News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1886-10-14
"Come out on the lantern deck,

rounded the tower, and to protect Wis
itors an iron rail rlmmed the Lantern
deck.
"Ughw cried Fred, glancing timidly
down, down, at the white surf thai
curled over a ledge not far from the
lighthouse. Toward the ocean the mis-
was banked in huge masses with soft,
woolly edges. The keeper was pointing
at two red pipes rising from the roof OF
the signal tower.
''Them are the trumpetsr' exclaimed
Jones Toby. "You see the pipes end il
big trumpets like those the bandmer
play"
''Well, why don't this band play
We have had no music since we lett the
kitchen, said Fred.
Don't you see that green pint over
at the left, with the white farmhouses
on it And at the right we can see an
other neck of land, and boardin' houses
on 1t. Our rules are that long as you
can see the neck and the pint not to
start our fog signal. So Abram down
below is a-takin' bit of rest"
The boys followed the keeper down
into the kitchen, popping off their
questions like discharges from mitrail-
leuse.
Don't you feel a storm here 2" asked
Fred.
''Of course we do. The spray in a
sto m goes over the lantern, and the big
waves pound ag'in the walls ss if they
would knock the light over. However,
We are bolted down to a rock, and
think we shall stay long as the rock
does,"
GLOW many of you are there in the
country 2" asked Joe.
That brings up some interestin'
facts, reelly. When the sun goes down
and The keepers all touch up their lam
terns-all at sunset, mind yet would
make good regiment if all them keep
ers could come together. Why, of
lighthouses we have-well, if you should
build 'em right out into the Atlantic,
put all the lighthouses and lighted bea-
cons and stake-lights we have in a row,
settin' 'em mile apart, they would
reach, according to the last published
report, eight hundred and sixty-four
miles Wouldn't that make a lively
torchlight procession goin' over the mid
ocean,"
"Oh!" SAID the boys with their
mouths, and looked it also with their
eyes.
"Well, how many men does it take to
run all these 2" asked Joe.
Jones scratched his head, and said he
must look at the report to get the exact
number.
81 have it handy, though, boys" "
He took book down from a shelf in
the cupboard and read: Light keep
eIs, including laborers in charge of
Western river-lights, /, 1,927."
He locked up. "There, think of that
Put 'em all in body, and let 'em go
marchin' by, drums a-beatin' and flags
a-fyin', wouldn't they make lively lit
tie army! l said regiment before.
Bless me, they'd make an army, all
good and true, KNOWN no master but
Uncle Sam. Think what country you
have got, to employ all those to keep
all the lights a-goin'-"
"But are there not some small ships
that
Fred hesitated.
"Oh, you mean vessels in the service.
We will see what it says"
Jones now read, in an oracular way,
as if performing at an exhibition in an
old fashioned country school house:
"'In the cons ruction, care, and main
tenance of these aids to navigation there
were employed: steam tenders, twenty
four; steam launches, three; sailing ten
ders, two Now, keep your eye on that.
Imagine the lighthouses and lighted
beacons and stake lights-but left out
the lightships, and there are twenty
nine of 'em-imagine that line stretchin'
out into the great ocean, headed by the
a-burnin' and a-shinin', a
movin' toward Queen Yicto-ryl Then
there are the vessels employed, you
know, IN other parts of the service; but
all brought together, say, off here, max
in splendid fleet, sails up and a-shoot-
in round; and then we W II have the
light keepers and the men in the West
eTn river lights all massed on the shore
and a-marchin', their drums beatin' and
flags fiyin'l Wouldn't that make a sight
to be proud of?'
By-this time the keeper was in a very
mood. His long arms were
making vigorous fourishes, his bright
eyes were sparkling and swapping, and
his red hair seemed to have caught
more vivid shade from the sunset now
flaming in the west and shooting long,
rays through deep recessed
window into the kitchen.
My" thought Fred; 'you might
stick him on the top of the lighthouse
to night, and they wouldn't need any
other light to night"
1t was time to row ashore. The bows
heartily thanked the keeper, and went
back to their boat. The fog was now
drifting eastward. The ocean was set
Ting down into an evening rest; the
waves broke gently on the shore. AS
the boys beached their boat the sun was
just dipping below the green rim of the
valley.
''See-see, Joe" exclaimed Fred, as
he stood on the hard sand and pointed
toward the ocean. "He has done 1t''
Not that Jones Toby had, according
to Fred's fancy, mounted the strong sea
tower, kindled into flame by his enthu-
siasm and flashing out ruddy light,
but down in the lantern the keeper, now
in mild, official mood, had promptly
attended to his evening duty. There,
as the sun went out of sight, above the
frothing breakers, above lodges stub
born and pitiless, glowed soft, silvery,
starllke light, sending out its steadfast
warning. : Christian Union.