The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1929-01-04
young woman who looked at him with

scrubbed boards and painted wood
work, the black stove radiant with
polish. windows sparkling, brass lamps
cleaning. AT the table, scratching his
forehead meditatively with the end of
a penholder, tidy stack of notebooks
and documents before him. sat small
fat old man with scant curly hair. a
nose like cluster of ripe raspberries.
a little round mouth and little round
eyes that blinked through little round
spectacles.
"Eh?" he addressed Norman. "Who
are your"
Norman explained with unusual
clearness of tongue. The fat man
arose.
"Erickson?" he repeated "Eh? Well.
well, that's good waterproof name.
| like the name Erickson. Assistant
who Just left was named Frank Jones.
Can't tell much about the name Jones.
Erickson's better. Mines Stocking.
Capt'n Sam'l Stocking. Capt'n Sam1
Stocking o. Lake Huron"
Norman shook hands gravely.
superintendent wrote he was send
ing man." the keeper commented.
Didn't say who. Didn't say when
he'd get here"
"I'm a night earlier than ;nstruc-
tions," said Norman.
Captain Stocking did not wait to
hear him.
"Jones went this morning. come sun
up. Going to get married. You met
Susan? Hey, Susan, ahOy there, Sue p
He pitched his voice to a CHEEKY bel
low.
"Ahoy yourselfr his daughter an
swered
She appeared Immediately. She was
tall. much taller than her father. but
in spite of that she gave quick
| jaunty impression. She was still plain
| ~ interested in what the new assistant
looked like She stared at him frankly.
"Meet the girl" Captain Stocking
cried "Sue, this is Erickson. the new
assistant. Got here in time for sup
| per, if we ever have supper. Steve
brought that fish yet?"
Hes coming up the beach now"
the girl said. "rll cook it soon as he
| gets here"
Her voice was unlike her fathers
unlike any woman's Norman had
known except Julie Richards. II was
as smooth as jules but not so ex-
cited. She was surer of herself than
Julie.
A man entered solidly in rubber
boots. He was about twenty-five per-
haps, round-shOulddered with a burnt
orange complexion and watery eyes.
Captain Stocking seemed glad to see
him.
snake you acquainted with Erick-
son, Steve Erickson the new
assistant !. Sutton our nearest
neighbour That's his shack. right along
the shore there see ii from
the winder. There's his fish boat
drawed up"
Sue Stocking crossed to the stove,
ratified pans and turned. her hands
covered with flour.
"What time is it, dad?" she asked.
Captain Stocking danced his spec
tacles off the end of his little nose.
Time? he cried. "By foky poky
Whyn't you tell me what time it was?
We got just twenty minutes fore light
ought to show!" He reached for his
hat. BEST climb up to the tower.
you new fellow. Start getting your
instructions"
They followed a plank Talk to the
rocks. Captain Stocking, putting, sput-
tering. splitting out odd bits of con-
versation. led the way rapidly into a
dark room and lighted bracket lamp
upon the wall. In one corner stair,
unusually steep. arose through the
ceiling.
The keeper lighted the way with a
shining brass lantern that he took
from wall cupboard by the door.
The angular outline of steps lifted into
the air, converging toward the top.
"Never mind countin' Captain
Stocking grunted ''Theys ninety-one, -
"Ninety-one?"
Steps"
He pushed open a trap-door Nor
man followed him into snug white
painted room with black trim upon
doors and easements, resembling the
chart room of a vessel.
"The lamp room, when we burnt
oil wicks," Stocking explained. use
it for spare parts now we got the new
generating lamp. Them gauges there.
you got TO watch. them keep the kerO-
sene reservoir filled for the lamp
here. I'll show you now"
On the wall a ships chronOmeter
licked with melancholy precision.
Lockers ranged three sides. In the
center a circular iron staircase wrig
gled up to round hole in the ceiling,
through which protruded an iron lad
der that vanished perpendicularly
above. Captain Stocking climbed
ahead up the ladder, talking. kicking
out his heels. Above. In the lantern
case itself, Norman saw his owlish
little chief open brass-bound door In
the rear of great lens, saw the fare
of glorified bonfire In the thick re-
filecting glass, heard the sputter of
vapor, and Blind Mans Eye swallowed
up the world In its glare of light.