Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1886-03-17
COLORADO.
Girls Caught on the Plains by an
Approaching Tornado.
Escaping the Lightning and the Tempest
Experience In a GuIch-Ifow It
Appeared when the storm
Was Over.

No Huu Dccu uedIIS IWO mOHlHS dl tnc
ranch, and the weeks had been an al
most unvarying round of delight for us
both. Nearly all the daylight hours we
were out of doors, watching the phases
of life so new to us. Often at night
we went out to a little cniinencc whore
we could sec the sheep come home to
their corral. What solid phalanx of
wool they looked, and what twinkling
little sticks their legs were. Poncho had
recovered, and was gravely at work
every day. used to think the dogs
face wore an air of tenderness as well
as anxiety when he was conducting q
detachment of sheep with lambs. OF
course. that was mere fancy, but Val
verde bore me out in the notion. To
his mind Poncho was capable of any.
thing. He would not be surprised if
some day the dog had suddenly adj
dressed him in the English of the plains.
1T was a quarter to three o'clock of n
mild, cloudless afternoon when my sis.
ter, Nan, and myself started TO return
from ranch six miles away. We had
ridden over there to dinner, and came
gayly cantering homeward the sun
bright, and for once but very little
wind blowing According TO my en-
perience, the West, with its great
plains, is the place to become acquaint-
ed with wind. Hardly day passes but
the air sweeps over the vast stretches
in way that is annoying until one
gets accustomed to it, 1t roars through
the canyons. sucking hoarsely along the
gorges. II IS one of the mighty as
pets of the country, and to me the
least pleasant of anything had known
thus far. But this day, Us have said,
IL was calm. The sage only moved
gently as We rode toward il, and we
seemed TO hear the notes of birds borne
TO uS from an immense distance. A
great many curlews were circling about,
and the prairie dogs sat up in front of
the houses, looking at us with pert
and inquiring gaze.
There's something in the cry of the
birds that l do not like" said Nan.
''There's tone of forcboding in it, and
1t Is not an appropriate tone for so
magnificent day" But she laughed
at her own words as she spoke them.
A gray wolf leaped across our path at
some distance, stopped an instant and
eyed us, then fed away rapidly. Again
Nan turned uneasily in her saddle and
looked about her. As she shook the
lines on her pony's neck she exclaimed:
II am certainly under spell. DO you
know, girls, that ! actually thought
that gray wolf had something to tell us,
II we could only UNDERESTIMATE
After these remarks, Nan seemed to
forget her fears, and we all became
cheerful, as was fitting for horsewomen
in Colorado. AS look back upon that
afternoon, the ride, the bright sunlight,
and the experience which followed, all
seem, although painfully vivid, as il
they had happened in life of mine in
| some other world; can never associate
them with myself in this existence.
We were riding toward the northeast,
having been to ranch lying toward
the Vega Pass, though number OF
miles this side of it. That feeling which
the birds had awakened had proved
very transient. My sister suddenly
asked In tone Of interest, untnged by
fear, If we had noticed the cloud in the
southwest, and was it customary for
Colorado skies to exhibit such
freaks? Upon that wo all turned
us about, and as Nan, with q
quick cry, pulled up her horse, we
also stopped our ponies and gazed.
Speaking for myself, | only felt then O
keen interest, without alarm, at the
sight before me. Until looked at nv
cousins face ! did not think of fear.
great way of, it appeared TO me, wa:
told aftcrward IL must have been about
ten miles distant when we first saw IL,
was cloud absolutely black. For the
first time / knew what the phrase "inky
blackncss" meant. Neither before MOI
since have / ever seen n cloud of thai
color. 1t was roughly cone-shaped, th,
point toward the earth But even il.
shape and color were not the most ter
rible things about it The mass was
"boiling." No other word applies t.
the inccssant rapid changes in its text
urc, which all the time preserved 1t.
blackncss; and through 1t there wer,
constant flashes of lightning. But W,
heard no thunder then. shall neve
forget the whitencss that came TO Mans
face. Without knowing that / saw
them, yet remembered aftcrward tina
her fingers were clutcncd painful,
about the bride, and That she rcelct
slightly In her saddle.
"Let me think" she said, in low
voice did not speak, but my sister
who did not see Mans face, said, in
commonplace voice:
"Is not that rather bclligerenI
specimen of cloudP"
Nan did not apparently hear her; she
sat silent for perhaps half q minute
then she turned Ia us and said quickly
IL hopo you can ride fast. We can
get homo; what good II we coudP Thcr'
sa narrow gulch about milo anil
half from here. It's the only place