Free Sugar House (9780991192519) by Jean Scheffler

the
river freezes I take our horse and sled over the ice. Only time I
don't have to go is when it's storming bad or the ice is real
thin."
    "You drive a boat by yourself?" Joe
asked.
    "Sure. It's just a small thing. Not hard to
steer."
    "You ever help your Pa in the
lighthouse?"
    "Sure. All the time. He's a sailor too, so Ma
and I got to tend the lights ourselves when he is gone. You want to
go up and see?"
    "You bet I do!" Joe said excitedly. They tied
the pony to the outside of the garden gate and headed toward a
wooden door at the bottom of the tower. Jimmy turned the handle and
led them into the dark stairwell. As they climbed the stairs Jimmy
explained to Joe that his family had been running the lighthouse
for over seventy years.
    "My great-grandfather was a ship's captain
before he was appointed to operate the lighthouse. My
great-grandmother got tired of him being gone all the time, and she
wanted him to apply to run the light when it was being built. But
he didn't think he would get picked so he didn't try for the job.
Well, she got real irritated and was sitting on her front porch
with her dog, just fuming about her lazy husband, when she saw the
governor of Upper Canada drive by in his carriage. All of a sudden
the carriage stopped and the governor got out and walked up to the
porch. He said, 'That's a fine dog you have, madam. Is it for
sale?' So my great-grandmother said, 'No, hadn't thought of selling
him. But my husband is a lake sailor, and if you appoint him as
keeper to the Bois Blanc lighthouse you can have the dog.' So the
Governor agreed, and we've been here ever since."
    "Talk about being in the right place at the
right time! Too bad she had to give up the dog, though." replied
Joe. Reaching the top stair, Joe stepped into the bright glass room
and looked out over the water.
    "I can see forever. Hey, I think I can see my
house all the way in Detroit."
    "Probably not quite that far, but on a clear
day you can see almost seventeen miles," Jimmy replied. After he
showed Joe how the light was lit and how it signaled ships in the
river, they headed back down the stairs.
    "Wanna go down to the beach?" asked Jimmy.
"Sometimes I can find old Indian spearheads that wash up on the
shore."
    "Wish I could, but I'd better head back. My
family's going to wonder what happened to me. Maybe I could meet
you after we eat lunch."
    "Yeah, sounds good. I'll meet you by the
north baseball diamond around one o'clock. OK?"
    "All right," Joe called, getting back on his
pony and heading toward the stables. Joe found his family buying
soft drinks at a small log cabin store that sold refreshments.
    "Have a good time, Joe?" his mother
inquired.
    "Yes, ma'am. I met this boy who took me
upstairs in the lighthouse, and I could see for miles! Thanks for
letting me ride the pony, Matka."
    The foursome headed toward a shady picnic
spot near the baseball diamond. "Let's watch the game while we eat
our lunch, shall we?" said Matka.
    Ojciec took a blanket out of the basket and
spread it on the grass under the trees. Matka handed everyone a ham
and cheese sandwich on bread she had baked the day before. Joe took
a sip of the lemonade his parents had bought for him and sat down
on the blanket. The drink was cool and sweet and he had to sip
slowly so he wouldn't drink it down in one gulp. Sitting on a small
rise under the trees, they had a perfect view of the game that was
already in progress.
    Joe pointed out some of the finer points of
the game to his father. "See, Ojciec, that guy on first base starts
to lead off when the pitcher is about to throw to the batter. If he
gets a real good lead he can steal second base. But he's gotta be
real fast, cause the pitcher can throw it to first or second and
get him out." Ojciec continued to ask questions as he observed the
game and Joe answered with best of his limited knowledge, having
learned mostly on the playground and on the street in front of
their house.
    The game became slightly heated when one