The Savannah morning news., 1901-07-18
THROUGH A KANSAS CYCLONE.
Death and DesOIatiOn Upon the Fair
Land Seem Soon Forgotten.

IOAh lAlC l)CilNCi Oobs
Did you ever make the acquaintance
of a cyclone?
MOI
Well, they are not precisely things to
sigh for, but until you have made their
personal acquaintance you never thor
oughly appreciate the quantity of dy-
manic force there is floating around in
every little summer cloud you see.
Once it was my fate to spend a
month in Southern Kansas; it was a
good while ago, and that little corner
of Kansas had only just begun to be
settled. In fact from the little shack
where l staid, no other habitation could
be seen, although we were on a tiny
HILL and could see miles in every di-
rection. We had come down from a
far-off railway station in big COW
cred wagon, and one gorgeous, sunny
morning in early May had forded the
broad Arkansas river, where the horses
had floundered into and out of deep
pools, swimming from sand bar to sand
bar, while / hung to the side of the big
wagon, watched the rolling yellow flood
with startled and apprehensive eyes,
and listened with awe-struck attention
to the stream of profanity which kept
the great horses going.
Then we came up out of the river,
across yellow bar of sand, and rum
bled over a shining, waving sea of bril-
liant green grass, studded with innum-
cradle flowers.
1t was an enchanting valley, straight
from the hand of God, absolutely I'M
marred by the work of man. The
horses ambled lazily forward between
undulating hills covered with wild
plum bushes. pale with bloom. Long
spirals of wild grape vines trailed
across the little used pathway, wound
in fantastic shapes over the dropping
bushes, and fell in green and brown
showers down on the grassy slopes.
Whole acres of wild verbenas, of a
dozen colors. were succeeded by deep
buffalo wallows carpeted by tender
eyed violets. and everywhere was the
delicate beauty of the sensitive plant,
waving its tiny gold-powdered pink
balls and its curiously sensitive leaves,
which curled tightly up at the mere
approach of your hand.
Overhead, not tiny cloud fiecked
the sky, which was translucently blue.
Bright winged butterflies fiuttered
daintily above the flowers and sweet
throated birds filled the fragrant air
with delicious melody, while the dogs
startled the timid rabbits, and spotted
snakes trailed their slow and sinuous
lengths from under the horses hoofs,
or in spiral coils reared their venom
Gus heads and Kissed with poisoned
fury at their new foes.
And then we were at the little home
stead. where l was to spend a month
and gain the roses of health which a
long illness had robbed me Of A tiny
two-roomed shack, a big dug-out and
a tent; down below a rude shelter for
the horses, and beyond that hundred
acres of sod-corn; everywhere else the
wondrous prairies, with herds of cattle
and circling cowboys. That was all,
but it was more than enough.
For three heavenly weeks / lived all
my waking hours mounted on a shaggy
pony and followed by a cock-eared
Scotch terrier. We chased the rabbits
and caught snakes, followed the cow
boys as they went their rounds among
the long-horned, wild-eyed cattle, and
rode all alone through the flower
scented air, and were happy as only
the young and free can be happy.
Then one morning l awoke to find
our little world covered by a strange
and coppery- colored sky and to feel
a curious oppression in the still air. My
little dog, usually watching for a romp,
hardly wagged his tail when / bent to
pat him. and 1t was hot, hot, hot. All
day long the clouds kept piling up in
the northeast and little fitful gusts of
wind sprang up from nowhere. whirled
madly about and disappeared. No one
went far from the house, and only once
during the day did / hear a bold voice
believing the familiar strain:
Roll your tails and roll them high;
Wen all be angels by and by"
Even the reckless cowboy was sub
dued.
AS evening came on an inky black
cloud came stsealing above the far
away horizon. It crawled slowly UP
into the saffron-hued sky until the sun
was blotted entirely out. Then a shad-
owy gray tinge spread all over the
heavens, and the great black curtain
which hemmed us in was rent and torn
with livid green blotches. An agonized
purple strayed along the cleaning
edges, and an awful hush fell upon the
world The very air seemed to have
departed. One breathed with difficulty.
The tall grasses dropped motionless and
still, the horses made strange. fright
ened noises and came tremblingly to-
ward their masters. My little dog
crouched at my feet until took him In
my arms. where he lay trembling
A low murmur, ominous and terrible,
came out OF that frightful darkness,
and then II was black night, and we
lay face downward in the storm cave,