The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1908-12-26
The ueHTn0USE
KEEPERS PROXY


-
e0uASao1ll
When I NJ 4 y6ang nnn I Decdred
! Job at 4 lighthouse. Ny dux16s were
nominal and ct hrst I was much
pleased at having 10 little to do. but
before long became tred Of ths monot-
ony and wfzhsd myself anywhere eISe.
I asked the keeper what he A1red Nme
for. and he said It was for company.
He couldn't stay there alone, - he was
willing to give % per cent Of hts salary
for a companion. 1 told him that I
would attend to the ddtfes and give
him so per cen OF the salary. land he
migh4 stay away altogether. To this,
after some consideration, be assented-l
When he left he told me he would come
back occasionally. especially immedi-
ately after pay days. II lighthouse Of
dcfa1s came along I was to try to ind
out If they had ever seen the keeper,
Branegan. II they had 1 was to say
he had been taken Ill and had gone to
a hospital. If they did not know him,
I was to claim to be the keeper him
self. With this he departed.
I found it a bigger contract than I
had anticipated. The loneliness was
simply awful. 1 stood it's month and
was about to resign when a boat load
OF lighthouse officials and others came
to the steps, and when they came up I
noticed several women among them.
One of them was a young girl. Cora
EaFl, the daughter of the captain Of
the life saving station a mile down the
beach. She was very pretty, and we
took a fancy to each other from the
start. I showed them over the prem
ises, and as the keeper wasn't known
t any OF them I assumed to be he.
After they had gone it was ten times
as lonesome as before.
The next day I locked UP and went
to the life saving station to see Cora.
I found her mighty well pleased to see
me- and didn't get away from her till
1t was nearly time to light the lights.
I arranged for her to meet me the next
day half way between the light and
he station. She did SO, and it wasn't
long before we were betrothed. It oc-
CURED to me to tell her that I was
not the keeper, but I didn't dare do it
I had nothing to marry on except my
salary, and I was fearful she would
make a break and I would be relieved
of that. Twas surprised that her IA
Their hadn't Branegan, but learned
that the keeper was supposed to be q
solitary man who wouldn't have any
friends. Those. I met were astonished
to discover that he was so sociable.
Branegan came along once a month
and sometimes oftener. He had fnfu-
ence to get information when any off,
cial would call at the lighthouse and
would usually be on hand. I posted
him how 1 was playing him with the
life saving people, and he was careful
not to give me away. 1 married Cora
six weeks after I met her. Her father
thought 1t too soon, but I told him I
was SO lonesome that I couldn't stand
it any longer. So we got spltced. and
Cora came to Hve with me at b light.
One night in a fog q vessel came
right In to within half a mile Of the
light. I was In the yawl at the time.
and, az b fog stood a few feet above
the water. I could see her, though b
couldn't see me or the lighthouse. I
pulled out to her. shouting AZ I pulled.
and succeeded in heading her Of.
When directly under her bows her zap
tain hailed me, and ] told him he wa
within q few hundred yards of the
EOCkS. nc gave I'LL OToCI " OdCA Ou,
but before leaving asked me my name,
etc. 1 told him I was Branegan. the
lighthouse keeper.
A few days later W men came to
the lighthouse and asked for Branegan.
I told them I was Branegan, and they
clapped a pair of handouts on me. I
was taken into the city and charged
with murder, but when my
came to see me they declared I was
not Branegan. I was obliged to CON-
fess 10Y I came by my position, and I
was returned under guard to the light
house.. A man was left with me to see
that / did not corDmunicate with Bfan-
egan.
OF course this was a 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 much
against me. but before I was taken
I told her the true story, and she
believed me.
Since my marriage 1 was used to
meeting Branegan half a mile up the
beach on pay day. and mex pay day I
concluded to go to him as usual. 1
couldn't save him If I would. OF
course I was followed and Br1neEan
was arrested.
The lighthouse governors heard Of
my arrest as Branegan, but tho mat
ter was explained, and when I went
back after my release it was with au-
thority to act temporarily a. keeper.
The truth is they had no one else just
then to put In my place and d that
I hoa bonn o~fiuO - k~~H&r foP runUfhnwE