Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1888-12-31
A Night i'm the Lighthouse.


midday, and it was only half-past
four.
Il can't see to tell whether he is
coming or not, much longer" she
sighed. Going to the bright blaze
on the hearth, she threw herself on
the rug polly Jane had manufacture
ed that rug), and spread her strong,
young hands out to catch every mo-
ton of heat the logs threw out.
Presently Polly drew a long sigh.
That sigh drew the momentary atten-
ton of a young girl, scarcely older
than Polly herself, who sat reading.
''Do you think, she asked, sit al
tiers his coming one jot or little or
iota, your watching and slamming
that door all the afternoon"
"Cousin Sophronia,'' said Polly,
''did you get all those big words out
of that book? l never thought of it
before, but now you ask, guess it
does. I'll 60 out and look once
more, and add one more slam to the
wind, and maybe it will fetch the
boat in faster
Polly Jane went out. AS the echo
of the bang struck the cliff and came
rolling back, Polly said of Sophronia
'.She's no more alive to the things
going on around here than a toad in
side rock is. She will just sit there
and read about some big shipwreck
that nobody ever saw, and let a real
one go on before her eyes, and never
seem to know it,
Polly looked out over the sea. 1t
was a cold, dismal outlook. A De-
cember night was closing down on
black, driven waves capped with
foam. Long and earnestly the large,
steadfast gray eyes of the girl wan
dered from near and far, until they
had scanned the horizons rim.
go dear!" she sighed, as once
again she turned to the land. Be
hind her lay a small, snug, comforta
BILE house, built by the government.
Above her lowered one Of the tallest
lighthouses on the coast, although
this light was not on the coast.
In an instant, like a flash, it ran
through Polly Jane, that she, by her
forgetfulness, had periled her fathers
position as keeper of the light. In
her anxiety for him she had forgotten
his keenest interest. He had remind
ed her before he left, over and over
again, not to let the sun go down
until the light cleaned out; and Pol
Iy Jane had promised faithfully, but
without a doubt of her fathers safe
return in time to do as he always had
done since she could remember.
Once more Polly threw open the
door. Sophronia sat close to the
window, holding up the book she was
reading, to catch the last rays of the
going light.
"Come, come quick and help me ~
cried Polly; 81 forgot to light up''
sin a minute. want to find out
whether Matilda"
Zone sailors life is worth all the
Matthias in CREATION called Polly
from the kitchen, where she secured
mttUUnCo, WIN WHICH, III ner
hand she sought the lighthouse. She
fastened up the stairs long and wind
ing, gained the ladder, and had sent
forth over the water five or six flash
es from the light, before Sophronia
was at the foot of the stairs and alive
to the situation.
When at last the latter had gained
the light she said to Polly Jane:
81 wouldn't worry about it, if /
were you. 'Tisn't dark out of doors
yet, and it won't make mite Of diff
ference"
Said Polly, with tragic utterance:
''No difference No difference |
don't suppose it does in novels, but
in real lighthouse life it just means
that if it is reported to the Board
that Cliff Head light wasn't a-going
when the sun went down, off goes
my fathers head, and all our living
with it. | should think, Sophronia,
that you would know something some
time"
''Who do you suppose is going to
tell, | should like to know?'
''Well, now, if ever! Don't you
suppose the keeper at Trap Rock
would? And down at Squirrel Bar,
as well? And then how many ships
do you suppose there are on the look
out for just the flashing light? o, |
hope no one will get on the sands or
into the shoals tonight, and lay it
all to not seeing the Cliff light"
moaned Polly.
''1Ou have never had a wreck here,
have you ?''moaned Sophronia.
"No; and l, for one, don't want
one, said Polly.
"Well, now, continued Sophronia,
II think if the people were only rich
and handsome, and could save their
trunks, it would be rather nice"
ga nice shipwreck !" repeated
Polly. ''That shows the ideas that
you get out of novels.
Polly spoke with an echo of dis
tlain in heryoice. Polly had been
sl'ea q Clif Island-had always
4i1ed r visits to the main
lard - lew brief and infrequent,
and - ElI1ahon she had received
had been given her by her mother.