The Jennings daily record., 1902-07-28

hers with reference to me house: and
she had even laid out 4ower hcds, and
bordered a walk in anticipation.
I'VE might have built his year i we
| hadn't taken brother Toms place on his
hands; or II we could find some one to
buy It. We just had to help Tom out. but
1t is hard to wait and wait so long
She shaded her eyes with her hand and
looked across the tops of the young trees
in their timber claim at the Smith
house.
| "They got their house up first" she
went on. but oursll he the incest. Five
| rooms and lean-to kitchen. What a
| comfort it will be to have n house that I
can keep clean" Then her thoughts re-
verted to the morning. Little 'Manthy
| thinks Il sight of me. and 1 love her like
my own. / wonder If Elvira sent her to
| ask me to go. Maybe I've been too quick
| to get mad, as did at such little thing.
| Mrs. Lambelt's real nice spoken. and she
| meant 1t, too. when she wanted to stay
| with me. l wonder what shed thought
| of me if she had known that l was stay
| ing at home because was jealous. think
| ing she had come between me and Vira?
| For that's just all that's the matter with
you Smanthy Wilson, and you know it..
| too. and hope you're getting ashamed or
| yourself. Nira didn't look bit happy
nor well. either the glimpse l got of her
! face as they drove off. Wonder what
she looked back for, I didn't suppose
| she'd care that l didn T. go, but I really
| believe she did
| A muttering of distant thunder startled
| her, and hasty survey showed her a
| black, angry looking cloud looming up in
| the southwest
Il hope they'll not get wet. though,
| coming home.' she thought as she hur-
ried to the house and prepared for the
| coming storm. 1T looks like it would
be a hard one" and she stood in the open
door and watched the seethng cloud boil
up.
| 1t was not large cloud covering the
whole horizon; the sky all around was
clear, save where that one threatening,
growing mass tumbled along seemingly
almost on the ground. The stiffness that
had been oppressive throughout the day
! was torn by sudden sharp puffs of wind
| that died out as suddenly and sharply as
they came, and the brassy sun shone
with steady unconcern.
Mrs. Wilson shivered apprehensively,
and fastened the door sat down by one
of the small windows, wishing heartily
that some one was with her.
Long I've lived her I've never yet
seen a cyclone" she said with her eyes
on the rapidly approaching storm. May
be that's one. But if it is I can't start
out for the cyclone cellar at Macy's: it's
too far. and I'm too much afraid to think
of trying it
Then she shrieked out in terror and
covering on the floor hid her face in her
hands-for with a wild. thunderous below
the storm swooped down, blotting out the
sum- and turning loose pandemonium
itself. The darkness grew black as night.
streaked with ncessant flashes of light
ming; the wind howled and roared and
dashed the hail and rain furiously against
the lowly sod house that seemed so frail
a structure in the hands of the raging
st Orm spirit.
And then all once, the very heavens
We're apparently flung upon it. crushing
it to the earth, and Mrs. Wilson found
herself struggling desperately and
brea thlosSly in torrent of water and
nearly buried by the crrmbling walls.
Almost hour later. through the level
rays of the setting sun. the picnickers
drove up, amazed to find only heap of
muddy ruins. from the midst of which
Mrs. Wilson feebly waved an eager well
coming hand.
anxious questioning, Nc. I'm not much
hurt, but I'm about buried in the mud
and can't get out. I've been so pun
meled and pulled and hauled and deluged
that | wonder there is anything left of
me-
With much difficulty they drew her out.
one mass of mud; but tha nl1ful to be alive
after her dreadful experience. They got
water and cleared her eyes. and washed
the mud from her hands and then she put
them out to Mrs. Smith.
Come here, Vira," and she solemnly
kissed her friend on both cheeks. Il said
! would never speak to you again till the
heavens fell" she faltered. "and they
dropped right down on me to-day-though
I didn't really mean what l said
You're about right S'manthy." inter-
posed Mr.. Wilson who had been looking
around. "A piece of the heavens fell any
way. for there's been cloudburst that
would "a took you off if you'd got the
! worst of it. But it hasn't done us much
damage EXCEPT to wipe out our old sod
shebang.'
You must all come home with me-"
But Mrs Smith broke in Indignantly:
"'Manthy is going to stay with no one
but me. She knows | wouldn't hear or
her going anywhere else, and the two
friends smiled into each others eyes with
renewed affection.
I'VE can build our new house right
away, S'manthy,' said Mr. Wilson. who
! was prodding over the muddy mixture
| with hay fork. occasionally finging out
| a battered piece of furniture or article OF
| clot hing 81 sold Toms old place to-day,
| and that puts us right on our feet. though
| there isn't much left here, and We'l have
| to buy everything new. But ! tell you
! I'm mighty glad You came through all
! right
iAnd SO am l." she replied gratefully
land I'm glad that none of you were
! here to take it with me-" she said to the
women who We're industriously scrapins
the mud off her. 1--WE always said that
about the heavens failing, and 1t kind o
| seems like Il punishment on me. Any
how I'll never say it again till the and
then she topped, and clapped both hands
over her mouth with such horritied look
that they all roared.-Louise J. Strong
in Springfield Republican.
Human pfncusfiOp
In downtown hostelry, q day or tive