The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-03-20
]. ALMOST a STORY.
Il "a easr 10 writo a story.

- = vi
| II IL easy 10 write story. :
4 It Is easier to write q summer story In
winter or a winter story in summer than
1t Is to write either ip Its proper season.
Because In the dead of winter you can
recall the pleasures OF summer, and leave
out the disagreeable accompaniment Of
flies and snakes and wood ticks and wilted
collars In summer time you can think
Of the joys of winter and not come In con-
tact with blue noses, shivering blasts and
frosted feet. &c. to write story In zero
weather you should begin in the summer
Let me explain.
Who that was 10 years old at the time
does not remember the hurricane that
swept ever the entire states Of Kentucky,
4 Illinois, Indiana and Ohio In 1850, leaving
death and destruction In its walker That
was long time ago, but we will take it
for a starter.
Just as the storm (any other storm
would serve the same purpose) was about to
break in Its fury upon quiet rural COM
inunity In Clermont county, o., two ttown
children" a boy and girl, aged respec.
lively 10 and 7, were passing along the
highway near o farmhouse on the Gibson
place, unmindful Of the terrors of the ap-
| preaching storm. The good lady Of the
house sent one of her sons to warn them
| of their danger and to bring them into
| shelter
The storm spent It's fury, and the dark
ness Of night hung like mantle over the
| desolate scene of destruction. As soon as
| 1T was safe to venture out courier was
dispatched on horseback to notify the dis.
tressed parents at New Richmond that the
children were SAFE He was met by
searching party from home, seeking the
precious ones who were supposed to have
persisted in the awful cyclone.
Right here the boy, who Is not the girls
brother, may be dropped out of the story
and the one "gallus jay" be introduced as
the boy hero.
In the meantime the bright little girl
was rapidly winning the hearts of the
household In which she had found shelter
by her sweet smiles, bright sayings, won.
derful dancing and genial disposition, cou-
Piled with fairylike beauty Of form and
face
This girl was the petted daughter of o
noted steamboat captain who died but
few years ago, and who spent months
vacation IN that country town during that
particular summer.
The child remained until morning and
was entranced by the freedom of the coun- |
try. She went away never to return, but |
her name was mentioned for years after
ward In that household, and she was long |
remembered as bright ray of sunshine in |
the midst of a terrible storm.
None ever knew how sad was the heart
Of one boy on that farm when he realized |
that In few short hours he had met and !
parted from one whose image would ever
remain in his heart. And he wondered II
he would ever again look upon the bright
vision.
Twenty-one years later stranger, that
same country boy" was standing on tho
levee at Cairo, Ills, when a New Orleans
and Cincinnati packet rounded the bend
below. He was in conversation with q
river correspondent of a Cincinnati paper.
"Thats the Old South, Captain Lew,
bound for Cincinnati" He knew tho
whistle. At the sound Of the name of
Captain Lew the stranger started, for
some Of the dim, misty past struggled in
his brain.
eyes, 1t is the same Captain Lew. His
daughter was married some years ago, and
her husband, who ran as mate with Cap
tain Lew, was killed In an explosion Of
their boat a year ago on the Mississippi.
She is widow now and went to New Or
leans with her father this trip. She may
be on tho boat now Let's go aboard, and
will introduce you to the captain" So
said the correspondent after he had heard
brief sketch of the incidents Of childhood
days. The boat had tied up to the wharf
by this time.
Now don't you see how easy it is to write
q storyp
Now go up into the cabin and see the
hearty greeting Of the grizzly old captain,
who does not fail to remember the incident
of the supposed lost child and is profuse in
his thanks to the young man even at this
late day and winds up his cordial greeting
with: Come back into the cabin and
meet Zulema. She will be glad to see
you, for she has often spoken Of the Incl
dent. She seems never to tire of reciting
the pleasures of that happy evening""
Before the words were hardly out Of his
mouth the captain opened stateroom
door, and there stepped out into the blaz-
ing light veritable vision of loveliness-
the same childish face, only saddened and
beautifed, not to say sanctifed, by sorrow.
4 hc youuB llhu uedrt hbelueu 10 CEASE lbb |
pulsations. Was he only dreamingP
But it took only a little while after In
Productions and explanations had been
made to convince him that she, too, had
the first meeting, for she took /
his hand trustingly and held it while re- ,
peating the experiences of that stormy
night 800 miles and 81 years away. ,
The bell rang, goodby was said, the mate
,ussed, the gangplanks were drawn in,
lhe great wheels turned, the boat glided I
,ut in the Pickering waves and was lost in
he darkness. The woman was ON the =
BOAT, while the man stood on the levee :
the lights and listening to the :, ,
wheels upon the water until they dimmed ,
md died away in the distance, even as Z
rope died out in his heart. y
,
Another 15 years have been licked off by G
he watch. That's about all of the web of
he story. But you can see how easy it q
would be to make a story out of 1t by CIV S
ng the imagination full play. I may Il
write 1t some day-Exchange. .