The Opelousas courier., 1901-01-05
A CYCLONE.
HELEN M. WlNSLOW.i

SOmeIlluS else WulSpSISu.
"Read it. If he is false to you, you
want to know 1.-THE sooner the bet
ter"
I tore it wildly open and read:
"Afy Darling Tom-How glad I am
to say l can see you again. Meet me
at COTS Station, on the 26th, at the
$50 train. I know you will be as glad
to see me as I to see you, dear boy!
Until then, / am your loving
TEENIE."
I was struck dumb. Something
seemed to be choking me, to be grip
ping my very heart. I thought | was
going to die then and there.
''Teenie!" l had never heard of her.
Whom was this woman whom Tom
going to meet? And why had he
not told me? Oh! / saw it all. 1
knew why I must not go to the station
with him. To-day was the Goth. To
night he was to meet "Teenie." Very
well. He should have his house in
which to receive her then.
I verify believe / was insane as l
rose and made preparations to leave
the little house which for two years
had been paradise to me. Tom had
two hundred dollars in one of our bu-
reau drawers-money l had helped
him to save by close and pinching
economy that summer, towards paying
the only note that he had out against
him. I took the money and hid 1t In
my bosom. Then ! wrote a note and
left it ON the table-precisely as other
women have done when about to
wreck their happiness in q fit Of jeal-
Gus anger.
Dear Tom CT said)-"There isn't
room In so small q house for you and
me-and 'Teenie.' I have taken the
money to go home with, but will send
1t back to you as soon as / get there"
That was all. Not even q good-by,
/ was so angry.
Then I started on foot. I could take
a train at six o'clock, precisely, for the
East. It was now three o'clock, aud
the distance was seven miles. I was
a good walker in those days, and
could, / thought, easily make it. oh,
how miserable I was as / plodded
along that hard, dusty road! How old
and worn 1 felt. and how anxious to
get to my mother, where I could die
in peace!
Only once did it occur to me that
Tom would come in, by and by, from
his work, and find my note; that he
might be In despair; that his heart
would be broken, and he would hurry
after me to bring me back. But,
pshaw! This was f~oolishness, / told
myself. He would be glad to go and
meet his "Teenie" and have her to
himself. How / could have been SO
wicked I cannot understand. My good
and noble Tom! am ure | was tenn
porarily insane.
The sun grew very hot, and I found
1t much harder to walk that seven
miles than / had anticipated. But /
would not give up. 1t was probably
about five o'clock, and / had some two
miles to go, when, looking up, / saw
terribly black cloud coming straight
towards me from the west. Cyclones
were not common In those days, and
I did not know what it meant; but l
frightened, nevertheless, and
looked for shelter. I had left the prai-
RE now, and was on q road which
skirted a ravine, wild and rugged. To-
wards that I an, as there vas not
house In sight. My terror knew no
bounds. / cried, ] screamed shrieked
for Tom. 1t was, Of course, utterly
useless. A strange, hoarse rumbling
filed the atmosphere, which was
strangely quiet. Not a leaf stirred,
not a bough trembled. The birds had
hidden themselves, and all nature
seemed crouched In sudden terror be-
fore the leap Of the awful monster.
Straight along it came, growing
larger and blacker and more funnel
shaped every instant. In my mad run
ming I struck my foot against a stone
and sprained my ankle. Then I faint
ed from pain and terror. falling into
q sheltered spot beside a split rock.
When / came to myself, rocks and
and stones were flying in every
direction. A dreadful sickening roar
rang through and through me; I
thought the end Of the world had
come.
My God, my God" I cried, forgive
me! Let me see Tom one more, and
die In his arms"
I could not expect this prayer to be
answered; but strange enough at that
moment something came crashing and
rattling down the ravine. Two horses,
frantic with terror, with a wagon
our ~Wagon-fell at the bottom, and
scrambled to their feet, while Tom him.
self was thrown directly at my feet,
as il in direct answer to my prayer.
But he did not stir; his face was pale
death, and his eyes closed.
In that moment all my petty jeal-
ousy vanished, and I threw my arms
about him. trying to lift him from the
ground. He was like a log. and / be-
lieved him dead. Then TAINTED again.
When ! returned to consciousness once
more the storm had passed. leaving
the skies as blue as ever; but desola-
ton was on every side. Tom was
bending over me, his face full of love
and grief and anxiety. He had been
stunned and bruised, but not severely
hurt.
NEED not undertake to tell you
our conversation. I remember it per-:
fectly. but ii sacred to both of us,
now. old and staid ais we are.
But when we finally were ready to-
disentangle ourselves from the debris