Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-08-25

II
read these paragraphs over three or four
times Ordinarily should have passed
them by and given my attention to other
and more congenial news. But now a dull
fear that events were conspiring to widen
the breach between myself and the Bris-
banes focused nv interest on them. There
was that easterly wind blowing again. Was
/, too, growing superstitious? / turned over
al, the papers. The news was the same in
all but there was not an editorial para
graph of comment in any of the sheets,
which indeed teemed with all the details of
active commercial, political and social life.
Iwent down town alter eating my break
fast. and found that the intelligence had not
awakened any public attention that was OBJ
servable. The two or three persons to whom
spoke with regard to it treated IL as one OF
the passing sensations of the hour, that
would be explained sooner or later. 1t was
not till the evening papers of the 9th came
out that the matter began to be discussed.
The dispatches in these papers were OF a
nature to arouse widespread anxiety. 1t
was very obvious from their construction
and import that the feeling west of the Mis-
sissippi was more intense than had up to
this time been suspected. The columns of
the papers were filled with brief but start
ling kilograms from various points. Den
yer, Ei Paso, Salt Lake City, Cheyenne, st.
Paul, st. Louis and Chicago sent anxious
sentences which had thrill of trepidation
in their broken phrases. And it was easy
to see that this feeling of deep concern in
creased with each dispatch from a point
further West.
A specisl from Chicago stated that COM
munication ceased at Yuma at 10 o'clock on
the morning of the 26th. The last train
from the West went through at that hour
Anl ~, 4 -a1 horrr
on running from Los Angeles to Yuma by
the pressure of the easterly wind. This
train had reached Ell Paso, where the ac-
counts of the wind were given by the en-
gineer, conductor and passengers. All en-
deavors to get an answer to dispatches from
Yuma were failures.
kilograms sent to st. Louis, Chicago and
st. Paul represented the condition of
anxiety in Ogden and Pocatello to be
bordering on excitement. Fears were en-
tertained, the dispatches said, of "metero-
logical cataclysm," and thousands who had
friends either on the coast or In transitu
were besieging the telegraph Offices in vain.
The hurried comments OF the evening
papers on the news were singularly un-
satisfactory and non commital. 'The
unprecedented storm that is now raging OH
the Pacific slope" read, "and which has
temporarily cut of communication with the
far West will by its magnitude
fill the country with the most
serious apprehensions. "The earli-
est news from California, which shall give
us the details of the Storm" said another
paper, "will be looked for with eagerness,
and will be promptly and fully furnished
to our readers:
As curious as anybody could be to know
what kind of a storm it was that had
stopped railroad travel from Idako to Mex
leo, and remarking with surprise that the
signal Office utterly refused to recognize a
great storm anywhere, dismissed the sub
ject from my mind with the reflection that
there would in all probability be explana-
tory news in the morning, and resolved to
make my usual visit to the Brisbane family.
To my surprise, Kate received me cor
daily, and with no other allusion to the un-
pleasantness of the night before than a de-
mure remark that she was afraid she had Of
Tended me.
"Let US not refer to 1t at all, L said,
"and thus avoid making idiots of ourselves. !"
~ am glad you came tonight, she re-
marked, after a moments silence, "for 1
wanted to tell you of the change we are
going to make"
A little pang darted through me. 1t was
said SO seriously. What is 1t, my dear?
1 asked, trying to be as affectionate as Ii the
conditions had not changed.
''My father and have determined to go
to Europe"
''To Europe!" repeated aghast, "You
surely do not mean 1t.
eyes, resolutely. He wanted to consult
you about it, but was afraid you would dis
agree with his plans"
And when did he make up his mind to
take this sudden mover"
"And you intend to go with him?"
Eyes, and was going to ask you to 60,
too"
"When do you propose to go?"
Immediately"
1t was evident to my mind now that this
old man was a panic stricken monomaniac
and had infected his daughter with his
fears.
"Kate," said, as took her bv her hands
and pulled her to the sofa beside me. You
are running away from something-it is not
from me, is it?''
81 want you to 90 with u.s." she
"But you knew when you asked me that
could not 60 so suddenly. You expected
me to refuseI'
'No," she said, 81 expect you to consent. ="
"Be careful, on a moment of brayado /
She caught hold of me- "Do,'' she said,
tremulously, and felt a little shiver in her
hand. DO, dop'
Igot up impulsivelY and walked up and
down the room. Here was something that
required an instant judgment. 1 could not
help feeling that if let her go 1 would
never see her again. Perhaps her father
was trying to get her away from me. Non
sense, her father had frightened her with