her
heart stand still. David Judkin, the
son of the man VINO wanted her faith
'er's place, was talking to another
young man.
cit isn't such a very thick fog, and |
never saw a fog so thick you couldn't
see some sign of the Plum Pudding
light from Mouse Island; and if it can't
be seen tonight it isn't on account of