The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1882-09-15


She put the letter astily into her
dress and came out into the little porch.
A door came to with sharp clang, and
for the first time she noticed that it was
very dark, and the wind was blowing in
little sudden gusts that threatened to
become gale.
Pm going up to the hill, mother
isn't it splendid?' Ralph asked. excited
~, his blue eyes darkening and dilating.
Ito the hill! Why it rains now, and
see how black it is, and-O, mercy"
This exclamation was caused by the
wind lifting barrel that stood at the
corner of the house, and dashing it
against the door with insane fury.
Nonsense! Who is afraid of a little
rain and a puff of wind? 1 only wish l
was outside-wouldn't it be jollym
making telescope of his hands, and
looking off.
''Ralphr'
"We1, motherT' turning sharply
round. because my grandfather was
drowned, must be a coward and turn
away my eyes every time wave comes
in?" he asked, petulantly. Il saw in
a newspaper the other day an account
ola man choked to death by eating a
piece of meat-do you suppose his de-
scendants will all forswear meat?
Pshaw! lam going up to the hill; I
want to see if there are any sails in
sight. shall not get shipwrecked up
there" he added, dryly, as he drew on
an old oil jacket of his fathers.
"You are justlike Tom
Eyes, so I have heard" he inter-
rupted. 81 suppose you wish was
like Rob Thatcher. He is nice speci-
men-he is"
''Ralph, Robert wasn't to blame if
Lulu was drowned. You do wrongly to
speak So" she replied gravely, but with
little secret thrill of pride at her Boys
fearless spirit.
Wasn't to blame! Well, if I had a
sister, and the boat upset that we were
in, do you think L d run home and wrap
my face up in my mothers gown and
cry, while she drowned? That's what
he did, everybody knows, and 1 say he
is miserable cowardr' he cried, with
flashing eyes. 81 only wish 1 had
been there-such pretty little thing
as she was! It's pity it wasn't him
the great babyr' and he flung himself
out of the room too indignant to make
more talk about the matter.
The wind increased momently, and
the spray from the incoming waves
hung like veil along the long reach of
dripping sands. A hollow, hungry roar
came up and crept away behind the
hills in shuddering echoes. A limb
from the great poplar in the yard fell
against the windows with crash just
as Ben Anderson drove up to the barn
door.
Its the hardest storm we've had
these ten years-a regular Old-fash-
toned line gale" he said, coming into
the kitchen where his wife was trying
to coax the fire up chimney instead of
its coming into the room, as it had for
the last half hour.
II am SO glad you have got home,
Benz she said, coming and laying her
hand on his arm.
He saw how white she was. and no
ticed the hand on his arm trembled.
"What, nervous. little woman?" he
asked, smiling.
"Iwas so afraid the trees would blow
over and brighten the horse when you
came through the woods" she replied.
with little hysterical sob. "And the
sea-just hear itr'
"He is in the storm as well as in the
calm, Myra." he said, gravely. But
seeing how nervous she was he did not
tell her how near her fears had come
to the truth. A great pine, standing
close to the road, had gone over as he
came by, just clearing his head, and
grazing the back of the wagon. One
instant later and it would have crushed
him to death, and Myra would have
waited in vain for his coming!
"Where is Ralph?" he asked, look
ing round, sudden fear that he had
gone down the harbor overtaking him.
81 never saw such boy-unless it
was brother Tom. Why, he is rugged
up in your old jacket. up on the hill;
he would 90. He thinks this is 'splen-
did'-this terrible storm-and wishes
he was outsider she added. with
shudder.
"Heaven help those who are outside"
Mr.. Anderson replied, soberly.
"Do you think there are any vessels
on the coast?" she asked, anxiously.
"They had been looking off with
their glasses from Coles Hill for an
hour or two when 1 left town. There
was large ship just discernible in the
distance. The spray was SO thick
twas next to impossible to make her
out. / hope she managed to keep out
to sea; with this wind driving her, if she
became unmanageable from any cause,
it would be hard look"
Father! there's a sail outside. and
it's driving in toward the point" Ralph
cried, excitedly, opening the door,
which sent sudden sheet of flame and
smoke half way across the room.
"Come in, Ralph" Mr.. Anderson
..But want to go down to the beach.
father p
''Come in. l say" he repeated, sternly.
Ralph shut the door and came slowly
through the porch into the kitchen. 1t
would not do to disregard his COM
mands, he had learned that thoroughly.
His mother he could '.bluff off, as he
called it, but he never tried it with his
father.
"You could not stand on the beach |
an instant in this gale, Ralph, and the
spray drives clear up to the windows
seer And as he spoke it grew sudden
ly dark, and the wind whirled the rain