The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1902-04-02
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; John ANDREWS;
~ COWARD :
. -. BY Marvin Dana =
y Copyright. 1909, by .
q 8. 3. Mcclure Company q
-. BY Marvin Dana
Copyright, 1909, by


. s. 5. Mcclure Company .
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Roundabout him in a struggling par
allelogram stood the ungainly wooden
houses of Missouri county seat.
Beyond lay the level brown of prairies,
shot with the oeher of ripening grain,
| gray blue where 1t merged into hori-
zon's sky of appalling bronze. His
sight was blurred by dancing currents
of hot air. In the shade of the hotel
porch the thermometer registered no
degrees, and there yet remained two
sweltering hours before sunset.
THANK heaven, I've inspected the
last acre and can start for New York
In the morning." was his thought. In
stinctively his hand touched his pocket
and her letter. He smiled then frown-
ed.
Am l cowardp
A paragraph in her letter had started
the self inquisition.
Il shall be so glad when you are safe
home again." 1t ran, "even though l
have no real cause for alarm. You are
SO big and strong and brave, and l
love you for 1t. could never love
coward"
Was he one? Yes-no! A flush not
born of the sun flooded his face. His
mind Travelled back twenty-four hours,
and he cursed his weakness. his timid-
ity, which he had never realized until
that awful storm had broken. 1t was
when the terrific lightning. peculiar
to this region, had played about him
that he had suddenly found himself
trembling, gasping with horror. The
memory of those moments still sicken-
ed him and filled him with contemptu-
Gus self hate.
The proprietor Of the hotel came out
and balanced on two legs of n chair be-
side his guest
Reckon we'll have another bit of a
shower tonight" he drawled amiably.
The careless words filed his listener
with dumb anguish, half fear, half
shame. Must he again endure that
racking torment-the blue glare of
electricity, the deadly cracking of the
bolts, the horrible realization that
multiple death Knocked him from every
side?
81 don't see any clounds," he ventur
ed.
you can tell weather same as yo,
can cloth. more by feelin' than b,
: looks. I've been forty years in thes
parts, an l calc'iate we'll have 1t ham
mer an tongs before midnight. Luck,
If regular cyclone don't blow alon
with It,"
4 Does lightning do much damag
around herei"
I BURNS n lot of barns mostly; bu
takin' 1t one time an another, we'v
L had quite few folks killed, 'bor
l. twenty In my time. It's a nice, eas
/ death, but don't like cyclones. Or
> hit me, an that was enough. III
burned thing killed off half the tow
: includin' all my best friends an fou
mules, which was all was worti
Cyclones blast 'em, always come 4
the night, when You can't see 'em."
The listener drew his breath sharply
but how do you tell cyclone, ever
In daytime"
We'll. Mr.. Andrews, you can always
tell 1t because the sky looks like nothin
you've ever seen before-yellow, greer
an ornery. An If it's comm your way
you'll see what the papers call fun
mel shaped cloud, but what looks more
like big balloon, dancln' along. When
the gale raises an that balloon seems
to stop bouncin', but stands still, get.
tim bigger an bigger, you dust for a
cellar. It's close"
"Do oil the places here have cyclone
cavesr
Everybody in town amt got one,
but there's enough to go round. Want
to see mine?"
Any diversion from his mental an
guish and self pity was welcome to
Andrews, and he followed his host to
the middle Of the back yard, where he
saw mound OF earth. In the end
nearest them was swinging shutter,
which the landlord raised. Within was
space for perhaps six persons comfort
ably placed by crowding compactly
Twice or even thrice that number
might seek refuge for limited time.
The odor of damp earth suggested the
grave. and again Andrews shuddered
BY the time he sought his room at 10
o'clock that night Andrews had argued
himself into believing that this new
terror of storm and wind was n con-
stltutional popularity for which he
was not morally culpable. and exhaust
ed by heat and mental strain he quick.
ly dropped asleep.
He awoke with the trump OF doom
bursting his eardrums. The crash OF
II falling thunderbolt brought him to
his feet, and he stood dazed amid the
lurld radiance of the lightning. In an
ecstasy of fear he sprang to the win
dow and closed 1t. Then he drew the
shade and struck q match. Two flick
cred and died in his trembling hand
before he could light the lamp. In .
very spasm OF horror he sat huddlet
on his bed. He thought of no one ant
nothing save himself and-death!
But there remained another note yct
to be sounded In the gamut of his ter
ror. Suddenly the hotel commenced tt
shake and reel under the assaults oil
the wind. With cringlng dismay he
recalled the landlords warning against
cyclones In the night. At any moment
one might burst upon him, resistless
remorseless, overwhelming. Within
him rose the instinct OF flight TO the
cave, to safety!
Mechanically In the midst of his
alarms he dressed himself and as ht
stepped into the dark hall he recoiled
before sudden glare OF lightning
| RItt a Iloxu danxarafo In hls