Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1880-09-20

up the yellow fever to me, and I think
it is perfectly unreasonable. You can't
even send a telegraphic message as far
as Memphis without delays, SO how is |
a littfe devotional slip of mine going to
carry SO far? I'll stand the earthquake,
because it was in the neighborhood but
I'll be hanged if I'm going to be respon-
sible for every blamed
boom beroom-boom +! boom
bang u
"Oh, dear, dear, dear l know it
struck something, Mortimer. We never
shall see the light of another day and
if it will do you any good to remember,
when we are gone, that your dreadful
language-Mortimer!
"Well What now q
"Your voice sounds as if-Mortimer,
are you actually standing in front of
that open fireplace p
"That is the very crime l am COM
hitting.
"Get away from it, this moment.
You do seem determined to bring de-
struction on US ALL Don't you know,
that there is no better conductor for
lightning than an open chimney? Now
where have you got to ?"
"l'm here by the window"
"Oh, for PHYS sake, have you lost
your mind ? Clear out from there, this
moment. The very children in arms
know it is fatal to stand near window
IN a thunderstorm. Dear. dear, l
know | shall never see the light of ano-
ther day. Mortimer ?"
"Yes ?'
"What is that rustling?''
"It's me"
"What are you dolng?"
Trying to find the upper end of my
pantaloons ?"
"Quick throw those things away
[ do believe you would deliberately put
on those clothes at such time as this
yet you know perfectly we'll that all au-
thorities agree that wooden stuffs attract
lightning. Oh, dear, dear, it isn't sufi-
cient that ones life is in peril from nat
ural causes, but you must do everything
you can possibly think of to augment
the danger. Oh, don't sing What
can you be thinking of? p
-
Mortimer, something must be done
for your preservation. Give me that
German book that is on the end of the
mantel-piece, and candle; bnt don't
light it; give me match | will light
it in here. That book has some direc-
tions in it"
got the book,-at cost of a vase
and some other brittle things; and the
madam shut herself up with her candle.
| had moments peace then she call
ed OUT
Mortimer, what was that 2"
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 cleo
tricity. just know my hair will turn
white with this nights awful perils."
| heard the mufied sobbings again.
But for that, | should not have moved
hand or foot in such wild enterprise
in the dark.
However, went at my task,-over
chairs, and against all sorts of obstruc-
tions, all of them sharp ones, too, and
most of them with sharp edges, s,-and
at last got kitty cooped up in the CON-
mode, at an expense of over four hun
dred dollars in broken furniture and
shins. Then these mufied words came
from the closet -
"It says the safest thing is to stand
on chair in the middle of the room,
Mortimer; 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. Fzt boom,
bang smash : Oh, hear that ! Do
hurry. Mortimer, before you are struck. "
l managed to find and secure the
tumblers. got the last four,-broke
all the rest. | insulated the chair legs
and called for further instructions.
Mortimer, it says, 'Wahrend zines
Gewitters entterne man Metalle, vie z.
B., Ringe, Uhren, Shlussel, etc., Won
sich und halte sich auch NIGHT an solchen
Stellen auf, wo viele Metallic bel einae-
der liegen, oder NIT andern Korpern
verbunden sind, vie an Herden, Oefen,
Eisengittern u. dgl.' What does that
mean, Mortimer? Does it mean you
must keep metals about you, or keep
them away from you %
"Well. | hardly know. 1t appears tc
be little mixed All German advice
is mors or less mixed. However,
think that that sentence is mostly il
J the dative case, with little genitivt
and accusative sifted in, here and there
for luck; so [ reckon it means thai
you must keep some metals about you. .
"Yes, that must be it. 1t stands t.
reason that it is. They are in the Ma