The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-09-11
(CsighA 1ela Jehi BaFFD

tCWT6iEhA 7e11e Jehm Bzgfl l m 1eD9, the year Of OUT war with Spain, the writer spent the Spring, Summer and Autumn in Q cottage facing the Atlantic on Ocean Avenue, Long Branch, New Jersey where tho roar of the sea and. the invigorating odor of brine greeted me at sunrise and ltilled me to sleep when the day was done.
 I,ong Branch was crowded with inteTesttng people that year, but to mo the most interesting of all --was Lucky Joe, as he was known to everybody young and old, near and far.
 Lucky Joe was an enigma, . man of mystery. Nobody knew what lais real name was or where he came from, but everybody liked him, especially the children, and all respected his reticence.
 His first appearances ct Long Branch was very. modest. He sought employment as oare-taker for aliS the year TOnnd of one of the large cottages on Ocean Avenue. He 4aidn't seem to be cone cerned 50 much about the pay he would get for the work he would be aal1ed upon to do, as he did about his opportunity of living on that particular stretch of sea- shore. And there was method in his purpose, as 1t soon developed.
 The owner of the cottage and exteaeiye stretch of shore never had any cause to regret his en1- ploynient of Lucky Joe
 The cottage faced the sea, with its unobstructed view of 5000 miles across the Atlantic and It's elevation on the bluff of about 30 feet above figh-tide.
 Lucky Joe spent all of his spare time down on the beach. Nobody knew when he slept, if indeed he ever did sleep, for even on tempestuous nights if you hap pened to wake up and look out of your window toward the beach, like as not you would see the red light of a lantern moving about in the mad fury of the night, and you would say to yourself -"There goes Lucky Joe,' in- cased from top to toe in his tar- paulirs."
 Perhaps as a diversion for any, body'S possible over-inquisitive- ness, Lucky Joe" gathered build- ing material that was washed ashore and built him house that delighted the children and amus- ed the grown-ups and made him more popular than ever. And all the furnishings of that interesting house were presented with the compliments of the Atlantic Ocean-all the chairs and tables and divans and bric-a-brac and bookcases and books and quaint old faded oil-paintings and all sorts of cooking utensils-and waving over that house from sum- rise to sunset the American flag pulled and tugged at its halyardS in Eight breexes and stiff gales.
 During the winter months "Lucly Joe" had the whole place to himself. The owner of the property would return to New York with his family leaving Lucky Joes in charge of every thing, including his extensive H. hrary which he encouraged Lucky Joe" to make use of. This privi- lege Lucky Joe" highly appre- ciated, for the library contained scientific works on all that was known about the depths of the Atlantic, its hidden treasures, and its regular and eccentric deep-sea currents.
 Tn midsummer 1888 terrific hurricane raised havoc on the New Jersey coast and gave citi- gems and holiday-guests of Long Branch an experience they'd new CT forget, including narrowing shipwreck directly in front of the town.
 Nobody in Long Branch even pretended to sleep that night. It seen1ed as though the world was