The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1908-08-15
How the Light was Turned.
SIqSHaN
G. H. CLAUDY.

~ - w. 49, NS06@ S'
morning Alec could see that the ice
was coming. Already stray chunks
f1oated by. and farther out, in the chan
mel, he could see great jagged masses
from the edge of the ice-bank up the
river, floating heavily down to sea.
Still he did not anticipate any
trouble. He had seen ice go out be-
fore, he felt it seize the lighthouse in
Its mighty grip and wrestle with it,
only to leave and seek other victims.
But that was in slow breakup. If the
Ice came down too fast-if it piled up
on the projecting lodges of rock and
wedged beneath the house faster than
the water could free tiff by any
chance wind should blow from the
south and push against the ice, then
there might be trouble.
At seven O'Clock Alec had the light
cleaned and refilled and his simple
breakfast cooked and eaten. House
work took the rest of his hour to bed
time-eight o'clock-and then he lay
down by the bell rope and went to
sleep. AS a matter of fact, three men
usually man such lighthouse. out one
was of on leave, and the lead keeper,
as has been said, was away. Alec could
not watch the light all day and ali
night too. SO the courtesy Of the salutes
had to go by default. All such light
houses salute passing steamers, with
three strokes Of their fog-bell, and the
omission means either absence or mat
tention.
Alec slept until two o'clock, when the
noise Of the ice reused him. The
house was shaking violently, shudder-
Ing like strong man in the cold
eroanfng and moaning and creaking,
like new cordage at sea. Outside there
was mass Of ice tossing on the fit
full swell from the bay, and grinding,
and turning, In its struggle
for liberty and open water. And there
were over hundred miles of It be-
hind to come!
For Tom to get back was impossi-
BILE. No rowboat could push through
such a jam; in fact, steamer would
make but poor Roadway against it. Yet
nothing ever stopped the big inter-city
boats, Alec reflected, and the Daytime
boats would not hit the ice anyway.
SO he had nothing to do but face an
other night with the light.
But 1t was to be different expert
ence from the night before. By six
O'Clock the Ice was massed beneath the
house. completely covering the pro-
fecting lodges of rock, and the wind
was from the south. It still rained.
and the violence Of the ice-pound was
greater every minute. BY seven o'clock
the lamp rocked SO that Alec had to
replace three broken chimneys in i've
minufes-a thing that was unheard of
u cold weather, and that could only
have happened from excessive jarring.
BY eight o'clock Alec had to forget the
lce-his every minute was spent on
me lamp. Now it was new supply Of |
shimneys to be brought up-a tortuous,
4 short. passage 1t was, down through |
ne roof to the top floor, and from there |
70 the floor below. He brought up |
:hree spare burners and wedged them
n the light-room with the spare sail |
II the rowboat and saw that his pock-
,ts were we'll filed with matches. He |
got all the chimneys he could use.
packed. ready to hand. and provided |
himself with q bottle Of drinking water
md some bread.
Better do these things while there
. time he said to himself. III this
keeps up, Ill have to turn
Ter BY hand before morning"
He meant that II the violence in
'reased Itch, the clockwork, strong
% 1t was. might fail, and require that
le turn the cage by hand.
Why, II the light stopped turning for
me night would 1t matter much? It Il
ike a street sign. II you arc in !
TRANCE city. and are told - follow .