The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1880-10-08

toY' o
I'm here by the open window
| "Oh, for PHYS sake. have ven los
your mind Clear out from there th;. mo o
ment. The very children in arms know
Is fatai to stand near o window in
thunder storm. Dear, dear, know
snail never see the light of another day
Mortimer!"
"Yes?'
"What is that rustling?"
sits me-"
"What are you doing ?n
"Trying to find the upper end of NV
pantaloons."
"Quick! throw those things away! ]
DO believe you would deliberately mt ON
those clothes at such time a. this: vet
you know perfectly well that all author.
tics agree that wooden stuffs attract ioht-
ming. Oh, dear, dear, it isn't suficient
tnat ones life must be in peril from natu-
RAJ causes, but you must do everything
you can possibly think of to augment the
danger; Oh, don't sing! What can Won
be thinking OFF" o@
: Now, where's the harm in it?~
ing Neaa66t@eEs. if / have told you once. I
which interrupt the flow of the electric
fluid, and-what on earth are you open
ing that door for ?"
Goodness gracious, woman, is there
any harm in that"
aHarm? There's death in it. Anybody
that has given this subject any attention
knows that to create a draught is to In
vite the lightning. You haven't half shut
it; shut it Highland do hurry, or we are
all destroyed. Oh, it is an awful thing to
be shut up with a lunatic at such time
as this. Mortimer, what are you doing ?'
Nothing. Just turning on the water.
This room is smothering hot and close.
want to battle my face and hands"
"You have certainly parted with the
remnant of your mind Where lightning
strikes any other substance once it strikes
water fifty times. Do turn it of. Oh,
dear, am sure that nothing in this world
can save rs. 1t does seem to me that
Mortimer, what was that ?"
at was dat was picture. Knock
ed it down."
''Then you are close to the wall! /
never heard of such imprudence! Don't
you know that there's no better conductor
of lightning than a wall? Come away
from there! And you came as near as
anything to swearing, too. Oh, how can
you be 80 desperately wicked, and your
family in such peril? Mortimer, did you
order feather bed, as asked you to p
"No. 1 forgot it."
"Forgot it 1t may cost you your life.
If you had feather bed, now, and could
spread it in the middle of the room and
slie on it, you would be perfectly safe.
ECome in here, come quick, before you
have a chance to commit any frantic in
discretions."
/ tried, but the little closet would not
? hold US both with the door shut, unless
we could be content to smother gasped
awhile, then forced my way out
: Mortimer, something must be done
for your preservation. Give me that Ger
man book that is on the end of the mantel-
piece, and candle; but don't light it
give me match; / will light it in here.
That book has some directions In il"
| got the book-at the cost of o vase
and some other brittle things; and the
madam shut herself up with her candle.
had moments peace; then she called
out
Mortimer, what was that ?"
"Nothing but the cat"
"The cat Oh, destruction! Catch her,
and shut her up in the wash-stand. Do
be quick, love; cats are full of electricity.
just know my hair will turn white with
this nights awful perils."
/ heard the muffled sobbings again
: But for that should not have moved
hand or foot in such a wild enterprise in
the dark.
! However, l went at my task = over
chairs and against all sorts of obstruc.
tions, all of them with sharp edges-and
at last got kitty cooped up in the com.
J mode, at an expense of over four hun
dred dollars in broken furniture and shins.
Then came these muffled words from the
closet:
at says the safest thing is to stand on
q chair in the middle of the room, Nor
timer; and the legs of the chair must be
insulated with non-conductors; that is,
you must set the legs of the chair in glass
tumblers. FIT !-boom-bang smash 4
Oh, hear that Do hurry, Mortimer, be
vfore you are struck"
/ managed to find and secure the tam.
blers. / got the last four-broke all the
rest. l insulated the chair legs and called
for further instructions
/ Mortimer, it says: 'Wahrend eines
Gewitters entferne man Metallic, vie 2. B..
Ringe, Uhren, Schlussel, etc, Won sich
und halte sich auch NIGHT an solchen Stel
len auf, wo viele Metalle bel einandel
liegen odor NIT andern Korwern vefbun
den sind, vie an Herden, Oefen, Essen
| gittern U. dgL What does that mean
Mortimerp Does it mean that you musi
keep metals about you or keep them
away from your
We'll, hardly know. Il appears Il
be q little mixed. All German advice 4
more or less mixed. However, thini
that sentence 10 mostly in the dative case
with . little genitive and accusasive silted
in here and there for luck; 30 reckon Il
means that you must keep some mstall
about you"
Yes, that must be it. It stands tc
reason that it is. They are in the nature
OF lightning rods, yen know. Put on
your ireman's helmet, Mortimer; that ID
mostly metal"
Igot it and put it on-a very heavy and
clumsy and uncomfortable thing on . hot
night in . close room Even nv nigh
dress seemed to be- more clothing than
/ strictly needed.
Mortimer. / think your middle ought
IN ha vrokaefed Wnr5t ,v<x,, .,,,t -. -,