The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1873-03-08
turned away her head and had recourse t

prayer.
The blackness had nov become univer
sal and each brilliant flash ot lightning
vas almost instantly followed by a loud
crashing burst If thunder. The lightning
was evidently coming nearer with each sue
eesslve discharge. Every flash was nov
followed by a shrlekIng, hurtling, kissing
sound as the terrible huid leaped from eaci
salient angle Of its zigzag course, and tort
through the compressed AR. A fearful still
ness Of few seconds, durlug which Amy
could count the pulsatlons Of her lttl,
heart stiffness AS if the warrlng ele
ments paused for final and greater burs
of fury, was succeeded by an unearthlN
sound that shore the stiffness like a W.
The sound Was dry and Of short duration
but 1t Vas the report Of flash which struck
the tree and tore il into a thousand pieces
The limb on which oscar was standing wa.
torn from the trunk and hurled some dis
tance INTO the held
Amy struggled To her feet and ran to
ward the d,i.rts of the old tree she fusnd
Oscar lying on his back. ms arms extended,
his ewes closed, his face blanched. and no
sign of lie IN his body, although there
were no marks Of violence, no bruise Oh
confusion IL U, seen. Large drops Of rain
nov began falling rapidly, falling upon the
upturred face 81 the poor maniac, falling
upon the thInly clad person of the delicate
Z child, whose tears mingled with the ram
that fell upon the face which locke Il So
pale and CHASTITY at the black fruM nIng
heavens, that scnwled illimtably the scowl
ot the tempest -thruned Storm King.
After about three minutes sigh issued
from oscar breast, but very faint, at the
same time slight flush began spreading
over his face The effect Of the lightning
shock and the fall from the limb produced
a temporary hut sudden suspension of yoll-
tiun and rf all action Of the SENSES and
something hAr Cltalepsls ensued, but the
falling rain acted on the system like a
douche. and respiration and consciousness
returned much sooner than Il would if the
rain had not fallen upon him. The rain
continued to fall. Ia about fifteen min
utcs Oscar ; natural color had returned, has
eyes partly opened, and there can { from
his lbs these strange words
Nv ho ls there
After short time hr again spoke III a
louder tome ana a>truIshrd little Amy by
saving
"Hallt What do you want what is
u 'a ptu,r during which his eyelds
began Oh wink --'' that boat was prov ling
around here agAIn Ills eyes now opened
NIdr and Amy saw with Joy that the pupil
Mas It natural Size She had also already
noticed that HIS words we're spOken distinct
II. clearly ana With convincing soberness.
>h, bent oVer HIM ana whispered
Dear oscar u, you know me- m III
hooked At her steadily and earnestly ior a
moment and then sand
~ hy. 10 be- Slrr know my sweet little
sister Was It you that called me but.
good Lord, Amy. what brought YOU here
Nhrre j. mother v hat does this mean
Nhrr- am , he asked IN hurried, scared
,ui,r, a. lie looked around and saw the
open tvIds the shattered tree and felt the
ra.iu. ram
D,tar y p",i ,ras sGi,, r,,to,-,i to re,isoa !
A violent shock ~ cuncusslon restored the
reason which = Violent conclusion had
seemingly destroyed. But through what
agency by What principle, or III what man
n-r tins occurred and was brought about,
ar know not. nor can We conjecture All
opinion. We only know the psychological
phenomenon that day occurred more We
know not. nor seek to know.
Dear oscar. You have been i'll for Il
lon. time and something dreadful has hap
J,ened said Amy As southugly as she
could She then III few brief words told
him of the fall If the old building, his sub
Sr,Ient insanity and confinement AT Jack
suuVIlt. her arrival there, her object. hi,
escape and the flash Of lightning that shat
tered the tree and brought back ms lost
reason.
The poor fellow pressed his head with hi
hands and seemed to ponder for some little
time
ut is very strange, " he said, Every much
Ike dream, hut You must be right, my
presence here, the shattered tree and you,
dear sister all appear ta confirm youl
words but really ! know no more about il
than au unborn babe Oscar was right
He knew nothing about it. His reason
came back like a shot, the scope or com
pass or boundary walls of his memory, sud
denly expanded, flew out t. their origina
extent. but his fully restored memory
bIo ight him no farther than that terrible
night there il ceased abruptly. stopped
short He remembered seeing the same
building. but when he showed himself, the
boat put back across the river he ther
went o. bed and remembered some one
calling him further he knew nothing
there Vas a dead stop, a complete shut of
and all the time that interviewed between
the catastrophe aud his re-awakening tC
reason was a blank Of which he had not
the remotest idea or comprehension.
The rain had ceased the storm had
I passed southwark, a brisk wind tore, scat
\ tered and drove the thin clouds that still
! obscurcd the sun, in the wake of the receJ.
ing storm which they followed like strag-
/ glers in the rear Of the army. The sun
/ came out clear and bright and reflected
floods Of rismatic light and myriads Of
tiny rainbows III the multitudinous drops
OF sparkling glistening rain, that clung to
every leaf and shrub and blade Of grass in
1 the field.
Oscar Wood had arisen, and though his
step was weak and totterlng, he proposed
to explore the country in search Of farm
house, or some habltation where shelter
and food might he procured for little Amy
who was now too feeble to even stand but
lust AS he Was about to start he saw sight
viii III glGddened his a i y heart-a team
If horses and high-boxed doubleseateC
spring wagon was observed advancing W
! the road When the horses DIRE nearer
Oscar went toward the road and signalleC
the driver to stop which act, however, wa,
unnecessary. a. the man had already reineC
up, and was looking steadily, but wonder
ingly at Oscar and the shattered tree.
Heavens and earth, man, but you lool
as if you had caught the whole Of it, saiC
the farmer such he proved to be-in
sort Of sympatheti:, good humored voice, a
he gazed at the bedraggled garments, which
adhered te Oscars flesh like the folds o
the dress of bather just from the surf
We'll, believe | did, Oscar replied
feebly and ruefully, knowing quite well tina
his appearance was not only shockmgly ri
dieulous and laughable, but sadly diseon