The sun., 1893-06-23
MRS. sTRA1Toy AND TIE LIGHTNING.
The Lady's Attention Successfully Diverted
From Her Skim MIX Biscuits.


From Her Skim MIX Biscuits.
NORWICH. June 22-One day last week great
thunder shower came up the western sky.
climbing In heavy purple masses toward the
heavenly ridge pole. and now and then fairly
iarring the ground with seismic-like shock:
and Mrs. Chauncey Stratton. a good house
wife Of Rockville. among the blue Tolland
hills, who was carrying pan OF biscuits across
the kitchen to the stove oven at the time.
scarcely raised her eyes from the biscuit pan
to look at the growing thing. so anxious was
she about the biscuits. She wasn't quite sure
whether they wore going to raise" or not.
Maybe the lightning had spoilt the milk she
had mixed them with she said later: at any
rate, they were "sorter flattened out and
soggy like"
Mrs Stratton's farmhouse Is on the side OF
mountain facing the western sky. and she
could have looked. If she had thought it worth
her while right into the heart OF the coming
storm. The lightning also was in range for q
good line shot at her. Lightning often has a
wuy of acting on the spur of the moment, es-
pecially in this land. and, possibly offended be-
cause this good woman appeared to think that
her fourteen yellow. squatty. skim milk bus
cults were of more consequence than the cle-
giant and imposing spectacular rumpus it had
been kicking up for fifteen minutes, it sud
denly ran out, its biggest shining piece OF ar
tillery and let drive at her.
1t was successful IN attracting her attention
from the biscuits. The great. elongated. ten
barrel and shaped like pair OF steep stairs.
went true in the direction OF the target: but
either there had been mistake about Its time
fuse or something else was the e, matter. for the
thing exploded almost in Mrs. Strattons
doorway. and the biggest part Of it carromed
and slid over the roof-tree OF the dwelling.
door Jambs somewhat further apart, rolled
those important biscuits into q single ball Of
round. black. birthstone favored. dried dough.
sesnsse wall ip Of t1e e0 Etchen aa M
evidently. however. was actnated by no m maico
against the good woman: 1t was tho biscuits
parently. that it had no GrudGe against her.
It capsred all about her in u sklttIsh way.
blew its sulphurous breath under the rag car
beneath her feet. and then. pirouettng on it's
flaming keel. It spun out of the house.
Naura Mr. Ssratt1n was cGGnsdteraRly
minutes Then. when she got on her. feet
again: she told Il neighbor. who had run In to
see what tho bolt had done to her. that she
sation were competent evidence. there was no
lack Of pins and nsei needles IN @ either cushion:
ss ce so shs ths sSes M
her feet: and. wonderful to tell the feat not
only were swolen to twice their natural size.
and Needing. She suffered severely on &C.
count of the thunderbolt shock, and doctor
ATTENDED her Ell ior several Eyer hours: our She Is now
Not a. great many days ago thunderbolt
dropped down into crowded Cannon street. In
Waugatuck village. tackled Mrs. Tucker alone
a perfect diagram Of it was imprinted on her
breast where 1t STAYED for several days. Then
1t got out Of the street without doing another
trick or disturbing any one. She was only
slightly hurt. barring out the corset sketch
and the injury to her feelings-