Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1890-10-21

saw that the horizon TO the north car
ried a faint dun colored feather. But
no one would have thanked me for spoil.
ing SO we'll managed an entertainment
as this picnic-and dust storm, more
or less, does no great harm.
We gathered by the tank. Some one
had brought out banjo-which is a
most sentimental instrument--and three
or four of US sang. You must not laugh
at this. Our amusements in out Of the
way stations are very few indeed. Then
We talked in groups ON together, lying
under the trees with the sun baked roses
dropping their petals on our feet. until
supper was ready. 1t was q beau
tiful supper. as cold and as iced as you
could wish. and we stayed long over it
had felt that the air was growing
hotter and hotter, but nobody seemed to
notice it until the moon went out and a
burning hot wind began flashing the
orange trees with a sound like the noise
of the sea. Before we knew where we
We're the dust storm was on us and.ev-
erything was roaring. whirling darkness
| The supper table was blown bodily into
the tank. We were afraid of staying
| anywhere near the old tomb for fear it
might be blown down. So we felt our
way to the orange trees where the horses
I were picketed and waited for the storm
to blow over. Then the little light that
was left vanished and you could not see
your hand before your face
The air was heavy with dust and sand
from the bed of the river, that filled
boots and pockets and drifted down
necks and coated eyebrows aud mus
taches 1t was one of the worst dust
storms of the year We We're all hud-
died together close to the trembling
horses. with the thunder Gathering over
head and the lightning squirting like
water from a sluice. all ways at once.
There was no danger, of course, unless
the horses broke loose.
was standing with my head down.
ward and my hands over my mouth,
hearing the trees threshing each other.
/ could not see who was next me till the
flashes came. Then found that / was
packed near Saumarez and the eldest
Miss Copleigh. because she had pagri
round her helmet and the younger had
not All the electricity in the air had
gone into my body and / was quivering
and tingling from head to foot-exactly
as corn shoots and tingles before rain.
1t was a grand storm. The wind seemed
to be picking up the earth and pitching
it to the leeward in great heaps; and the
heat beat up from the ground like the
heat of the Day Of Judgment
"a
half hour, and heard despairing little
voice close to my ear, saying to itself,
quietly and softly, as if some lost soul
were flying about with the wind: "Ohl
my Godi" Then the younger Miss Cop
leigh stumbled into my arms. saying:
@Where is my horse? Get my horse. /
want to go home. Take me home.
thought that the lightning and the
black darkness had frightened her; so /
said there was no danger, but she must
wait till the storm blew ever. She an
swered: "It is not that 1t is not that
want to 60 homel Oh, take me away
from herelr
said that she could not go till the
light came; but felt her brush past me
and go away. 1t was too dark to see
where. Then the whole sky was split
open with one tremendous flash, as if
the end of the world were coming, and
all the women shreked.
Almost directly after this / felt a
mans hand on my shoulder and heard
Eaumarez believing in my ear. Through
the rafting of the trees and bowling of
the wind / did not catch his words at
A. I a-I h
proposed to the wrong onel What shall
| dor" Saumarez had no occasion to
make this confidence to me. / was
never friend of his, nor am now; but
fancy neither of us were ourselves just
then. He was shaking as he stood with
excitement and was feeling queer all
over with the elecsr.....,....I Gould not
think of anything to say except More
fool for you proposing in dust storm
But / did not see how that would inn
prove the mistake.
Then he shouted: sWhere's Edith
Edith Copleigh?" Edith was the
younger sister. answered out of my
establishment: @What do you want with
her? Would you believe it, for the next
two hours he and were shouting at
each other like maniacs-he vowing that
it was the younger sister he had meant
to propose to all along. and telling him
till my throat was hoarse that he must
have made mistakel / can't account
for this except again, by the fact that
we were neither Of us ourselves. Every
thing seemed to me like bad dream
from the stamping of the horses in the
darkness to Saumarez telling me the
story of his loving Edith Copleigh from
the first He was still clawing my
shoulder and begging me to tell him
where Edith Copleigh was. when an
other lull came and brought light with
IT. and we saw the dust cloud forming
on the plain in front Of US. So we knew
the worst was over The moon was low
down, and there was just the glimmer
of the false dawn that comes about al
hour before the real one. But the light
was very faint, and the dun cloud roared
/ like bull
/ wondered where Edith Copleigh had
gone; and as I was wondering I saw three
things together: First Maud Copleigh's
face come smiling out of the darkness
and move toward Saumarez, who was
standing By me- ] heard the girl whis-
per, George, and slide her arm through
the arm that was not clawing my
s1afssldor and / saw that look on her