The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1902-06-21
can keep Clean men ner thoughts re-
vartad to the morning. Little Manthy

my ewn. wonder If Elyira sent her to
ask me to go.@ Maybe I've been too quick
| to get mad, as 1 did at such a little thing
Mrs. Lambel tg real nice spoken, and she
meant It, too, sWhen she wanted to stay
with me. Il wonder what she Though,
of me II she had known that was stay
Ing at home because I was jeal ous. I !. ink
ling she had come between me and Vira?
For that's just NIL that, the matter with
YOU s manthy Wilson, and you know it
too, and I hope you're getting. ashamed Of
yourself. Vira didn't look a bit happy
nor well. either. the glimpse / got OF her
face as they drove OF Wonder what.
she looked back for, I didn't suppose
she'd care that I didn co. but really
believe she did. = s5$5 i$a
/ " A muttering Of distant thunder startled
her, and hasty survey showed her a
/ black, angry looking cloud looming up in
| the southwest. M
II hope they'll not get wet, though,
coming home he,thought5 as she nur-
lried to the house and prepared for the
coming storm. sit looks like it would
be a hard one and she stood in the open
door and watched TIE seething cloud boil
tup. ax e @ 2.S 9 IA
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. T.
| Mrs. Wilson shivered arsorehensvely
and fastened the door, sat down by one
| OF the small windows wishing heartily
that some one was with her =,
:$1 Long as I've lived her I've never vet
! seen cyclone, she said with her]eyes
on the rapidly approaching storm. May
pc that's one: But il 1t is I can't start
out for the cyclone cellar at Mays; it's
TOO TAR and I'm too much afraid to think
| Of trying it, e
Then she shrieked out in terror, and
towering on the floor hid her face in her
hands-for with wild, thunderous below
| the storm sWooped down, plotting out the
sun, and turning loose pandemonium
| itself. The darkness grew black as night,
| streaked with incessant flashes Of light
ming; the wind howled aid roared and
dashed the hail and rain furiously against
the loWly sod house that seemed so frail
a structure in the hands of the raging
storm spirit - - :; i. - :
And then all at once, the very heavens
We're apparently flung upon it, crushing.
to- the earth, and Mrs. Wilson found
herself struggling desperately and
oreatnlessly IN torrent Of water, and
nearly buried by the crumbling walls
| Almost an hour later, through the level
rays OF the setting sun, the picnickers
droyeFu up, amazed to find only a heap of
muddy ruins, from the midst of which
Mrs. Wilson feebly waved Jan eager well
coming hand. ssF n s5& ii Al IS =
NO she said in answer to excited
anxious questioning. ''Nc, I'm not much
hurt, but I'm about buried in the mud
and can't get out. I've been SO pum-
meled and pulled and hauled and deluged
that wonder there is anything left Of
me. = s& afss .S,$ 44a j .sg fl
With much difticulty they drew her out,
| one mass of mud; but thankful to be alive
after her dread fu1 experience. They got
water and cleared her eyes, and washed
/ the mud from her hands and then she put
fthem out to Mrs ssnaft ffs
Come here, Vira, ~ and she soemnly
kissed her friend on both cheeks, az said
would never speak to you again TIL the
heavens fell" she faltered, land they
dropped right down on me to-day-though
didn't really mean what I said.'' & 5E r
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 a 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." sE1 ~
you must all come home with me-
saia Mrs. Lambert, "and stay while they
- A. I'D ri. ,s-..t A. 80 ~
But Mrs. Smith broke in Indignantly:
'Manthy is going to stay with no one
but me. She knows 4 wouldn't hear or
her going anywhere else and the two
friends smiled into each others eyes with
renewed affection. 5izs d VI & ILL.,,
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
clothing. II sold Toms old place to-day,
and that puts us right on our feet, though
there isn't much left here, and wen have
to buy everything new. But Il tell you
I'm mighty glad you came through all
right sl
And SO am j, 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 scraping.
the mud off her. 1--WE always said that
about the heavens falling, and it kind o.
seems like a punishment on me- Any
how, I'll never say it again till the and
then she stopped, and clapped both hands
over her mouth with such a Mortified look
that they all roared .-Louise J.. Strong,
in Springfield Republican. :