Stories by Foreign Authors: Polish, Greek, Belgian, Hungarian

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Stories by Foreign Authors:
Polish, Greek, Belgian,
Hungarian

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Title: Stories by Foreign Authors: Polish
Author: Various
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STORIES BY FOREIGN AUTHORS
POLISH, GREEK, BELGIAN, HUNGARIAN
THE LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER OF ASPINWALL BY HENRYK
SIENKIEWICZ
THE PLAIN SISTER BY DEMETRIOS BIKELAS
THE MASSACRE OF THE INNOCENTS BY MAURICE
MAETERLINCK
SAINT NICHOLAS EVE BY CAMILLE LEMONNIER
IN LOVE WITH THE CZARINA BY MAURICE JOKAI

THE LIGHT-HOUSE KEEPER OF ASPINWALL
BY
HENRYK SIENKIEWICZ
From "Yanko the Musician and other Stories." Translated by Jeremiah
Curtin. Published by Little, Brown & Co.
Copyright, 1893, by Little, Brown & Co.
CHAPTER I
On a time it happened that the light-house keeper in Aspinwall, not far
from Panama, disappeared without a trace. Since he disappeared during
a storm, it was supposed that the ill-fated man went to the very edge of
the small, rocky island on which the light-house stood, and was swept
out by a wave. This supposition seemed the more likely as his boat was
not found next day in its rocky niche. The place of light-house keeper
had become vacant. It was necessary to fill this place at the earliest
moment possible, since the light-house had no small significance for
the local movement as well as for vessels going from New York to
Panama. Mosquito Bay abounds in sandbars and banks. Among these
navigation, even in the daytime, is difficult; but at night, especially
with the fogs which are so frequent on those waters warmed by the sun
of the tropics, it is nearly impossible. The only guide at that time for the
numerous vessels is the light-house.
The task of finding a new keeper fell to the United States consul living
in Panama, and this task was no small one: first, because it was
absolutely necessary to find the man within twelve hours; second, the
man must be unusually conscientious,--it was not possible, of course, to
take the first comer at random; finally, there was an utter lack of
candidates. Life on a tower is uncommonly difficult, and by no means
enticing to people of the South, who love idleness and the freedom of a
vagrant life. That light-house keeper is almost a prisoner. He cannot
leave his rocky island except on Sundays. A boat from Aspinwall
brings him provisions and water once a day, and returns immediately;

on the whole island, one acre in area, there is no inhabitant. The keeper
lives in the light-house; he keeps it in order. During the day he gives
signals by displaying flags of various colors to indicate changes of the
barometer; in the evening he lights the lantern. This would be no great
labor were it not that to reach the lantern at the summit of the tower he
must pass over more than four hundred steep and very high steps;
sometimes he must make this journey repeatedly during the day. In
general, it is the life of a monk, and indeed more than that,--the life of a
hermit. It was not wonderful, therefore, that Mr. Isaac Falconbridge
was in no small anxiety as to where he should find a permanent
successor to the recent keeper; and it is easy to understand his joy when
a successor announced himself most unexpectedly on that very day. He
was a man already old, seventy years or more, but fresh, erect, with the
movements and bearing of a soldier. His hair was perfectly white, his
face as dark as