The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1904-06-10
THE LIGHTHOUSE
-. KEEPERS PROXY
fOriginal.l

w Qeu / W dS youuS AA"'A
Job at a lighthouse. My duties were
nominal, and at first ! was much
pleased at having 80 little to do, but
before long became tired Of the monos-
Ony and wished myself anywhere else.
l asked the keeper what he hired me
for, and he said 1t was for company.
lie couldn't stay there alone, SO ne was
willing to give Is per cent OF his salary
for o companion. told him that
would attend to the duties and give
him SO per cent Of the salary, and he
might stay away altogether. To this
after some consideration, he assented.
When he left he told me he would come
back occasionally. especially immedi-
ately after pay days. Ii lighthouse OF
ficiais came along was to try to find
out IL they had CveT seen the keeper,
Branegan. II they had | was to say
he had been taken i'll and had gone to
hospital II they did not know him,
/ was to claim to be the keeper him
self. With this I've departed.
found It a bigger contract than
had anticipated. The loneliness was
simply awful. / stood 1t month and
was about to resign when boat load
Of lighthouse officials and others came
to the steps, and when they came UP l
noticed several women among them
One Of them was Young girl, Cora
Earl, the daughter Of the captain of
the life saving station a mile down the
beach. She was very pretty. and we
took u fancy to each other from the
start. ] showed them over the prem
ises. and rs the keeper wasn't KNOWN
TO any Of them I assumed to be be.
After they had gone it WAS ten times
us lonesome as before.
The next day l locked up and Went
to the life saving station to see Cora.
l found her mighty well pleased to see
me and didn't get away from her till
1t was nearly time to light the lights,
l arranged for her to meet me the next
day half way between the light and
the station. She did so, and it wasn't
long before we We're betrothed. 1t oc-
Cured to me to tell her that | was
4
j had nothing to marry on except my
salary, and l was fearful she would
make break and would be relieved
Of that. l was surprised that her IA
Their hadn't seen Branegan, but learned
that the keeper was supposed to be
solitary man who wouldn't have nny
friends. Those ] met We're astonisheo
TO discover that he was so sociabts.
Branegau came along once a month
and sometimes oftener. lie had infiu-
ence to get information when any OFF,
cial would call at the lighthouse and
would usually be on hand posted
him how ] was playing him with the
life saving people, and he was careful
not to give me away. I married Cora
six weeks after l met her. Her father
thought 1t too soon, but told him |
was 80 lonesome that I couldn't stand
it any longer. So we got spliced, and
Cora came to live with me at the light.
One night In fog n vessel came
right in to within half mile Of the
light. l was in the yawl at the time.
and, as the fog stood few feet above
the water, l could sec her. though she
couldn't see me or the lighthouse !
pulled out to her, shouting as pestted,
and succeeded In heading her of.
When directly under her bows her cap
tain hailed me-. and told him he was
within few hundred yards of the
rocks. He gave nm order to bnck off.
but before leaving asked me my name,
etc. I told him l was Brancgan, the
lighthouse keeper.
A few days later two men came to
the lighthouse and asked for Branegan.
| told them was Branegan, and they
clapped pair Of handentfs on me. +
was taken into the city aHl charged
with murder, but when my accusers
came to see me they declared l was
not brancgan. l was obliged to con
Tess how I came by my position, and
was returned under guard to the light
house. man was left with me to see
that did not communicate with Bran.
egan.
OF course this was great shock to
my wife She remembered that she
had married me without knowing anv
thing about Inc, and was obliged to
confess that appearances We're much
against me. but before was taken
away l told her the true story. and she
believed me.
Since my marriage ! was used to
injecting Branegan half n mile I'D the
beach on pay day, and next pay day |
concluded to go to him as usual. /
couldn't save him IL would. or
course was followed and Branesas
was arrested.
The lighthouse governors heard Of
my arrest as Branegan, but the mat
ter was explained, and when | vert
back after my release it was With au-
thority to act temporarily as keeper,
The truth is they had no one e,e. lust
then to put in my place and knew that
l had been acting as keeper for months.
Nothing was done until after the mr..
rest OF Branegan himself, when re.
eeived a call from member of the
lighthouse board. He Informed me
that the captain of the ship had saved
from going on the rocks had reported
the fact to the board and had sent n
check for 81 900 for me. This he gave
me with my appointment as keeper
with an advance Of 5000 a year salary