The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1902-07-11

:
you see more of them; but still, we
run close into shore sometimes and
have our own experiences, too" said
the Current "Now, here, for in
stance, we make a sharp curve around
this lighthouse. We run almost up to
the face of the big, old Structure. In
fact, there is so feet of water just at
the foot of those stone steps, where
for over 100 years boats have tied up
when bringing provisions to the
Keeper, or strangers coming from
motives of curiosity to visit the sol
itary aid pile"
eve don't know what you have OBJ
served, but just recently we have
been quite interested in the people
who have lived here. Ben Ker and
his handsome daughter, the girl
called Yvette, and old Betty. We
heard some fishermen saying the
other day, as they ran down the har-
Dor, that she died of broken heart
when they moved away to live in the
village on the island. / rather think
It was from old age" added the Cur
rent refectively.
Broken hearts? Stuff and nom
sense! Only the foolish young die
that way. Talk of broken heart
do you notice Yvette when she goes
out on the breakwater at the end of
the island in the evening? How she
sits watching this lighthouse until
night sets in, and sometimes far into
the night, when her husband, Peter,
is away from home? Her eyes are
like two great glowing stars, and her
face CLEANS pallid and white, and she
10 wasting away. Women are so
foolish" said the Waves, sneeringly.
"What are you two gossiping
about?" asked a Seabird, as he cir
cled around on widespread pinions,
then swept down and settled on the
rock where Yvette used to sit to
watch for old Ben Ker, while singing
canticles she had learned in the con-
vent of the Sacred Heart.
GLOW lonely this place isl How de-
serted! Do you not miss her? And
the strong, white light of the bea-
comp"
Eyes, yes. After a fashion," said
the Waves. "The light of the beacon
particularly. 1t was amusing to toss
and tumble and surge over this reef,
and leap against the old lighthouse
when some storm from the north
swept down across the Atlantic and
drove big tramp ships and ocean
| liners before them, and the pilots
looked out with anxious eye for the
beacon of Rock Point lighthouse
Yes, we liked to watch the girl, be-
cause she was such a beauty, and was
so fearless. We never could brighten
her. She would laugh at us. You
great blusterers,' she used to say,
you may dash yourselves as much as
you please against the lighthouse,
and surge and thunder on the reef,
but you will never beat it to pieces, as
you do the ships, and our light will
warn all vessels to keep away from
this ugly reef and your treacherous
clutches
eyes, yes! She did not stint her
abuse, and she was not afraid of us,
and we could not deceive her when
we talked gently to her, as we are
doing now, and told her we meant no
harm"
deceive her? OF course you could
not" the Seabird said, pruning his
silver gray feathers. "Yvette is a
daughter of the sea, and knows your
perfdious wickedness too well to be
blinded by your lazy purr and gentle
look, when you ripple among the
rocks at low tide. She is fond of you
after fashion, and misses your new
er ceasing tumult and riot. You
should not have destroyed the tiny
bit of garden she made close to the
wall with so much pains, and you've
broken her stone bench. How de-
serted and melancholy the place
looksl"
"There's a storm brewing out at
sea-" remarked the Current, which
was beginning to run faster, for the
tide had turned.
"Did you hear anything about it?
The wind is scurrying up, and threat
ems a gale. There's a change of moon
tonight"
'Why, yes. That's why l came in,"
the Seabird said, stretching his long
wings to feel their muscles.
ga gale is coming in. 1t may be
fierce, but it will not last long. BY
10 o'clock tonight the moon will
shine out bright, and the storm