Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1890-06-18

of birds seemed to sing through the air,
striking against the telegraph wires.
The atmosphere, which but few mo-
ments ago reeked with heat, took on
grave-hke chill. Again the earth heaved
and swayed beneath the frightened
who fell upon his face, vain
ly clawing the ground for the support
which it denied him.
The station was only twenty yards
away. There all the people were in
turmoil. While endeavoring to regain
their feet some were violently thrown
upon the wooden platform. Others,
holding to the side of the building, felt
with stupefaction the boards totter be-
hand? Had the end of the world
come? The terror of nameless, I'M
known danger unnamed the stoutest
heart. Women shrieked and prayed.
Men cursed and groaned.
Denny had now joined the stricken
group They huddled together until
another shock threw them one upon an
other. Delicate women became maui
seated as if in mid-ocean. Sturdy men
who had faced bullets in the civil war
without wincing lost self-control They
surged; they fought; they comforted
each other; they cried aloud.
At this moment the tremor shook the
earth. The station building gave sick
ening creaks; then it toppled with a
crash.
Yell now followed yell. The crowd,
that but now waited the joyous greet
ings of friends, was battered by the
bruises of the earth, and hurried by
fright into contagious state of mania.
The bodies and faces of the people
changed almost beyond recognition.
Maddened with fear, stunned by the
last conclusion, they stampeded.
The cry rang from mouth to mouth:
''To the woods To the hill. Home
Home Home !! !r' They swayed; they
rushed; they parted; they ran. Struck
as by an invisible enemy, they fell
picked themselves up again and painted
in their flight A voice close to Donny's
side rang above the uproar: "Good
Lord 1t is an earthquake -
Like birds before tornado, the peo
pie scattered to the right, to the left
tits way, that, and were gone. Denny
found himself, dazed and alone, upon
the cross-ties, cropping toward the on
coming train. He thrust out his hands,
and stood a moment piteously crying,
Papa! Papap' the most bewildered
little fellow in all that frightened town.
To crawl up the track, to meet the
train, to board her, to shrek at her, to
get to his father, to cling to the cow
catcher, perhaps till the engineer
stopped for sheer mercy-this was the
nearest approach to a purpose that the
child had, as he beat along the track,
stumbling, falling, up again, down
again, shaken by the rolling earth, and
blinded by darkness more awful than
he had ever seen or thought of.
A strange, thin dog, without a collar,
whined at his feet as he pushed on, and
licked his hand and followed him like
his own. Huge, dim forms rushed
alongside the embankment, making I'M
earthly sounds. Dragons could not
have seemed more dreadful; but they
were only COWS. Huge pine trees bent
to the earth with rapid, vibratory mo-
ton, as if giants hand clutched and
shook them by the roots.
All the time the awful rumbling of the
earth went on; it sounded as if the
world were turning herself over and
to and fro in a fit of anger;
before every CONFUSION she uttered a
roar, which seemed as if it came from
metal ball bowled along giant alley be-
meath. It reached its climax by trilling
the letter R-r-r-r-r in mighty voice.
Then came the shock.
Suddenly, as the child was making his
way through the horror and desolation
of this scene, he felt himself clasped in
the outstretched arms of figure hurry
ing from the opposite direction. The
two came together inSthe dark with a
Jolt, and recoiled.
"Goramercy ~ said quivering voice
It was the speech of the old negro track
walker, taking two days to get to his
dying daughter because he could not
afford the railroad ticket that would
have brought him to her in two hours.
Denny recognized the high, cracked
pathetic tones which had addressed him
at the station.
''De tracks busted p painted the
negro Ode rails is done gone twist wild
de shakes. Dey lays like er heap oh
in de win up yander. Dat
Day OBJ Judgment an cherry soul aboard
warn de town.
ooh, there isn't any town TO warn -
cried Denny. cts all run Off There
isn't anything left but the earthquake
and me-and this pup-and nobody to
do anything and my papa's aboard that
train Oh, what shall We do? What
shall we do?'
s'Run, honey, run y said the old man,
more hopefully. "Mebbe we'll head
her off some ways or 'nuther. Run
fort. Run -
The dirty old black hand clasped the
tender little white one, which nestled
into it gratefully. What it meant at
that awful time not to be alone-to feel
a human touch, to know that human
heart beat beside you-one would have
to be in the child's place to understand.
The two ran, plunging up the distort-
ed track which swelled and shook be-
meath them, toward the coming train
As they came abreast of the second lit
tie station, known as the West End Sta
ton of Summerville, an idea shot like
hope itself through the confused brain
of the hurrying boy.
II know where the torpedoes are !"
be cried, shrilly. ''The torpedoes they
put down to stop trains I've seen 'em
[ play with the superintendent boys
If ] was bigger | could
bust open the doors and windows and
find 'em."
'I'se an ole man." shouted the negro,
fsbut Use been a tough one befo' free
dom. / sole for $1,000 onct. l kin
rrnocb ,rooSt anvthinO var riua mo