Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1886-08-19
A Lighthouse Keeper.

Saul Rundle,, and his little daughter
PhTbe kept the Plum Pudding light house.
Saul had been a sailor for half his life, but
two or three narrow escapes from ship
wrecks had convinced him that it was de-
slrahle 10 have something solid under ones
feet. and he had with considerable difficulty
for there had been suspicion that Saul
was not quite steady enough for lighthouse
keeper-obtained the position on Plum Pud-
ding rock. PhRbe was born there and her
mother diving when she was very little, had
grown up there almost as wild and free a.
the sea gulls that built their nests in the
Cr-vioes Of the rocks. She would have
grown up utterly uncutiva,ed if it had not
been for Aun, Huldah, who resided on
Mouse island.
There was a school on Mouse island for
half the year and Phabe went TO it some
times she couldn't go regularly. because
well, although it is very sad it must be told
because 1t was not always safe 10 leave her
father in charge Of the light house 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. And nobody knew
il hat Phehe
Capt Saul. as everybody called him, had
always been in the habit Of going TO Jim
Boviing's shop at Pondunquit harbor.
which was sailors resort, to smoke his
pipe and spin warns With his old crouie., hu,
he never drank ANYTHING there And il Was
Just within the last year that he had brought
anything home from the barbor TO drink
Now he did it often; indeed it was seldom
he came home without il. and oil by himself
lie would have drinking bout, growing
merry al first and singing his old sea song.
and cracking Jokes, and little Phgbe who
dIt not know he cause thought him delight
:ul. and wished he would always seem a.
happy; but soon he began TO drink more
heavily. and would pass from the merry
stage INTO the cross one. and then become
stupid. sleep, snd helpless. And, besides
her grief and humiliation. she WAS constant
ly anxious lest her father should lose his sit
usjion. They had no money, and where in
the world could they find another home. if
they had 10 leave the Plum Pudding?
This was the sorrow and care that had
changed Phgbe'. face from round and
rosy and iimpled little one so that it was
nov pinched and wan, and had careworn
t ikoh Ng4AL was Nh1 10 tt's bcIt NcIt teN
ersl men who wanted Capt Saul's position
Of the lighthouse. and would be glsd 10 re-
por, anything tina, they could discover to
iujure him. Every day Phebe expected
that the blow would fall, and they would be
obliged to leave their home.
/ There was TO be great merry making on
Mouse island. Phebe'. oldest cousin. Marie
/ Cordilly, was to marry Jed Collins. who was
soon to sail as mate Of the Flying Scud. the
! finest ship ihs, ever hailed from Pondun-
( quit. But when Ph1be said she didn't think
I she could come. she would rather stay a,
I home and LET her father go, there was a ter
\ ribe outcry.
( Aunt HuldAh said ,ha, PhGbe should
come or she'd know the reason, and that
/ was what Phgbe did not wAut-thai Aunt
Huidsh should know the reason So she
! said If she possibly could she would come
She tried TO pursuade her father not 10 go
to Pondunquit hArbor TIVE or three days be-
fore the Wedding. but on that very day he
had an errand, that could not be delayed,
he ssid He came back only just in time
for Phube to get of 10 be at Aunt Huldahs
she had promised. He seemed TO be
very Kind and afIectlonate, and told her not
10 worry. he would take care Of the light,
and kissed her. which had become quite un-
ususl. and said Il was "a great pity If the
mate couldn't go on lark when the cap
tam STAYED behind TO take care Of the ship"
He always called the light house ship, and
PhGbe had been ths mate ever since she
was five years old.
Aunt Huldsh Maria rejoiced, even in the
midst Of her labors as hostess, at Ph9be's
bright face. Perhaps the child had only
been little overworked or siliug. and there
was no, so much trouble at the Plum Pud-
ding as she had fancied. But even while
the fiddler was playing his most enhancing
strains. and the wedding cake was being
passed in the most generous slices, Phebe
heard a whisper that made her heart stand
still. David Judkin, the son Of the man
who wanted her fathers place, was talking
TO another young man.
At isn't such very thick fog, and new
er 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 the fog, but because the
light isn't there.
And the Advance is up in the harbor,"
said the other. Capt. Saul is at the end Of
bis bookkeeping if you are right"
I'VE might skirmish round a little, and
see," said David Judkins at would be |
pltN LOT tIe OIICtfs not 10 ma IL out.
The two Young men went out. Phpbe /
knew well where they we're going. The
Advance was the government steamer whose |
Office was to supply the lighthouses and see
that they were kept in proper condition.
David 1udkins was going to give warning
that there was no light on Plum Pudding.
Phebe went out unobserved. The fog hsd
come so suddenly ii was like magic. A
b,ra puallo~ad
up the world. Only very brilliant rays of
light could penetrate that fog, but the Plum
Pudding light was the finest on the coast.
Phebe's practised eye searched anxiously in
the direction of the Plum Pudding, but she
looked in vain there was thick darkness
everywhere. The lamp on the Plum Pud-
ding was not lighted. Phebe listened, and
heard the steady splash of retreating oars.
David Judkins and his friend was rowing
vigorously to Pondunquit harbor.
She ran down TO the shore to the place |
where the row-boat was fastened. She got
in and rowed swiftly out into the thick dark
ness. She had not her compass, which she !
usually carried in her pocket, and if she |
had, it was too dark to see with it without a
light. Could she find her way to the is
land? Phebe rowed swiftly in the direction of
the light. Presently she felt that she had |
gone far enough but where was the island ? |
Why did she not get there? The bow of |
her boat seemed to be pointed toward the |
open sea. Had she been rowing toward the |
open sea instead of toward the Plum Pud- |
ding? And then suddenly it seemed to her |
that she was going back toward Mouse is
land.
Stout-hearted as she was, Phebe felt her |
courage failing. She let the oars slip from |
her hand into the bottom of the boat and |
uttered faint cry of distress. 1t was so
faint that only the sea guls could have heard |
1t, but an answer came; the sharp, shrill |
sound Of horn. 1t could be nothing but the |
great horn of the light house, although it |
seemed to come from the direction of Pom
dunquit harbor. 1t was the lighthouse horn. |
Phoebe rowed with might and main, and |
very soon dark shape loomed before her and |
her boat grazed the rocks Of the Plum Pud- |
ding. l. was at the very steepest part of
the rocks, but Pbebe could not delay to
row to the landing. Up she scrambled, new
er needing that her clothes were torn and |
L Il