The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-03-20
IL

tllat IL Is Just past Christmas.
John Hudson, keeper of the lighthouse
at Fishing Point, was brushing his
weather beaten coat (once black, now
almost "sage-green"), and giving part
ing directions to John Hudson, Junior
called ''Jack" by his familiars. tsNow
mind and don't set the house on fire
while I am gone. l must fix chat chin
ney when I get back, or we'll be burn
ed out yet; and don't take to fooling
with the oil-there isn't very much of it
leftnow. There's that cord of wood in the
yaad I guess you had better fill the wood
boxes, and pick up a bit. I expect the
inspector will be round before long,
and we want to have everything taut
and trim when he comes. Get your
dinner when you're ready; I may be
back in time, and Imay not, with all
these errands to do in the village; but
anyhow, I shall be home in the after
noon. 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 a rat, sure's I live! Sick
it, Stub! S-s-s-sick It'll"
"Now," said Jack, after an exciting
chase, in which boy and dog had howled
and barked q most powerful duet,
"now, Stub, we'll wash the breakfast
disles-won't we?"
Stub looked q knowing assent, and
sat grayely on a chair (Which he first
Knocked the cat off while Jack wash
ed and dried the few dishes deft as a
girl. He had lived here as long as he
could remember. His earliest recol-
lection was looking at the bright relec.
tor up stairs, and seeing in it q sweet
loving face, with tender blue eyes, near
his own. His next memory of the face
was in q coffin, pale and still, while his
father held his hand, and the minister
from the village talked in q low, sad
tone. But this was years ago, when
Jack was (as he would inform you) con
ly a little fellow" Now from his dig
nified age of 10 years he felt himself ar
rived at mans estate. His father was
formerly o sailor, but in consequence
of losing one of his fingers in the
icy regions of tho north he had
to accept the position of light
house keeper-loving the sea too we'll
to think for q moment of any work fur
Their 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 thrill
ling adventures delighted the boys ears
in the long solitary evenings. Stories
of the time in Labrador, when o tre-
mendous whale seized boats crew, and
two men got drowned; of the mutiny
that once broke out on the Fair Betsey.
and the ~sneaking Indian who got put in
irons for starting it.
Jack would go to bed with Creepy
kind of feeling after these stories, but
the morning light always drove away
the shadows, and he would VOW to him
self never to let such ridiculous stories
frighten him again. "Stub, let's play
Robinson Crusoe in the yard, now that
the dishes are oil washed; Jane Ito the
cat,) you can come, too, if you want"
said Jack, opening the door. Stub ac-
cepted the invitation for himself and
Jane by making a dart ut her as she
lay blinking near the stove, and rushing
her out of doors with scant ceremony.
This shedhere shall be the cave, and
III wear fathers fur cap and be Robin
son Crusoe. You can be Friday, Stub.
You are black, and you don't know
much; and Jane shall sit here on the
woodple and be the parrot. Now, Fri
day, you just stay there while I 90 to
get some sticks for the wood box" and
Jack, making his work into play, work
ed with q will, while the waves romped
and tossed about on the shore like mer-
ry children, ind a little gray cloud, no
bigger than a mans hand, rose slowly
in the north, and made another dash Of
color i'll the brilliant sky.
"Why, l declare, if it amt going to
snow! I wish father would hurry up.
How quickly the clouds have come
and they look heavy, too, as ii they
were just bursting with the piles Of
now flakes hid away in them. NY!
won't it be jolly coasting, thought It
hasn't been half a winter yet-no snow,
except a little that melted right away,
and none of the ponds frozen over. I
guess l had better see if my sled's
all right; and away Jack ran
on this hollow pretense-this delight
full piece of selfdelusion about the con
dition of the "Artful Dodger," for had
he not examined it daily for the past
two months and longed impatiently for
a chance to use it? "My! there's q
snowflake, as sure's the world; and
there's another--swarms of 'em!' ex-
claimed happy Jack to his small but Sc
lect audience Of Stub Jane. They
were very amiable, and frisked and
gamboled with as good an appearance
of happy innocence as could be desired.
Its getting dark very quickly; not
4 o'clock yet. l guess its going to be
a pretty big fall this time, and-whew!
Stub, hear the wind; sounds squally,
dontit?"
Stub looked with an air of gravity
through the windows, and seemed to be
OF the opinion that it certainly did ap-
pear threatening.
What keeps father so late, I wonder?
If it keeps on getting dark as fast as
this the light will have to be fixed pref
" soon.
Thick and fast fell the snowfakes.
hurrylng and scurrying down, as if in
haste to see which could first reach the
earth. Every and then q violent
gust of wind would come that romped
and rioted among the dry leaves that
still chung to some of the trees, and near
at hand the a " surged and dashed
and tossed themselves on the shore and
against the rocks.
II know the lamp ought to be lit. I'd
better go right away and do it," said
Jack, addressing his companions. As