Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1885-07-17
FROM A STORM CLOUD
THE CRIES FOR HELP WHICH FARMER
KBEGAN HEARD.
Children Picked Up by an Iowa Tornado,
No One Knows Where, and Landed In
Meadsw-A Singular Coneidence.

south window of his sitting room few
few days ago, watching the tornado as
best he could through the gathering
gloom, he had many reasons to rejoice.
He knew that the storm would be apt
TO damage his crops to some extent, but
1t had come at about as good time for
him as it could. Everything was ship
shape about the farm, and his house and
barns had been built on purpose to
resist the tempests of summer as well as
the Billiards of winter. When the
tornado was at its worst the farmer
thought, as he was turning away, that
he heard a human cry, and, stepping
again to the window, he listened in
tently to the whistling, screeching, roar
ing wind without. His wife coming in
ct that moment, he told her what he
thought he had heard, and faint, In
credulous smile lit her pale face as she
said:
lyon always hear voices in the storm.
Put down the curtain; the lightning is
frightful"
Mr.. Keegan drew the curtain, and,
taking seat near the window, read
from newspaper for ten or fifteen
minutes. Then, the storm having passed,
he raised the curtain, and, holding both
hands to his eyes, looked out His wife
looked up In a startled way as he turned
around, and when he asked, "tDid you
aear that 2" she made no answer The
noise Of the wind had subsidized, and
above the rapid patter of the rain drops
could be distinctly heard vioce of some
one in distress. The farmer put on his
big coat and boots, lighted his lantern,
and started out. The door had hardly
closed behind him when he returned
with something white in his arms, and
laid it in the hands of his wife. 1t was
the dead body of fair-haired child of
two or three years. The little ones
scanty clothing and its long yellow hair
were dripping wet, but there were no
bruises or cuts anywhere to indicate the
cause of death. Mrs. Keegan was busy
in minute applying restoratives. She
had the delicate body stripped almost
before the farmer could explain where
he found it, and what she could think of
In the way of treatment was resorted to,
but without avail The baby was dead.
While they were bending over its little
form they heard once more the cry that
had startled them earlier in the evening,
and once again the farmer started out in
the pelting rain. He was gone half an
hour this time, and his wife, growing
uneasy, went to the little porch repeat
eddy with a lantern in her hands, and
tried to pierce the blackness with her
vision When Keegan left the house he
walked straight to the meadow whence
the cries seemed to come, but once there
he could hear and see nothing. After
making a complete tour of the lot
through the tall wet grass, stopping fire.
quently to listen, he heard the cry again,
this time seemingly from the direction
of the house Several times the roar of
some tall populars in the distance or the
screech of passing bird startled him so
that his teeth chartered, and then the
rain would come down with such force
that he could scarcely keep his eyes
open. Following the cry last heard he
Fetraced his steps, and, standing near
the entrance to his garden, he resolved
20 remain there and listen. In a few
minutes he heard the wall again, and,
feeling that he had made no mistake
this time, he again entered the meadow,
and, going through the center of the
field, came upon two children, both
nearly nude, the eldest a boy of not
more than six years. The other, little
girl, lay with her head in a small pool Of
water, evidently dead; but the boy,
though helpless, was crying Justify.
Keegan gathered the children into his
strong arms and started for the house,
where his wife greeted him at the door,
lantern in hand An hour later both of
these children were restored to con-
seriousness and health, and before the
warm fire which Mrs. Keegan had made
were eagerly devouring the light repast
which she had provided them.
When it was found that they were
comparatively uninjured the farmer put
out his lantern and made the house fast
for the night, though he said that he felt
as though he ought to make tour of the
entire township and see if there were
not some more little ones that had rained
down. After the boy had had his meal
he was asked if the girl was his sister,
and replied in the negative. Then both
of them were taken to the place where
the baby lay dead, and as the sheet was
drawn from its face they were asked if
they ever saw the child before. Both
said they had not. The boy then told
where he lived, gave his name and some
other particulars, but could not tell how
he came to be In the meadows. Allthat
he remembered was big storm and find
ing himself in the grass wet and cold.
The little girl could say nothing, and
appeared 10 be very well satisfied with
her situation. Never doubling but that
they would be able to find the homes of
the children the next day, and congrat-
ulating themselves on their success in
saving two of them, the farmer and his
wife and their strange little guests went
to rest.
Early the next morning Keegan took
the boy and girl and started off to the !
southwest IN the direction of the place /
where the former said he lived. His /
parents were found well nigh distracted
over his loss, the injuries which they
themselves had sustained having pre-
I'D h.,r~