The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-06


Toned to replace the rest+rrev0cab lost.
But alas for the fckleness OF the mas
culine nature! BY the time the next trous-
seau was in readiness her sweetheart had
LOST hiss heart 10 another girl However,
Elsie was not of a nature to remain ineon-
soIable. In a year from that date she
was re-engaged, this time TO young man
whose honest blue eyes spoke volumes for
his lasting fidelity.
March again approached, and with 1t the
invariable winds growing higher and
higher and still higher. One Ominous
night, after day whose sultrness had
been almost observation-disclosures precursor
of a tornado-she stood at the door bidding
him good night. She opened the door, he
stepped outside. and the tornado, happen
ing TO pass at that moment, caught him
into the clouds and carried him away
somewhere, she never knew where. Srewn
In the path Of that tornado were window
sashes doors, shingles, hair mattresses,
remnants of chimneys, old iron, bones,
rags, rice, old shoes, and dead bOdies-but
not the body of her biue-eyed sweetheart.
For many months she grIeVod for him,
plunging into the deepest mourning, dis
maliy garbed from head to foot IN Grape,
which was extremely foolish of her some
said, since her loved, for all she knew,
might still be in the land of the living.
Possibly the tornado had only dropped
him in another county, where, as likely as
not, he was by this time making desperate
love TO another girl. However that may
have been, Time, the great healer, assuag-
ed her grief, and. by way Of compensation,
brought her Roland.
1t was no wonder, then, that she qualed
with fear when she realized that another
March storm was upon her, and he must
so out in it, One plan 10 keep him after
another suggested. itself only 20 be dis
carded as irrational. She was about to
despair when happy thought struck her.
wait a minute" she said, as he stood
at the door-she was afraid to open IT, re-
Numbering how that other tornado had
swept his predecessor to the happy hunt
ing grounds on the wings OF the wind.and
running back into the dining room she
Tummaged in a closet and brought out
large ball of Irvine which she held behind
her when she once more emerged into the
half-darlz han, where Roland stood won
dering and waiting. AS he casped her to
him for the last kisS-not noticing the ball
of tWine-she deity tied one end about his
arm. Perhaps he thought il was only the
loving twining of her slender fingers.
Il am so uneasy about You, dear" she
whispered, that l want you to telephone
me as soon as you get home. ! win stand
right here at the telephone and wait. Re
member" Then, her rosy lips close to his
ear she added: Il can't sleep Roland I'M
I'll I know you are at home
She carefully opened the door and Jet him
go, like a carrier pigeon with a string
lied to it. outside he turned to throw her
a kiss, grasped his hat wildly with both
hands, and proceeded bravely to face the
Storm.
Sine was obliged TO leave the door open
on account of the Irvine, The wind famed
the flame in the hall damp, burning dimly
above threatening to blow it out alto
gether and leave her in The dark but.
AFRAID as she was OF the dark she brave
ly stood there her back against The wall
slowly unwinding the Irvine, which,
though slight, possessed the strength of
rope. 1t was a large ball of Irvine. She
was glad of that. She found herself hop
ing and praying that it would last untn
/ he got home Perhaps ii would He lived
only a short distance away. Her eyes
grew big with apprehension as she, UNI
wound it little by Itttle. regularity then
with nervous jerks, as he walked uneven
| ly along, blown by the wind.
Once it slackened. He is at home. she
thought. sun chat could hardly be. and so
| little Of the twine gone No, he had
merely stopped a moment presume bly, 10
recover his breath, for the Irvine frightened
Immediately, drawing more and more taut
as he pulled heavily against the gale at
the mercy of the furious elements.
The ball was growing perceptibly small
er; yet there was a good deal of 1t left.
She hoped, oh, she hoped 1t would last!
Supposed, after all, IL should give out be-
fore he reached home, and she would have
to let him go! Then, 10 lose him as she
had lost her blue-eyed sweetheart! She
could not endure a recurrence of such mis-
cry. Then, there were other reasons be-
sides. She was not so young as she had
been two years before. This chance had
every appearance of being her last The
face which confronted her in the mirror
was pretty yet, but there were some lines
easily detected by her discerning eve
left there by hope deferred. Ahi The
Irvine slackenedi II fell TO the floor. He
was at home. Sure enough! There was
a ring at the telephone. Yes, he was at
home and safe. She cut the Irvine. locked
the door, and turning out the light, went
on upstairs to her room. There was a
smile on her face as she CROPPED her way
along I'm The dark. On the second landing
she stopped moment, listening to the
wind sobbing, wailing, lamenting, rocking
lighthouse to its very foundation, threat
ening the roof in its sullen fury, but impo-
tent now to do her harm.
She was triumphant. She defied its fury.
At last she had outwitted those treacher-
Gus elements which had so long allied
themselves against her, by means of a
twine string