Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-01-03
THE TOPICAL TALKER.
Why She BouEht Six Pairs Of GlOves-
Strange Elects of Nervous shock-A
Powder RxpIOuIOn.

Why She Bought Six Pairs Of Gloves-
Strange KGects of Nervous shock-A
Powder Explosion.
a CURIOUS result Of nervous shock was
brought to my notice yesterday.
A young woman, who has an evenly balanced
mind, although Of high-strung temperament,
was shopping down town the other day. Cross
ing Liberty street at the dangerous point
where Sixth and Market streets converge, she
narrowly escaped being run down by a cable
car By so little did she avoid pretty sure
death that the car hit her umbrella and whirled
it into the street. She was scared naturally,
but she is not of the fainting kind, and she re-
sumed her errand. She had made all her pur-
chases but one-she wanted pair Of kid gloves.
A few minutes later she entered her favorite
store. She was still feeling slightly tremulous.
as she expresses it, after her interview with the
cable car. She looked at some gloves and
picked out some of certain color and make.
But. instead of buying one pair, she bought six
pairs. She paid for them and went home at
once.
Not until she showed the results Of her shop
ping to her mother did she realize, so she AYERS,
that she had bought five pairs of gloves more
than she had any use for In this case 1t would
be impertinent to say that there is nothing PEI
culiar in this, because young women hahttually
ously attributes it to the shock to her nerves
Immediately preceding the purchase Of the
gloves. To strengthen her position it must be
added that i've pairs of gloves were returned
to the store.
A PIECE of bad news has been known to over
turn the intellect of many q man. A Gu
rious case, which fell short OF tragedy, recurs
to my mind.
A worthy old man named Roberts, who lived
in small town in the Cumberland Valley was
looking for the return OF his wife and daugh-
ters from distant place where they had been
visiting. 1t was Christmas time and the old
man was naturally impatient. He went down
to the depot half a dozen times hours before
the train was due to In quire about it. The last
time he visited the station he found small
crowd around the telegraph operator, who was
reading dispatch aloud. The old man pushed
his way through the crowd and asked the op-
orator what was the matter. The operator
handed him this dispatch:
No. wreck ed half mile south Of shippensburg.
Send surgeons. Six killed.
Old Roberts said nothing. He went straight
back to the house. There were ten rooms in it
he lit the gas in every one. Then he sat down
in the parlor and read the family Bible. About
midnight his wife and daughters found him
still sitting in the same chair, with the Bible
open on his knees. but his eyes were shut
When they walked him and asked him-after
an wal of embraces-what the illumination
of the house meant, he replied that he did not
know why he had lit the gas, though he remem-
bered doing it well enough.
There seems to have been some connection
between the old mans strange act and his fear
that all his loved ones would be brought home
dead. That is how one of his Grandsons ex-
plains it.
'My grandfather" said he, 'tintended to have
plenty of light for the laying out Of the
corpses."