Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-11-13
CAUGHT IN A STORM.

OhOuH1 LIN A NlUKM.
we might just as well have been standing
oeninu the counter in New York all thess ten
uays, signed Barbara Hale, "for all the out
driveway adventures we've hadrs
-, VINO va wants out-of-the-way adventuresr'
said Dorcas Dunn scornfully.
Behind the counter, indeedfn chimad In
Mary vannecker. Can you breathe in clo-
va scented ar like this behind the counters
eau you get the mountain view like this from
,AIn aVehuei What more would the girl
want, should like to known
Barbara sighed once more and sboop h..
head. sA0oA "ei
1T is all so tame.n she said, at isn't what
iexpected at alln
The three girls-Barbara, Dorcas and Mary
"eie sitting on side hill under the shade
OF grand old cedar tree. Barbara. who had
once taken a quarters lessons in drawing.
had Sketch board on her lap and was try
lng-wlth but little success. it must be ovrnss
TO reproduce the lovely ribbon like curves Of
the river that wound its way through thu
valley below. Ao
Mary had her needle work in her Ian and
'eTcas, with her hands clasped under her
Fsf head, had long given up all ATTEMPT to read
NJ the paper covered novel that she had bronght
NJ with her.
she sky and the sunshine are So mpcb hot
ter" she said. 0- wv
Ihey were three shop girls-brirbt amhi-
us, spirited young things, full of life and
49, Iatiohs, even though they were kent
az. ny the force of circumstances: and
GUIDED together their slender resources
uer 10 ENJOY their vacation TO better ad
Do,css, the business member of the firm
naa bought an excursion ticket first and
Travelled out to Schepp's valley to see what
.ouio De done But it is needless to saw that
S ae ho,ei and boarding house prices were far
oeyond their simple means
- mere no place" said she, s'where wa
81 So ootain ono room and the very simplest
ss6<-'sFou might try Old Man Morris,n said
the portiy dame who kept the Valley bopse
ITS quiet place, and Mrs Morris she amt
no great of cook, but there's them as has |
boarded there, I'm told.n
Where is itP eagerly asked Dorcas.
And the landlady went to the door to point |
out slender blue thread of smoke that was |
CURING up heavenward from mass of woods
on a distant hill, and once more Dorcas set |
forth on her pilgrimage, this time with un-
doubted success
She engaged one room The board IN ha
sure, was plain the bed a coarse husk mat
tress, with a blanket spread on the 1oor far
Dorcas herself, the furniture home made and
.unpainted But there was grove Of nine
woods in the rear; the blackbirds piped their
silver flutes all day long, and the bees darted
In and out of the red lilies by the garden
wall, and our three heroines believed them
selves to be in paradise.
But even as Barbara Hale thus bewajled
herself, portentous shadow swept across
the sun, and looking around, they saw that a
mass OF iIvld purple thunder clouds had piled
themselves up along the western sky, while
Instant mutterings, and now and then sud-
den flash, announced the coming of a storm. |
Dorcas sprang to her feet, Barbara bepsn |
hurrledly to fold up her sketching apparatus.
Mary put her thimble and scissors in her
pocket.
"WeJnust get home quickly as possiblep
cried all three.
But in awaiting themselves of a short cutn
across patch of woods they got hopelessly
lost. The sun set behind the purple battle
ment of Clouds the dusk fell rapidly in these
dense woods, and the rain began to patter {
down in huge drops.
Barbara. the aspirant after adventure he L
gan to cry.
1--WE are lostTn she said
LOST Nonsenser' said brave Doreas y
when can see the railway track shining =
down below, Who ever got lost close to a y
railway linea Let's make for the track
And get run over" lamented Barbara. I
mot likely when there's only one train "
day, and that at noon,n laughed Dorcas. IF .
we walk along the railway line we must come !,
out somewhere, don't you seer
And besides" added Mary, ''there is lit .
tie ruined cabin not far from here where the II
railroad fagman used to live before they
changed the location of the station. Ire
member Mrs. Morris showing it to me once.n !. y
"Oh! ohT shrieked Barbara. Il couldn't II
go there The fagman was killed on the q
track There's g-g-ghost therep .
Would you rather stay here and be- Is
drenched through with raingn severely de- u
manded Mary I
"Or struck with ightning7n added Dorcas. 1t
And the upshot Of it was that the three fu- re
git1ves took refuge in a miserable old shanty - !.
close alongside OF the railroad track where -
weeds were growing up through the cracks
OF the floor, and a plentiful portion of the
RAIN came pattering through the leaks in the
roof while the old stone chimney, all settling b,
to one side, looked as if no stroke of light Ii
ming could harm it very much. of
But 1t 5 some shelter said Mary cheer a,
fuLy Vel stay here until the shower il | /,
over, and then make the best of our way III
home" -.
The shower, however, showed no indication in
OF abating in its vigor. The rain still poured tr
down In sheets; the thunder still beloved 90
through the rocky gorge where the cabin had ar
been built the lighting still lit up everything to
with sudden spurts of blue fame, like uanto- la
mine effects, of
"Oh, dear oh, dearl" said Barbara, wiring ct
ing her hands; lit must be midnightn ia
ut can't be o'clock yet" said MARY ne
And I'm SO hungry Oh, how wish I la
hadn't eaten the last Of those sandwiches an
On, OH what is thatP' futtered Barbara w
An unusually vivid electrical fash had re- DC
veaied something white and spectral at the Or
window. All three girls jumped at once OF
The ghost" shrleked Barbara, stopping
her ears and shutting her eyes as tight as was ma
practicable ~,
"A stray white COW" suggested Mary. in
"A young man in a flannel tennis suit, mr.
SAID 'orcas, the closest observer of all ov
Don't let him come i'm said Barbara On
We shall be robbed and murderedn In
Not while we are three to one, said COM wi
posed Dorcas. IN
And at the same moment a voice sounded wo
nurredly at the door: WI
Please, may come in? know IT seems crf
Intrusion, but its raining deluge and Pm Oh
wet through" 81
Come in by all MEANS said MARY, or,
And the ghost entered, dripping like a M
ountaiu -,
An in the dark" said he, cropping bis way, EN-
There are no gas jets here" said Dorcas Oh
Ironically. on,
but we might have little blaze Of sticks.n Sif
iazardec the new arrival, shaking himself all
IKE Newfoundland dog. 81 saw nv that grs
asst glare of lightning that there was ! hean dir
n the corner, and I've got my match bor pos
"1aSt~ ant
oh, that would be splendidm cried Dor inc
as VINO was wet and shiverine.
ana I've got some fish on a string outside.
no we could have some supper" suggested Il
he ghost, cheerfully. qui
II m 5000 hungry" walled Barbara. was
Inc stranger was evidently used to moun- get
am camping. He had a fire kindled in no stal
me and the fish, cleaned by aid of his ut
ocke1 KNIFE and washed in one of the pools tue
Inside were presently boiling over the con
oais, emitting most savory smell.
~ gu must be good geniusl" cried Mary
IN only tramp" said the ghost, sand &C
IL ever SO much obliged to you young ladies sucl