The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-06-14
THE CAVE DWELLER
BY ALLY G wLAM l..

III
His own reasons for usin' the straight-up
method O. gettin' rid of 'em, and If, in His
mercy, He will fit to spare and let US
git well down the cave. and the door shet,
well try to accept the rest of His will I'M
questionin'. and not mourn over the prop
! erty or live stock.
81 tell you, I'm more comfortable in the
cave than in the house. AS 1 say, it's damp
and consumptive. with tralanchulars and
rattlers. probable, but the sweet sensin' o.
security i have when we're all safe below
l amounts nigh to feelin' o. glory and de-
fance. Not to'a'ds heaven-I got no disre-
| spectful sentiments on high-but you know
the best of US amt got much of yearn in
regards to cyclones, and it's a satisfaction
and joy to beat 'em out occasional.
'Sist' Idy's been sick this week. She's
deiicate-lunged. like all Jims folks. Stayin'
in the cave so much has about wore her out.
Once, when we lived in Texas. she and Sist'
Clara KEEP little boardin' house just across
the street. Well. the day had been cam
and sly, just like this. Sst Idly and Sist'
Clara, and Sist' Clara's baby, and her moth
er-in-law, and two young lady boarders.
and a widow womarn who was stayin' with
EN- while her son was gone-they was all
in the house together They had three bed
rooms, and they was two womern in each
room. The wind come up at dark. / was
always skeered to death. 1 tell you, in my
| life I've suffered more from the wind than
| from my other troubles. and they've been
many and persistin'.
Jim wasn't afeerd in them days; he'd
| go to sleep and snore, and wouldn't ever
let me go to the cave at night, specially If
1t had been BLOWN fur three or four hours.
4 for he said Who ever heerd of a straight
blow doin' any damage, or who over heerd
| of cyclone at night?'
Il only had one baby then. At O'Clock
we was sleepin' in a big oak bed with
high footboard-the wind struck US.
Jim, says 1. git up! 1 know we're
goin' overt
'Shet up says Jim, and go to sleep!
Pretty soon l felt the house rockin so
bad that 1 got sick to my stomick. so 1
| says. with a sort of haughtiness whose
knees were stiffened by wrath. so to speak,
L says: Jim Mitts, says !. do you
please, I'm goin' to the cave to save this
here child's lifei' but. sir. Jim hauled me
back by the hem O. my gown and says:
Wait. then. till 1 strike a light
Its well he did; the next minute the door,
the transom. and all the winderlights come
in on us-the only thing that saved be-
in that high footboard on the old oak bed.
| Then we tracked IL for the cave.
LAS much as fifteen minutes afterwards
that cave door bust open, and in fell all
| them six womern from Sist' Idys and
Clara's. Sich hollerin' and d screechin
| you never heerd. Their house had been lift
ed up and turned plumb around, till the
front door opened right out into the back
yard-so hupiliatinl and they was nearly
crazy, cause the floors had twisted SOS
none of EN- could git open their room doors
to git to each other. Thar they was, two
| in room, till finally they remembered the
winders, and hiksd through them to our
cave.
"Sst' Claras mind was plumb dislo-
Gated. She never cried nor hollered, but
she went straight to Jim and stood there
eye-ballin' him, and sayin' all so quiet:
| Buddy, we was all blowed plumb away,
and the baby's dead Feel of her. Buddy,
she's dead-feel of her.
"She weren't dead, she was sound asleep
and wrapped UP in a blanket. but Sist
Clara was unchuned for two weeks or
| more.
''Say, look along the line over yander-
is that a cloud. or is ii Frisco & Gulf
engine a-smokin? 1 wonder where the
children is? l tell 'em they mustn't play
fur. Amt this silence wearin? Sounds
like I'd gone deef. Hits the truth, keep
diggin' my fingers into my years like they
had cotton or somethin' in 'em. I'll sure
take fit IL a breeze don't come up from
somewhere. Jim says he'll move the kitch-
en- table and the stove to the cave for me
If this lasts much longer.
Say, did you ever hear that once, way
back wander in the ages, they was a tribe
o. critters called Cave Dweiiers. that just
lived in caves? They say so. Well do you
reckon what was the cause of thigh
winds? Then that there other sayin' about
'Hist'ry a repeatin' of itself'-now what IL
we're comm round to them times again !?
IF thought it, tell you, Pd-why if
thought the Maker was a-goin' to us
that Away, after all the trust we've put
in Him, and all the hopes we've built on
Him, tell you, I'd kitten up 20 the first
cyclone that cantered in. and I'd say:
Here, 1 weigh two hundred and five and
1 don't wish 70 stop proceedin's none, but
I'm ready to go. 1 weren't cut after no
pattern of no cave dweiler. nur 1 cain t
addict myself to no cave-dwelln' pursuits;
furthermore, CANT stand this longer,
so I'm ready Hits the truth, / would.
Yes. 1 must go on home, L want to fill
my cave lamp while I've got a chance.
Keep sharp outlook. and run at the first
indication-they don't give no time these
days. I've lately took to gain kind o.
intense at my friends when L leave EN-
it may he the last time I'll ever git at EN-
However, We must hope for the best Good
| day."