The Yazoo sentinel. (Yazoo City, Miss.) 1878-1916, 1891-08-27
A Heroine Of The Lakes
NJ EDMuND COLLINS.

III EDMUND COLLINS.
The north shore of Lake Superior. no
very far from Prince Arthur's Landing
was a large granite rock, about twenty
square yards in area, which stood di
rectly IN the line of steamers and coast
ers passing up and down the lake. II
stood only few feet above the water
level, and as eight or ten ships had struck
against 1t on dark nights and in thick
weather, going almost Immediately to
the bottom, the Dominion Government
decided to build lighthouse upon it.
The building was made of stout oak
timber and the whole structure was Sc
cured to heavy stringers, which were
Dolted and fastened to the rock as firmly
as architectural skill could devise. The
top oil the lantern was made of heavy
sheets OF copper riveted firmly together /;
the bars were Of hammered steel and the
panes, which were diamond shaped,
were OF glass nearly half an inch thick.
The light was revolving red and white,
flashlng once minute, and the machin-
cry was built of steel. brass and Swedish
iron, the whole weighing eight or ten
tons, stood on the top floor of the
tower.
That part of the coast where the island
lay was so dangerous and the sea ran so
high over the rocks in gale that the
Government sought long for q keeper
and could not find one with courage
enough to undertake so perilous duty.
But at last Joshua Alcott accepted the
Governments offer, taking with him his
daughter Gypsy, who was just 1G years
old, and all his worldly goods out to the
desolate rock The lighthouse Law
about three quarters of mile from the
shore, but there were not many days in
winter that small boat could land at
- Eock. Gypsy Alcott and her father
mo There If August when the
weather was calm; nevertheless, when
the wiad rose at night during the first
months residence there, and the sea
whooped and doomed about the base OF
the tower, the father and daughter trem-
bled with dread.
One day late in September the light
keeper and his daughter got into their
little boat and rowed to the nearest set
Element. The father had some business
to do a couple OF mixes distant In the
settlement, and as they hauled the boat
up at the dock he said to his daughter:
"Now, Gypsy, / shall be back in
couple Of hours, so do not be far from
here when get back. We cannot trust
the weather, and it isn't looking very
we'll now Then he hurried away, and
Gypsy ran off to visit some of her friends.
She visited three or four houses during
the next hour, and then the skies grew
dark. Great armies of clouds gathered
to windward and trooped across the
heavens, and up the lake the storm had
struck the water, turning the blue,
drowsy surface into racing white-caps.
When Gypsy noticed this she started up
and exclaimed:
''Oh, the storm il rising, and papa
cannot get back before it is too rough to
cross the lighthouse. / will row over
alone. Someone come and help me to
launch the boat Her friends advised
her to remain until her father came, but
she said that it was going to be a Wild
night and the lamps must be lighted.
Three or four of the villagers followed
her down to the dock. but when they
reached there the wind was whistling
and shriekinc and the lake between the
shore and the island had been already
aroused by the wind. One of the viii
layers said: =
a'AIy girl, your boat can't live to reach
the island now; look at those white caps.
Better wait until our father comes back. "
ssBut il will be worse soon; want to
get off at once; will not one Of you"
looking appealiugly At the group, ROW
across with me, four oars are so much
quicker than twol" But no one re-
sponded to her request. and two OF them
we're moving awqy homewards when
Gypsy cried out p4sionately:
az suppose you fill help me to launch
nv boatgn Still hey made no sign to
assist her. and running impetuously at
Che boat. she gave a strong push, which
sent It down the sHuce ways and into the
boiling SUR.
look here, gu. shouted the oldest
man In the partvl s'no skiff can live out
IN FRAT sea nov rait for your father
at will get wise, and By the time
nana comes Il vi be impossible to 60
a~er- l must De there to light the
i;rhts and ss5ng this she pushed the
l,Sat Of with hapole. then sat upon the
sh ~, seized r souls and roeed out
80 the angry hfer. She made q verF
49, picture nth the drift Of spray
-iv;ne over =. like a raia- storm. heEl
l.;r Ioosene1 B the wind like 3 daftl
~. The Wa relied So e . strike
~ l,oat On Il side. 30 whenever 81 !
bi1owareef zhan the rest s
-rie5 her Iitt skff around 70 mcef I
81 On. anth- i-nT cockle m-l7
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