Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1895-04-26

group OF white-robed figures whenever
the lightning flashed. My friend
shouted some directions as to where to
find the desired gate, and then said to
me:
That's Roder, the little Dutch mer-
chant, and his wife and kids. They're
coming to the storm house, too, you
see"
The location of the storm house was
revealed by the dim light that shone up
through the slanting, celar-like doors.
left open with the hospitable intention
of sheltering any who might care to
come in. Descending, we found our
selves in the presence of perhaps a dozen
people, all of them strangers to me, but
all of whom greeted me as Familiarity as
If had been friend of years standing
The single lantern hanging on the wall
gave all the light we had.
81 think Roder's coming" said my
original companion as soon as he could
recover the breath lost in running. 81
heard his wife asking about the gate as
| crossed the street,
Just then the patter of feet outside
announced the fact that the newcomers
had arrived. Down the steps they
filed and into the little room below.
First came three small children-wheth-
er boys or girls could not tell-each
one clothed in single long, white gar
ment, all very blue eyed, very cotton
headed, and very badly scared. Next
came the mother. clad in the ordinary
garb of night, the effect of which was
somewhat relieved by a dress skirt
fastened around her waist. Next came
a hired girl, clad in the same way, eX-
cepting only the dress skirt. Last of all
came the father, wearing a pair of trous-
ers and an undershirt, and carrying the
youngest child III his arms. He was a
small man, with very blue eyes and a
very blond mOustache. All were bare
footed, and in this condition had trudged
through the water and mud between
their house and Mr.. Green's at , o'clock
on a chilly early spring morning. They
were new corners fresh from the North,
but they had heard so much tornado
talk that they were as much afraid as
the citizens who had actually seen the
tornado in the town three years before.
They had never been invited to this par
ticular storm house, but they had come
any way and it was all right.
The little room was only II feet long
by 10 feet broad, but in less time than it
takes to tell it forty-three men, women
and children were packed into this
meagre space. do not know how they
all found room, but they did. When the
wind began to rise the doors were closed
and the siege of the elements had begun.
1t was a sight that one was not likely to
forget soon. The pOnderous logs over
head and in the walls. the hurried cos
tunes of the women and children. the
weird, awe-strIcllen expression on the
huddled faces, and the dim, glimmering
play of lights and shadows thrown by
the solitary lantern, all these taken to-
gether made the scene one of the most
picturesque and extraordinary magln-
able. Such thing as sleep under the
circumstances was out of the question,
except for "a few of the smaller children.
Some of these settled down in the straw
on the floor and were soon sleeping
comfortably enough. The older people
were for the most part packed tight as
sardnes on the narrow benches placed
against three of the walls of the room.
Such of them as could not find seats had
their choice between standing up and
squatting on the floor.
For a while there was desultorv.
the novelty of the situation wore off
even this was abandoned | stood it as
long as | could-whch was perhaps an
hOur-and then. against the protests of
the crowd, made my way through the
rain to my friends house across the
street. and was soon asleep again. Many
of those in the storm house remained
there until daybreak. Taking into con-
sideration the cramped positions they
occupied, the impossibility of sleep, the
imperfect ventilation of the room, and
the insulficiency of the clothing of many
of them, one would think the agony
they suffered during those hours must
have been great, Furthermore. was
informed later that this same scene had
been enacted four times in the course of
two weeks. Such being the case, it
might be supposed that although the
storm that once actually came to this
little town may have done "A great deal
of damage, the storms that did not come
did great deal more.
Rof1ornl O7onoS