South-eastern Independent. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1871-1871, 1871-04-14
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sz1oo9s DO 81 Mcc0NNELLsvIILE OHIO. FRIDAY April

,strom which has been described. Will
obtaining it, clad in her working gerb, tn
patter of hoofs and clear, giflish. laugh
sweet as the carol of a meadow-lark--can
ringing alongrthe lane. As the Colone
and Alice halted TO let her high. .mettfeC
\ pony, and his heavier Morgan, drink, Mrs
Ruggles, who could not otherwise escap,
observation with becoming pride AMI
modesty stepped behind the thick willows
|, aying the Marquis with pail of waite
between his legs and a bunch OF nottle(
feathers in his hand. % bEl esf4il is 80
He stood dumb before the lovely girl
with hef face sparkling from exercise anC
enjoyment, and her golden hair secspint
from its prison of blue ribbons. Whill
the horses drank, she espied cluster o
cool violets Frightening the damp grasl
near the spring. The Marquis had pres
ence of mind enough left oIstsp forwart
sndspluek them Her g Thank yguff ad
ded greatly to his embarrassment, which
he expressed by vigorously twisting the
mottled feathers. - .-.--- -.,..--. C
"rWhat bird are those fromg" asked
Alice y ,----- c>i e. = ~ y
- The question 90 increased his emfnsrass-
ment that now the Marquis could express
it only By chewing his csp, and she smil
ingly waited a moment for the compOsure
of the young naturalist's feelings.
She was d low, chunky hen,p said he,
at length-"she was low, chunky hen,
an she laid t07 eggs, an then she had
spazzums an whirled roun' till she died.
A burst of irrepressible laughter es
capped Alice, with tbs exclamation, Did
any body ever see such boy ?" as sfie and
her father rode away, And those were
the exceptionable words concerning her
son which SO rankled that evening in the
heart of Mrs Huggles. ~
The Marquis gated with hungry eyes
after the airy little figure as 1t dashed down
the ymloyely, worm fenced road. The
golden hair, oyerfowing its boundaries of
blue ribbon, was more glorious to him than
the golden sunshine overfiowihg the blue
sky. They met no more at the spring, but
several times week, from respectful dis
tance, he watched her riding by. From
Thompson City to the little log bridge
over 0rawfish Creek, the road lay for four
miles through heavy woods. Then cafne
Cleared fields, and SOON the house of Mrs.
Ruegles.
So the summer days went by. The sea
son was waning, the garden was almost
done, and soon the contractor would be
elsewhere. Then came one particular
warm and sultry day. The screams of To-
Gusts everywhere suggested that they were
flying. The Colonel, riding once more
slowly out toward the workn1en with his
daughter, was near the middle of the for
est. The trees on either hand were tall,
and the road was so straight and narrow
that the sunlight scarcely touched it. The
Marquis, in the top of a tall chestnut that
overhung the road near the edge of the
wood, was overhauling a nest Of flying
squirrels perhaps in the hope of finding
mottled feathers on their wings. From
his elevation he could see for great dis
tance down the level, dusty road between
the trees, and far across the surrounding
country.
The Colonel slackened his pace, sur
prised that his horse should so soon begin
to drip and pant-Alice, familiar with the
road, in the meantime, riding mile ahead.
The Marquis clung 10 the topmost
branches, looking at the still sky far above
him, the still stream far below him, the
still tree-tops far around him, till he caught
a glimpse of the only interesting object to
be seen-a black pony, bearing its usual
burden, if Alice Miller could be called a
burden, and pacing leisurely up the road
beneath him. He gazed as far as the pail
SADIE of trees permitted, but her father was
not yet in sight.
Suddenly, in the west, single vein of
lightning darted down the sky. A few
trees shuddered, as if to shake the gather
ing shadows from their bosoms. Then
ten-fold stiffness. A bird flew past, with
scream of terror, the Marquis locking in
vain TO see hawk pursuing it The dis
tant moan of a cow came from the fields.
Not another sound, 1T seemed, was in the
world.
In an instant the southwest was black.
A strange, remote murmur smote the
Colonels ear. Overhead he could see
strip Z Of hot, haZy sky. G Had
he seen the whole heavens, he could have
done nothing but go on. Quickly the
murmur became an awful mutteriBg, then
a deatening roar. The clatter, the rush,
the crash of a tornado, were behind him.
The groans of the very earth were about
him. The darkness Of twilight was upon
him. Alice and death were before him
A cloudy demon, towering high as the
heavens, in whosepath nothing could live,
was striding nearer and nearer Er--ltr
Farm houses were overthrown. Trees
were twisted off from their roots and torn
to pieces. Wild animals and birds were
dashed to death. Streams were emptled
of their waters. Human beings and horses
and cattle were lifted into the air, hurled
hither and thither, and thrown dead upon
the earth.
The whirlwind was following the line of
the road. Colonel Miller had no oppor-
tunity to see this, nor could he ride aside
from that line if he chose. He could but
cry aloud, My darliDgl o Godl Alicel"
and lash his horse forward. The high,
close forest would keep the wind from
lifting his horse from the ground, OF him
self from the saddle. But the great trees
crashed like thunder behind him. Their
fragments whirled above him. Their
branches fell before him. The limb of a
large oak grazed his face, crushed his
horse, and both rolled to the ground,
blinded with dust, imprisoned within a
baracade of splintered trunks and shattered
tree-tops.
The Marquis, from his high lookout,
saw before any one else, the approaching
tornado, and, descending like fash, he
yet noted its direction. As Alice reached
the foot of his tree he was on the ground,
had seized the pony's name, was half seat
ed and half climbing in front of her, had
snatched the reigns from her hand, and
was urging the frightened animal to its ut
most speed. Overcome with terror and
confusion, Alice clung instinctively to the
saddle and to him, without hearing his
hurried advice to "stick like old bur
dock" r-,-r 3, I--r f.. 49,. s.-.s-l /
They shot like an arrow up the road.
The noise of the tempest was audible
Closer it was coming, crushing, rending,
annihilating all before it, The way grew
darker. The terrified pony scarce touch
ing the ground His only will was to go
forward, and he still obeyed firm use of
the bit But who could hope to outrun a
hurricanel Twelve miles an hour against
eighty The Marquis needed nothing
Not far behind the road was but slash of
fallen, writhing tree-topsA The sweat
dropped from his face. He dared not look
behind. - b-s ,sI-Lsrs ols H1ibsi7Et 4.
They reached 1.-THE lane by the log
bridge, running at right angles to the road
-and in a moment, behind that lane was
choked with whirling debris. .sl-l
But in that moment they had cleared
the track of the whirlwind For the first
time Alice comprehended the conduct of
the Marquis. For the first time he turned