फ्रांसके करडोनिस बेल आइलके प्रकाश-गृहकी घटना है। प्रकाश-गृहमें लालटेन जलानेवाला अचानक बीमार पड़ गया। बड़ी अँधेरी रात थी। उसकी पत्नीने लालटेनको जला दिया। लालटेन जलाकर वह लौटी ही थी कि उसने देखा कि पति मरणासन्न है। वह बड़ी चिन्तित हो गयी। इतनेमें उसके सात सालके लड़के और दस सालकी लड़कीने सूचना दी कि लालटेन घूम नहीं रही है। प्रकाश गृहकी लालटेनरातभर घूमकर समुद्रकी उत्ताल तरङ्गोंपर चारों ओर अपना प्रकाश फैलाती थी। यदि वह एक ही दिशाको प्रकाशित करती तो जहाजोंके टकराने और डूबनेकी आशंका हो जाती थी ।
पत्नीने पतिको मरणशय्यापर छोड़ दिया और बच्चोंको साथ लेकर वह लालटेन ठीक करने चली गयी। लालटेन ठीक नहीं हो सकी। ‘बच्चो ! तुमलोग रातभर इस लालटेनको घुमातेरहो। समुद्रमें चारों ओर घना अन्धकार छाया हुआ है; बड़े जोरका तूफान आ रहा है।’ यह आदेश देकर वह पतिके पास चली आयी।
दोनों बच्चे नौ बजे रातसे सात बजे सबेरेतक लालटेन घुमाते रहे। इस प्रकार उन्होंने अनेक जहाजोंकोप्रकाश दिया और असंख्य प्राणोंकी रक्षा की, पर उनके पिताके प्राण तो चले ही गये। माँ मृत पतिके पास रो रही थी, पर इस पवित्र बलिदानके लिये उसके मनमें निराशाकी एक रेखा भी न थी। अपने बच्चोंके सत्कर्तव्य पालनसे वह बड़ी प्रसन्न थी। रा0 श्री0
France’s Kardonis is the event of the Belle Isle Lighthouse. The person lighting the lantern in the light house suddenly fell ill. It was a very dark night. His wife lit the lantern. She had returned after lighting the lantern when she saw that her husband was about to die. She became very worried. Meanwhile, his seven-year-old boy and ten-year-old girl informed that the lantern was not moving. The lantern of the lighthouse used to rotate throughout the night spreading its light on the waves of the sea. If it had illuminated only one direction, there would have been a possibility of ships colliding and sinking.
The wife left her husband on his deathbed and took the children along with her and went to fix the lantern. The lantern could not be fixed. ‘children ! You keep rotating this lantern all night long. There is thick darkness all around the ocean; A strong storm is coming.’ By giving this order, she came to her husband.
Both the children kept rotating the lantern from nine in the night till seven in the morning. In this way he gave light to many ships and saved innumerable lives, but his father lost his life. Mother was crying near the dead husband, but there was not even a line of despair in her heart for this holy sacrifice. She was very happy with the performance of her children’s duties. Ra0 Mr.0
