Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-02-17
DAILY SHORT STORY
Lighthouse Keepers Proxy.
IOriginai-l

IOriginaLl
When / was 4 young man l secured
a Job at a lighthouse. My duties were
nominal. and at first 1 was much
pleased at having so little TO do, but
before long became tired of the monot-
ony and wished myself anywhere else.
l asked the keeper what he hired me
for, and he said il was for company.
He couldn't stay there alone, so he was
willing to give % per cent of his salary
for companion. | told him that L
would attend to the duties and give
him 30 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. If lighthouse of
ticials came along | was 10 try 10 find
out if they had ever seen the keeper.
Branegan. If they had | was to say
he had been taken i'll and had gone to
hospital. If they did not know him,
| was TO claim 10 be the keeper him
self. With this lie departed.
l found it Il bigger contract than l
had anticipated. The loneliness was
simply awful. | stood it month and
was about TO resign when boat load
of lighthouse officials and others came
TO the steps. and when they came up
noticed several women among them.
One OF them was young girl. Cora
Earl. the daughter of the captain of
the life saving station mile down the
beach. She was very pretty, and we
took i fancy to each other from the
start. | showed them over the prem
iseS, and as the keeper wasn't known
TO any of them | assumed To be he.
After they had gone it was ten times
us lonesome as before.
The next day / locked Zip and went
10 the life saving station to see Cora.
l found her mighty well pleased to see
NE and didn't get away from her till
it 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 50. and it wasn't
long before we We're betrOthed. 1t oc-
CURED to me to tell her that | was
not the keeper, but | didn't dare do il.
| had nothing to marry on except my
salary. and | was fearful she would
make break and l would he relieved
of that. | was surprised that her ia
ther hadn't seen BTaneSan. but learned
that the keeper was supposed to be Il
solitary man who wouldn't have any
friends. Those | met were astoniShed
to discover that he was so sociable.
Brancgan came along once Il month
and sometimes Oftener. He had influ-
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 lie was careful
not to give me away. | married Cora
six weeks after l met her. Her father
thought it too soon. but 1 told him l
WAS so lonesome that l couldn't stand
it any longer. SO we got Spliced, and
Cora came TO live with me at the light.
One night in fog Il vessel came
right in to within half a milo of the
light. l was in the yawl at the time.
and. as the fog stood Il few feet above
the water, | could see her though she
couldn't see me or the lighthouse. |
pulled out TO her, shouting as l pulled.
and succeeded in heading her off.
When directly under her bows her cap
tain hailed me. and | told him he was
within Il few hundred yards of the
rocks. He gave an order to back off,
but before leaving asked me my name.
etc. told him l was Brancgan, the
lighthouse keeper.
A few days later two men came to
the lighthouse and asked for Branegan.
l told them / was Branegan. and they
clapped pair of handouts on me. l
was taken into the city and charged
with murder. but when my accuscrs
came To see me they declared | was
not BraRegan. l was obliged to con
feSS how ] came by my position. and l
was returned under guard to the light
house. \ man was left with me To see
that did not communicate with Bran
cyan.
OF course this was Il great shock to
my wife. She remembered that she
had married me without knowing any
thing about me. and I was obliged to
confess that appearances were much
against me. but before was taken
away told her the true story, and she
believed me.
Since my marriage l was used to
meeting Branegan half Il mile UP the
haa,.h 10 I