Bryan morning eagle. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1898-1909, 1902-04-01
!, TOHN ANDREWS
ID COWARD
|. -. BY Marvin Dana
Copyright. 1904. By
8. q. Mcclure compsay
80. BY Marvin Dana

Roundabout him In q struggling par
allelogram stood the ungainly wooden
houses OF n Missouri county seat.
BEYOND lay the level brown OF prairies.
shot with the ocher OF ripening grain.
gray blue where II merged into a 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 ITO
degrees. and there yet remained two
sweItering hours before sunset.
Thank heaven. I've inspected the
Inst acre md can start for New York
I'm the morning" was his thought. In.
stlnctively his hand touched his pocket
and her letter lie smiled. then frown.
ed
"Am cowardr'
A paragraph In her letter had started
the self lnquisltIon.
II shall be so glad when you are safe
home again." II ran. even though !
have no real cause for alarm. You are
so big and strong and brave. and l
love you for II. could never love a
coward"
Was he one? Yes-no, flush not
born OF the sun flooded his face. Ills
mind travelled back twenty-four hours,
and he cursed his weakness, his timid-
lty. which he had never realized until
that awful storm had broken. II was
when the terrific lightning. peculiar
to this region. had played about him
that he had suddenly found himself
trembling. gasplng with horror. The
memory OF those moments still sickcn-
ed him aud filed him with contemptu-
GUS self hate.
The proprietor Of the hotel came out
and balanced on two legs OF chair be-
side his guest.
Reckon wen have another bit OF
shower tonight" he drawled amlably.
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 ms you
can cloth. more by feelln' than by
looks. I've been forty years In these
parts. an | calclate Wen have II ham
mer an tongs before midnight. Lucky
IL regular cyclone don't blow along
with II"
Does lightning do much damage
around hereT
BURNS n lot OF barns mostly; but,
takin' II one time an another. we've
| had quite few folks killed. bout
twenty in my time. It's a nice, easy
death. but don't like cyclones. one
hit me. an that was enough. The
burned thing killed OF half the town
IncludIn' all my best friends an foui
mules, which was all was worth
Cyclones. blast 'em. always come IN
the night. when you can't see EN-"
The listener drew his breath sharply
But how do you tell cyclone, ever
in daytime"
well. Mr.. Andrews. you can always
tell IL because the sky looks like nothin
you've ever seen before-yellow. greer
an ornery. An II it's comm your wal
you'll see what the papers call n fun
mel shaped cloud. but what looks NOR
like n big balloon. dancin' along. Whei
the gale raises an that balloon SEEM
20 stop bouncln, but stands still. get
tin bigger an bigger, you dust for
cellar. It's close"
do all the places here have cycion
cavesT'
Everybody In town amt got one
but there's enough TO go round. wan
10 see miner
Any diversion from his mental an
guish and self pity was welcome I
Andrews. and he followed his host I
the middle OF the back yard. where h
saw a mound OF earth. In the en-
nearest them was n swinging shutte
which the landlord raised. Within wa
space for perhaps six persons comtor
ably placed by crowding compactil
Twice or even thrice that numbe
might seek refuge for limited tim
The odor OF damp earth suggested n
grave. and again Andrews shuddered
By the time he sought his room ut
O'clock that night Andrews had argue
himself into believing that this ne
terror OF storm and wind was CO.
stitutionaI peculiarly for which J
=, was not morally culpable. and exhaus
ed by heat and mental strain he quie
ly dropped asleep.
!, He awoke with the trump OF doc
bursting his eardrums. The crash
falling thunderbolt brought him
: his feet. and he stood dazed amid q
lurId radiance OF the lightning. In
ecstasy OF fear he sprang TO the WI
p dow and closed IT, Then he drew {
shade and struck a match. Two dc
cred and died In his trembling la
.; before he could light the lamp. In
ur very spasm OF horror he sat huddl
to ON his bed. lie thought OF no one a
nothing save himself and-death!
: But there remained another note
20 be sounded In the gamut OF his I
" ror. Suddenly the hotel commenced
-. .,,a rool under the assaults