The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1881-06-23

MY uear, you arc ui"ayo thAoW'hS up
this yellow fever to me, and think 1t is
perfectly unreasonable. You can't even
send teIcgraphic message as far as Mem
phls without relays, 80 how Is little do
votional slip of time going 10 carry 80 far.
the nelghborhood; but I'll be hanged IL
I'm going to be responsible for every
blamed
Fzt!-BooM beroona-boom boom -
''Oh, dear, dear, dear 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-Morti-
merl
"Welll What now 2"
"Your voice sounds as if-Mortimer, are
you actually standing in front of that open
tiroplace9'
''That is the very crime am commit
ting"
'Get away from it this moment. You
do seem determined to bring destruction on
us all. Don't you know that there is no
better conductor for lightning than an open
chimneyS Now where have you got tor
'1'm here by the window"
"Ch, for PHYS sake, have you lost your
mind2 Clear out from here this moment.
The very children In arms know that 1t is
fatal to stand near window III thunder
storm. Dear, dear, know l shall never
see the light of another day. Mortimer 2"
"What is that rustling7"
ats me"
"What are you doing ?"
"Trylng to find the upper end of my
pantaloons.
''Quick throw them things awayl do
believe yon would deliberately put on
those clothes at such time as this; yet
you know woolen stutfs attract lightning.
Oh, dear, dear, it ism t suffic ut that ones
life must be in peril from natural causes,
but you must do everything you can pos
slbly think Of to augment the danger. Oh,
don't sing What can you be thinking
Of 2"
"Now, where's the harm in it,"
''Mortimcr, if l have told you once l
have told you hundred times, that sing
ing causes vibrations in the atmosphere
which interrupt the flow of the electric
fluid, and What on earth are you open
ing that door for -
"Goodnecs gracious, woman, is there
any harm III that 2"
'Harm There's death IN it. Anybody
that has given this subject any attention
knows that to create drauqht is to invite
the lightning. You haven't half shut 1t;
shut 1t tight--and do hurry, or we arc all
destroyed. Oh, it is On awful thing to be
shut up with lunatic at such time as
this. Mortimer, what are you doing ?"
"Nothlng. Just turning on the water.
This room is smothering hot and close.
want to batbe my face and hands,.
"You have certainly parted with the
remnant of your miud Where lightning
strikes substance once, it strikes water
fifty times. Do turn it off. On, dear,
am sure that nothing in this world can save
us. 1t does seem to me that-Mortlmer
what was that2"
1T was dot was picture. Knocked
it down."
"Then you are close to the wall I
never heard of such imprudence! Don't
you know that there is no better conduc-
tor of lightning than wall2 Come away
from there And you came as near as any.
thing to swearing, too. Oh, how can you
be so desperately wicked, and your family
in such peril Mortimer, did you order a
feather bed, as asked you to do I"
'No. Forgot it,"
t'Forgot It'll 1t may cost you your life.
If you had feather bed, now, and could
spread it IN the middle of the room and lie
on it. you would be perfectly safe. Come
IN here-come quick, before you have a
chance to commit any moro frantic indis-
cretions."
/ tried, but the little closet would not
hold us both with the door shut, unless we
could be content to smother. l gasped
awhile, then forced my way out. My
wife called out
Mortimer, something must be done for
your preservation. Give me that German
book that is on the end Of the mantle piece
and a candle; bnt don't light it; give me
match; will light it in here. That book
has some directions in it,"
I got thebook-att the cost of of vase and
some other brittle things; and tho madam
shut herself up with her candle. had amo-
ment's peace; then she called out
"DIortimer, what was that ?"
"Nothlng but the cat"
''The catl Oh, destruction Catch her,
and shut her up in the wash stand. Do be
qu ick, love; cats are full of electricity. /
just know my hair will turn white with
this nights awful perils."
neafu inc muulcu SODDlnBS again. BuC
for that should not have moved hand or
foot in such wild enterprise in the dark.
However, l went at my task over
chairs and against all sorts Of distractions,
all of them hard ones, too, and most Of
them with sharp edgcs-and at last l got
kitty cooped up in the commode, at an ex-
pense of over four hundred dollars IN
broken furniture and sbins. Then these
muflltd words came from the closet:
'It says the safest thing ID to stand on a
chair in tho middle of the room, Mortimer;
and the legs of the chair must be insulated
with non- conductors. That is, you must
sot the legs of the chair III glass tumblers
Fzy 6oom!-bong A--smash y On
hear that DO hurry, Mortimer, before
you are struck"
managed to find and secure the tum
blers. I got the last four-broke all the
rest insulated the chair-legs, and called
for further instructions.
eMortimer," it says, ''Wahrend eincs.
Gewitters entforne man Metallic, vie z b
O.i~ o. ot<