The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-10-01

The night before the storm Jack did
not come, and all the next day poor
Rav had nothing to eat but old dry
bread and little water to drink; the
old grease lamp had burned entirely
cut. and now he was in total darkness.
The long hours slowly passed py, and
yet;Jack came not.
"Ny God! Is he going to leave me
here to starve to death? / feel like
cursing the day I was born, and every
think upon earth, for God has forget
ten me, indeed. What Will my poor
little wife think of my absence, and
what is she doing now?"
ne wou.u pace up and down that
short, narrow cell, while strange
Thoughts would fill his mind. He was
ever alert for the slightest sound, in
the hope that someone wac coming to
release him. Perhaps it was his Lima
( that had found out where ne was; but
hisuhopes were all in vain. On the
night of the storm his heart sank
lower and lower, as there now seemed
nothing but death before him.
."Hark! What did Ihear"
He pressed his hand to his heart, as
if to check its wild throbbing. The
noise was nothing but the distant roar
of tie tempest, and now it became
louder and nearer every moment. Ray
could now plainly hear the roar and
splash of the waves of the angry Lake
palmer, still palmer could be heard
the roar of the fast approaching storm
IL q IL
by the heavy thunder.
All! There is cracking and swapping
in the forest, now, as if the earth We're
being rant to pieces; it becomes louder
and :iercer, and suddenly he hears a
terrible crashing noise by the side ;of
his dark, gloomy prison; he knows 1t is
a:terrible. storm, and can plainly hear
the trees falling all around him, yet The
is unable to escape and fee from that
dangerous place.
The terrible crashing noise near the
old log house deafened the poor lone
prisoner, and for few moments his
sapses were so stunned that he could
not realize what had happened; ne sank
down upon: the floor of the cel and
buried his face in his slim, Lony
hands.
Bv and. by he felt the fresh, damp
air showing on him, and looking up he
saw that he Wss free man; the light
ming played about him as he sat
there, apd the rain beat down upon hif
face.
A large tree that stood near the cor
ner eftAe.old house had been torn up.
roots and all, by. tie tempest, and had
fallen across that end of the house that
old Jack had used, and Ray was IN
hurt; the roof of th, cell had been
torn off, and the poor prisoner now sat
under heavens dome, o free man,
brsathing the pure, r4Ln-washed air.
AS he raised his: face from bis hands
he plainly saw by the flashes of light
just what had happened, and sprang
to his feet, clasping his .lqng bony arms
over his breast.
ooh, God, Thou has not forgotten
me, and I glory il Thy PROOF; Thou art
my deliverer, and this tempest has un-
locked the door of ny prison cell; /
shall praise Thee Ill the days of my
life. GLORY to Thy holy name.A
AS he stood there lis pale this face
ra:sel toward heaves. the thunder
roared, while the lightning flashed and
the purple bhzes played about his
feet. He was free now and cared xot
for wind or ra a. BY the flashes Of
lightning he vas able to see where to
go, and he very soon babe good-by to
the old log house.
He could plainly hear the roar and
splash of the lake, and went down to
the shore.
Tie waters were tossing about as if
they we're angry at being thus dis
turbed. and the waves seemed to try
to reach to the clouds, as if to check
their mighty force.
Ray knew where he was, for there
still stood the large old rock on the
coast that he often came and sat by
years ago, fishing there by the hour.
He WAS about two miles from home,
and lie Immediately about faced and
walked rapidly northward.
His great anxiety to once more see
his home and the loved ones there gave
him much strength, and before he
could quite realize where he was he
stood iii front of his own mansion.
Oh, what sight that was as he came
up the long front walk, his eyes gazing
up at the blue rooms; but there was no
sweet face there waiting for him, and
co. light shcne from apy
For some reason the great hall door
was seldom locked now, and Ray en-
tered as he had always done. All was
darkness within the mansion, but lie
easily found his way up the long stair
way by the bright flashes of lightning.
He was shoeless, and made no noise
as he passed up those marble steps
and through the long hall to his wife'a
room. He tried to open the door, but
it was locked. He raped again and
again but no one opened it, and it was
then that he rushed to the a!arm-bell
and RAM it with such force.
Thomas came from his room imme-
diatelv with a lamp in hand, and as
Ray spoke to him he recognized the
voice Immediately, but poor Tom was
30 frightened at first that he could not
speak.
CHAPTER XXNIV.
That fearful storm seemed but fire.
brand from heaven-a hit of God,
wrath to punish Jeanette Nathan fol
her many crimes; for, as soon as the
G~h& hol c{r ,n1v ha