Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-05-11
A MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE.

Esther lived all alone with her father In
a lighthouse near the sea. She had been
fathers little housekeeper ever since her
mother died. two years before. and kept
everything around the home as bright and
shiny as IL she had been twenty years old
instead Of half that number. What q busy
child Esther was, to be sure. She had the
dishes to wash. the meals to cook, the
sweeping and busting to do, and so many
other things that there was no chance Of
Satan's finding mischief for Esther's hands
to do.
Esther's father had always been a very
stout man. OF late years he had grown
stouter and stouter, until he could not
move about with very great speed In ad-
oatlon to her own duties Esther daily &C.
cepted more Of his work as her own. She
outtoned his shoes every morning. and
every evening climbed to the top Of the
lighthouse. so high as to make one dizzy
there to put the shining light to warn ships
away from danger.
one night Esther did not sleep as sound
~ as usual. Perhaps she had worked too
Kept 1t; perhaps she was too busy thinking
OF visit to her cousin Ruth next week
anyway she tossed and turned In her little
come.
What was that noise she heard-scratch,
scratch. scratch. ard then a scamper?
something was being rolled over the floor
what could 1t be? The Something being
Ioleo turned out to be a nut. The some
thing doing the rolling must be a mouse.
NOW, Esther was an unusually brave little
girl. This was only right and natural for
WASH she known everywhere as the daugh.
Ter OF Brave Ben. the lighthouse keeper?
When her father was younger he had been
a sailor and afterward one Of the ufe-sav-
Ing guards stationed on the beach, Brave
pen was famous all along the coast for his
10 nf
reason. hard to explain, there was one
thing Esther was really afraid Of What
do you suppose 1t was2 A harmless. cum
ming little mouse. who was more afraid Of
her than she should have been of him.
Esther tried hard not to listen to Mr.
Mousie's scampering. but her heart beat
SO fast and she began to tremble so, that
she uttered father before she knew 1t,
II was some seconds. however. before his
$50 pounds was completely out of bed, and
he had struck light and had stepped into
Esther s room.
,o What hat is it, dauehter'" he asked. Are
mo. father tremblingly answered
Esther, but hear a mouse in the room
and it frightens me SO cannot sleep"
Why. why, grille, to be afraid Of
mouse! I'm ashamed Of your said Brave
tried. The poor little fellow is only hunt
ing Tor bis supper, I suppose
While trying to cheer Esther. Brave Ben
remembered how afraid Of mice her dear
mother had always oeen. and this re-
his little daughters fear.
"We'H soon fix him, dear, for he's
burgiar-comtng into our home without
being invited. Burglars always should be
punished" Brave Ben then pushed
cushion over the hole through which mousie
had evidently made his entrance and sat
down to await developments. One. two,
three minutes passed, when out scampered
n no I'M 1<xvp1 Ill t>V-
decided that 1t was exceedingly bad man.
ners to stay where he was not wanted.
Finding his hole barlicaded.- Mr.. Mousie
lost his presence of mind completely. He
ing under everything and over anything
that came his way, Esther's father after
him with stick. 's'N - q
Brave Ben noticed that Esther's midnight
but q good-sized rat. He was even more
anxious to get rid Of him. The chase grew
fast and furious as the little rat ran and
the big fat man chased after him. Brave
Ben got out OF breath in his efforts to kill
Mr.. Rat. who was too quick for him. Each
time the stick fell Esther thought the end
had come to Mr.. Rat, only to find that 1t
had missed him. leaving Mr.. Rat still alive
and more determined than ever to hold
his own.
Now something did happen. Mr.. Rat
thought he had had enough Of such fool
ishness. 1t was a poor game two could
not pay. instead OF Brave Ben'S DUR
suing the rat, the rat thought he'd pursue
Brave Ben. Straightway he carried the
war Into the enemy's camp. He new at
Brave Ben's feet. doing his best to bite
them and thus force him to a hasty retreat.
Brave Ben ran around the room, more
GREATNESS each second, the rat after him
1t was now no laughing matter though
Esther could scarcely suppress her laugh
ter, the sight was so funny to see big fat
papa actually running away from a rat.
Brave Ben to escape the rats sharp teeth
sprang on a chair, forgetting 1t was a
rocker. He swung back and forth for q
minute. wildly waving his stick to help
him gain his balance. It was no use; the
chair swayed backward, Brave Ben totter-
ed, and, making final wild plunge, down
he sat on the floor with a terrific thud
Esther jumped up, forgetting the rat, her
only thought being to help father
With the greatest ei.ort father was
tugged up, hot, perspiring and GREATNESS
Then Esther began to laugh. peal after
peal ringing through the stiffness. Brave
Ben did not at first see the joke-a little
later he did Under him, still and motion
less, lay the cause of all his trouble. No
one, not even his mother, could have rec
rat Never again would he brighten Esther
or any one else. He had not stopped to
consider how heavy Brave Ben was. or he
would have known that he had not ghost
of a chance against a man Brave Ben's
size.
This story was told all along the coast,
and l would not be surprised II from 1t
the primer rhymes had their beginning.
Don't you remember they always run some
thing like this: p.
CAT, cat; RAT, rat, and SAT-. sat.