McCook weekly tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 188?-1886, 1884-10-30
81 am better here and better wet"

81 am better here and better wet"
| "How?"
at is the safest thing you can do
Hark, again!-to get yourself thorough
ly drenched in thunderstorm. Wet
clothes are better conductors than the
body; and so, if the lightning strikes,
it might pass down the wet clothes
without touching the body. The storm
deepens again. Have you rug in the
house? Rugs are non-conductOrs. Get
one that l may stand on it here, and
you, too. The skies blacken-it is
dusk at noon. Hark!-the rug, the
rug!'
[ gave him one; while the hooded
mountains seem closing and tumbling
in the cottage.
"And now, since our being dumb will
not help u.s. said l, resuming my
place, 'let me hear your precautions in
travelling during thunder storms"
"Wait until this one has passed.
'Nay, proceed with the precautions.
You stand in the safest possible place
according to your own account. Go
on"
'sBriefy then. 1 avoid pine trees,
high houses, lonely barns, upland pas
lures, running waters, flocks of cattle
and sheep, crowd of men. If l travel
on foot-as to-day-I do not walk fast;
if in my buggy, l touch not its back or
sides; if On horseback, l dismount and
lead the horse. But of all things, l
avoid tall men,"
''Do dream? Man avoid man? and
in time of danger too?"
Tall men in thunder storm |
avoid. Are you so grossly ignorant as
not to know that the height of a six
footer is sufficient to discharge an cleo
trio cloud upon him? Are not lonely
Kentuckians blowing, smit down in the
unfinished furrow? Nay, if the six
footer stand by running water, the
cloud will sometimes select him as its
conductor to thatrunning water. Hank!
Sure your back pinnacle is split. Yes
man is good conductor. The light
ming goes through a man, but only
peals tree. But, sir, you have kept
me talking for so long answering your
questions that l have not yet
come to business. Will yon order
one of my rods? Look at
this specimen one. See, it is the best
of copper. Copper's the best conduc-
tor. Your house is low, but being on
the mountains that lowness does not |
one whit depress it. You mountaineers
are most exposed. In mountainous
countries the lightning-rod man should
have the most business. Look over
these recommendations. Only one rod,
sir; cost only twenty dollars. Hank!
There 60 all the granite Taconics and
Hoosics dashed together like pebbles.
By the sound, that must have struck
something. An elevation of five feet
above the house will protect twenty
feet about the rod. Only twenty dol
lars, sir-a dollar a foot. Hark!-
eadful!-Will you order? Will you
buy? Shall l put down your name?
Think of being heap of charred offal,
like battered horse burnt in his stall;
and all in one tiash!''
"You pretended envoy extraordinary
md minister plenipotentiary to and
rom Jupiter Tonans,' laughed 1; ''you
mere man who come here TO put you
md your pipe stem between clay and
ky, do you think that because you can
trike bit of green light from the Leyden
ar, that you can thoroughly avert the
bolt? Your rod rusts or breaks
md where are you? Who has en-
covered you, you Tetzel, to peddle
ound your indulgences from divine
The hairs of our head
re numbered. and the days of our
ives. In thunder as in sunshine stand :
t ease in the hands of my God. False O.,
egotiators away! See, the scroll of :,
be storm is rolled back. The house is I
and in the heavens read in =
he rainbow, that the Diety will not, on =
urpose, make war on mans earth"
'sImpious wretchr' foamed the =
tranger, blackening in the face as the =
ainbow beamed, Il will publish your +
lfidel notions" =
The scowl grew blacker on his face; E
he indigo circles enlarged around his y
yes as the storm rings round the mid :,
light moon. He sprang upon me, his y
,i-fork thing at my heart. "
81 seized it; snapped it; 1 dashed it; "
trod it; and dragging the dark light g
ing king out OF my door, flung his +
bowed copper spectre after him. b
But, in spite of my treatment, and -
bite of my dissuasiye talk of him to my "
eighbors, the lightning rod man still
YES in the land; still travels in storm ;,
me, and drives a brave trade with the -
ears of men.