The Meeker herald., 1921-01-15
Aladdin's Lamp
., cENsvlEvE ULMAR
0. 1879. w..t.rn Newspaper Unioa

A bit Of rare good fortune had come
Ned Burton's way. His fathers farm
ran down to the river and at the little
inlet one morning Ned came across an
old house boat. II lay In shallow wa
ter. the hold had been STAYED In. but
It's cabin was Intact. although the
deck had been stripped Of everything
Of value.
at has been abandoned" Ned told
his sister Airline. land it's ours, isn't
III have q famous Idea. I'm going
to get our crowd Of boys to haul It
clear ashore. prop 1t up. paint and re-
pair 1t and well use It as sort Of
river club house."
The young friends Of Ned Burton en-
tered with vim and spirit into the
project. Within a few days they had
the old craft hauled free Of the water
line and set solidly on the sandy soil.
II was pretty spot. lined with trees
and bushes. and for two weeks there
was constant work on the Interior Of
the cabin. Airline assisted In this.
She welded paint brush quite as ef-
fectively as her brother and pieced
some old carpeting in the home gar
ret to make rug for the cabin floor.
She coaxed some old pieces Of broken
furniture from her mother, lOoped
some curtains at the windows and
felt almost as much interested In this
shore palace as Ned himself.
Airline came into the cabin one after
noon to ind Ned seated at Its table
with the parts Of hanging lamp be-
fore him. II had been a gorgeous ar
ticle In its primitive perfectness. 1t
Ind globe with dangling crystals.
pulled up and down on chain. and
pulleys. and promised to become the
principal ornament Of the now cory
and neat appearing cabin.
"Hhy, where did you get It. NedT
she questioned In wonderment.
pushed way back In that cubby
hole behind the closet" explained Ned.
THE chain is broken and the globe
has a piece out Of It. It's famous
lamp and holds lots Of oil. TN bet II
makes a great light" and he rubbed
briskly at the furnished metal. SAY.
II reminds me OF Aladdin's lamp.
Maybe this is going to mend all our
bad luck"
They had known bad luck, or called II
that. In the past. Crops had been
poor. IN uninsured barn on the home
place had burned down with some farm
machinery II contained. and Ned had
% tn, IN hnl mn
There were no parties or village fes-
tivitIes for charming Airline that year.
but she cheerfully did her share Of the
work and hoped for better times.
The lamp was set In place. every
thing ready for a celebration Of the
event arranged, and Airline was alone
In the cabin tidying It up for the ex-
pected guests who were to arrive In an
hour. Ned had gone after them. Her
work completed. Airline snt looking
over a portfolio that Ned had found
In the woods the day previous. He
had come across II under tree where
some one had camped. for there was
evidence OF this fact In scattered food
and the ashes Of a fire. Ned had
brought the article to Airline, explain
ing all this.
The portfolio was made Of ine ieath-
er md was apparently costly. and
there In gilt letters on Its exterior the
initials v. d. Inside were some 30
pencil sketches. and one Of them was
that Of Airline standing at the well Of
the old home. She was pleased. yet
mystIfed at this. and more so at sew
eral roughly penciled sketches In
which the same face and figure were
canvases."
THE portfolio belongs to some art
list on his summering jaunt." decided
Airline. lie must have been near the
house when I did not see him. and
made that hurried sketch Of me. Why
has he been using It az a model for
more ambitious pictures? Certainly I
have no such beauty and grace as
these exncting artists require for their
canvases"
Just at that moment, although she
was unaware Of II. come one was
viewing her through the open cabin
window. attributing to her indeed Just
those characteristics Of perfection. She
made a perfect picture for painter.
poet or lover at that moment. The
bright light fell across her fair golden
hair. setting It all glimmer with
radiance, her unique environment
served to brighten the effect Of her
dalntiness and loveliness by contrast
with her somewhat unusual surround
ings. II was the eye of painter that
took all this In. that Of vane Darrell. and
he reveled In the fascinating element
Of the scene.
She was his girl Of the well whom
he had sketched from a covert near
the house week agone in his casual
summering stroll. The impression Of
that moment was lasting with him.
and now II was intensified with glad
ness as he recognized his sketch port
folio on the table before this charm
Ing young lady. meeting was inev-