The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1900-02-08

RI WAS the coolest kind of weather.
The shores of Long Island and Con
urcticut were covered with snow. The
bays and inlets were filled with ice.
Broken by the rise and fall of the tide,
it made great winrows along the beach
and choked the mouths of the streams
Even Long Island sound was filled
with immense cakes of floating ice, un.
I'll navigation was seriously impeded
Rarely had the captains of coasters,
who were familiar with the sound, ex-
perenced such continued cold snap.
They rubbed their tingling ears and
blew upon their frost-bitten fingers as
they kept a lookout for the icy obstruc-
tions.
The freezing weather played fantas.
tic tricks upon the vessels.
Wherever a drop of water struck 1t
CONCEALED. Cordage and standing rig
ging were covered with n coating OF
crystal, very beautiful to look at but
dangerous to the mariners. Even the
great passenger steamers that ran be-
tween New York and Stonington, Fall
River and Newport plowed' along look
ing like huge icebergs. Their pilots
kept a sharper watch than usual upon
the lights along shore and kept their
ears open for danger signals.
One of the most dangerous points
along the entire sound was reef OF
rocks making out from the Connecticut
coast. At the very end stood a light
house, built upon iron piles driven into
the hard ledge. At low water the reef
was exposed, but at high tide it was
completely covered. Like a giant sen.
try the tower stood out Of the water,
appearing for all the world as If II
rested on nothing more substantial
than the waves which washed its base
The tall pile of granite was dismal
sight from sea or shore, but in reality
it was coy and comfortable within.
! There were rooms in it just as there
are in an ordinary house, and Keeper
David Rollins and his wife lived there
contentedly all the year round, with
| an assistant to help tend the lenses
| Another member of the family was
Raymond Rollins, their son, sturdy
boy, who took to the queer habitation
naturally enough and thought it rare
fun to live practically on an island.
In summer life in the tall tower wat
not so bad. There was cool sea breeze
continually blowing, and if tish were
wanted all that was necessary was te
throw a line off the ledge and fresh
breakfast was awaiting them. Ther
there was boat always at command
and half an hours sturdy pulling would
take the oarsmen into the little harbol
inclosed by the reef and'to the town a
the end of the bay. Whenever possible
RAYMOND would row ashore and attent
school. There was a novelty about thi
that pleased him. Besides, he wa
looked upon with a certain awe by th
children, and when the great Storm
shook their own comfortable house
they would think of the boy in the gran
ite tower and wonder if he were fright
eneG.
1t was seldom that Raymond missed
going ashore in summer or during tn
mild months of the spring and fall
but in winter it was quite differen
thing. Then the fierce gales that oC
casionally swept the coast blew up
heavy sea and made the attempt dan
gerous. Then life in the confined lin
its of the lighthouse became mono'
onous, for there was nothing to q
but clean the lamps, see that they wer
lighted at sundown and extinguishe
at sunrise and carefully cover the lense
from the rays OF the sun by day.
For three days now Ray had been coz
fined to the tower. He watched the vel
sells in the distance, and was 80 expeT
that ne could pick out all the regula
coasters as far as his eyes could reacl
The excessive cold strap fortunatel
was not accompanied by gale, so tn
sea was comparatively smooth. but tn
ice was thicker than he had eve
seen 1t.
1t was towards the end Of the thir
day and the boy was getting restles
He longed to get ashore to "stretc
his legs" as he termed 1t.
what is the matter, father, arc yo
ill?" he asked, noticing at length tn;
the keepers face was paler than usua
II am afraid your father is goin
to have another one Of his bad spells
said his mother. anxiously. 'The do
tor told him 10 take o dose of thu
| rnedicfne abe added noddin0 toWart