Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1885-09-02
MARY AND JOHN.

An Incident OF Thunder Storm In the
Mountains of Tennessee.
There. was terrible thunder storm
coming up, and a thunder storm
among the mountains of Tennessee
means much to the traveller over the
narrow and winding roads, each one
full of peril from falling rock or rush
ing water. It was growing dusky, too,
and in the gloom and the hurry to
reach shelter | came near riding over
woman who was coming down the
road at run. She screamed and
jumped aside, and as she stood for
moment I called out:
1.-THE storm will be here in ten min
utes. Run for the house."
For an instant l caught sight of a
white face under sunbonnet. The
eyes were wild, the teeth set hard, and
/ thought of a maniac 1t was only
for an instant, and then flash of light
ming set the horse off at full gallop.
He ran for half mile as if frightened
for his life, turned to the right and
leaped fence, and as he halted at the
door of cabin voice shouted in my
ear:
"Git down and come in! Ike will
stable the hossm
The storm broke at that moment.
and what with the wind, the rain, the
red flashes and loud rolling thunder,
we could only sit and look at each
other for the first quarter of an. hour.
Then the stormed luned hinto steady
pour accompanied by an occasional
fierce gust, and [ knew that it would
be daybreak before weSsaw the last of
it,
The man placed provisions on the
table and sat down to the board with
me- He made great effort to appear
hospitable and cheerful, but | noticed
that he was listening intently, as if for
a voice or step, and twice he rose up
and went to the window. BY and by
| recollected of seeing the woman, and
| asked:
''Is there cabin within mile or so
of this down the roadP"
"None fur nigh on to three" he re-
piled.
Then God help the woman I met
| half mile below as the storm was
breaking!'
"a woman! Did she have on sum
| bonnet?"
Yes
'And dark dress?"
Yes"
THAT was Mary, my wife! She said
she would, but l didn't believe it"
would what?"
He rose up and flung open the door
to look cut. A sheet of rain blew half
| way across the room, extinguishing the
candle and leaving us in darkness. and
| the cabin rocked under the wind as if
it would blow over. The man shut the
door, relighted the candle, and, placing
it at a window so that its light would
shine down the road, he came over to
| me and said:
Yes, that was my wife. We have
| been married two years. Yonder in
| the cradle sleeps our infant"
"And what possessed her to start out
| in this awful Storm"
i Il didr' he exclaimed, in an accus-
ing voice. I'VE had quarrel. But
| for me it would have been only a
| trifie. She was proud and naughty,
though loving and affectionate, and,
while knew 1 was in the wrong, Twas
determined to humble her. An hour
ago, when demanded, with the bear
| ing of tyrant, that she retract certain
statements, she calmly dressed herself
and set out for a seven-mile walk to her
| fathers"
You must have been insane to let
her gor' ss..: rc:'
''God forgive me, but would not
| say one word to keep her! / didn't be-
lieve she would go, and when she went
out, kissing the baby goodbye, but
having neither word nor look for me,
would not ask her to stay"
"And what are her chances in this
storm?"
His face was deathly pale, and his
voice trembled like child's, as he an
| swered:
I'm going tolook for her, and 1
want you to mind the cabin and the
child. The little one is a sound
sleeper, and the storm will grow no
| worse"
Taking down his rifle, he opened the
door and dashed out into the storm,
and was left alone. For hours there
was no break in the fury of the storm.
For hours the child slept peacefully
through all the turmoil
When morning came the sky was
clear, the sun bright and the birds
sang joyously. The colored man who
had taken care of my horse soon ap-
peared, and after bite to eat I started
down the road in hopes to meet my
host returning with his wife. A mile
and half from the cabin found them
both. Whether she had been struck
down by flash or her life beaten out
by the storm I could not say. She lay
beside large rock at the roadside. In
the awful darkness he, had found her,
but she was deadsa' He lay beside her,
ione arm partly covering her face, and
in the center of his forehead was a
blue-black hole, from which the blood
slowly oozed. He had shot himself be-
side Mary's dead body.-M quad, in
| Detroit Free Press.
An lnferacfipo pae%o~,+;oo