The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1896-08-27
In the St.L0uiS Cyclone.

tel!, burying them beneath its heavy
and suifocating weight, Meg sought to
throw herself across the little cradle
whore Johnny was lying asleep. She
only succeeded In reaching it with her
hngers, however, and although she
nerved herself with strong effort to
believe the little thing was not hurt
the heap struck y chill to her heart.
Meg herself was badly injured, but
she never thought of anything but the
baby. She raised herself, crouching
on all fOurs US she was, and sought to
lift part Of the heavy beam which
seemed to bo slowly deadoning all her
faculties. After ~ time she noticed
that tho cradle had formed a sort OF
u nook next the wall, and for an hour
she wrestled to crawl the two feet
which interviewed between her and the
clCnr space.
AS she at last dragged her body from
beneath the beam she must have
tainted for moment. She came to in
q moment, however. and Immediately
CROPPED with both her bleeding hands
tho Oaby? Soon in the darkness q
vivid flash of lightning illuminod the
place and she saw that Johnny was
right next to her, where he had been
tumblcd when the cradle turned under
the cruel weight Of the timbcrs.
Meg tcnoerly lifted the little form.
Sho know quito we'll that the baby was
dead. She did not caress it with any
vain hope of bringing it to life again.
She only held it's face close to her face
and crouched in the corner there, say
ing many inarticulate words to it. She
murmured the vague and intangible
nothings to her child that all women
possess within thcir hearts for chill
dren.
Meg sat there in the darkness she
found she could sit quite comfortably
by leaning her head forward over the
baby. She had forgotten the pain in
her logs, and it was too dark to notice
her bleeding hands.
Thc Jagged lightning came at in
scene, showing the west wall opcn to
the air, the roof open to the sky and
the little picture of Johnny in his en-
broidered dress when he was christcn-
cd and the wreath OF paper roses still
hanging around it. The bureau, with
the top drawer open and one OF john
ny's little socks hanging over the edge,
attractod Mcg's eyes during one Of the
long flashes Of the blue light. She
remembered she was just about to takc
the little sock and mend it when the
storm came.
The night grew colder and Meg be-
came aware that her garments were
soaked through to the skin. Involun-
tarily she sought to cover the baby
with her arms and apron. The baby
would never neeu to be covered again.
Meg felt this, but it did not seem to
cause her the agony OF grief she had
always thought she would feel when
her child died.
She communed with herself as TO the
strangencss Of her feelings; she per-
fectly realized that he was dead, she
knew that the storm had ruined her
| poor home, she could hear the hOarse
shouts OF the men below in tho saloon
| on the corner; she even realized that
she herself was dangerously wounded.
| She nevertheless sat there, and pres
| emily she began to Groom gently to tho
baby in her lap.
He was born year ago come Fri
day. a year ago. Meg looked back
at the advent through maze Of almost
| impcrsonul uncertainty. Was it Il
year Thcn it must have been in
September shat she was married to
John. 1t seemed to stretch back into
Der. Meg still sat hugging the baby,
and soon her legs began TO send sharp
darting pains through her entire body.
The agony Of the first sharp pain
brought her to Il sudden swift sense Of
her position. She WINGED as in in
ere asing volume the pain ran from
her knees up to her thighs. Suddenly
she screamed, mad agonizing scream
that rent the diZzled air like the cry
OF u wounded bird.
Meg bad not screamed because she
was frightened and feared to die there
with her child's dead body in her arms
and her ch!ld's dead face pressed to
her bosom; she only cricd poor woman,
because her legs being broken and held
as in a wise by the beams Of the roof,
had been wrenched when she had
moved TO ease her head. Meg remain
legs held by the beam, her back bent
double in the corner, her wounded
arms gathering the baby to her BOSOM
When John returned home that
evening from the factory where he,
too, had been injured by falling tim
ocrs and lying masonry, he shuddcred
as he looked up at tho two windows on
the second floor. He saw the corner
saloon crowded with wild-eyed men.
me place was lighted with smoky
lamps and many tallow candles. X
woman reeled out and lurchcd against
him. The smell Of her porson and the
hot odors from the saloon sickcned
him strangely.
lie looked up at tho darkened win-
dows, he saw them all broken, he knew
the roof was off, he felt that last
great weight and horror had fallen
upon his slifc. He stood there, and in
his ears and on his sinking heart Meg's
cry rcsoundcd. AS he climbed up the
narrow side staircase he rcmcm bered
afterwards how trilling the wound on
his arm seemed to him. He roach cd
the second floor and in the darkness
he listened shivcring and trembling.
Meg !" he cried, Meg - and from
the corner whore she was imprisoned
he heard the faint whisper of wo-
mans voice. 1t was only dim whisper
he heard, but it guided him to the
place.
When ho had raised the beam and
taken her and the baby up in his arms,
Meg said softly, "Hou'rc not hurt, are
you, John ~ Sho attempted to cover
th" hahy's face. before he could SEQ it,
bII r hands rc:us Il to obey her viii.
Nl,.- Il