The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-02-15
SAVANNAH MORNING NEWS; SUNDAY. FEBRUARY Is 1908

ly. in spite of the porch beyond.
Briscoe followed him. Don't be
fool, Lige," he said. You hardly eX-
pect to go out in that" Lige shook
his head; it needed them both to get
the door closed. The young man leansd
against it and passed his sleeve across
his wet brow. II hadn't ought to have
left him."
Don't scare the girls whispered
the other; then in a louder tone: "All
I'm afraid of it that he'll get blown
to pieces or catch his death of cold.
That's all there is to worry about.
Those scalawags wouldn't try it again
so soon after last night. I'm not both
ering about that; not at all. That
needn't worry anybody"
"But this morning
"Pshaw! He's likely home and dry
by this time-all foolishness; don't be
an old woman" The two men re-en-
tered the room and found Helen cling
ing to Minnie's hand on the sofa. She
looked up at them quickly.
do you think-do you-what do
you Her voice shook SO that she
could not go on.
The judge pinched her cheek and
patted it. 81 think he's home and dry,
but 1 think he got wet first; that's
what 1 think. Never you fear, he's a
good hand at taking care of himself.
lie
while" Nor could he. 1t was long be-
fore ne could venture out; the storm
ragged and roared without abatement;
it was Carlow's worst since 'ffty-one,
the old gentleman said. They heard
the great limbs crack and break out
side, while the thunder doomed and
the wind ripped at the caves till it
seemed the roof must go. Meanwhile
the judge, after some apology, lit his
pipe and told long stories of the storms
of early days and of odd freaks of the
wind. He talked on calmly, the picture
of respose, and blew rings above
his head, but Helen saw that one Of
his big slippers beat an unceasing lit
tie tattoo on the carpet. She sat with
fixed eyes, in silence, holding Minnies
hand tightly; and her face was color
less, and grew whittier as the slow
hours dragged by.
Every moment Mr.. Willetts became
more restless though assuring the la
dies he had no anxiety regarding Mr..
Harkless; it was only his own derefic
ton of duty that he regretted; the
boys would have the laugh on him, he
said. But he visibly chafed more and
more under the judges stories; and
constantly arose to peer out of the
window into the wrack and turmoil,
or uneasily shifted in his chair. Once
or twice he struck his hands together
with muttered CALCULATIONS. At Inst
there was. a lull in the fury without,
and, as soon as it was perceptible, he
declared his intention of making his
way into town; he had ought to have
went before, he declared, apprehen-
siVely; and then, with immediate
amendment, of course he would find
the editor at work in the Herald"
office; there wasn't the slightest doubt
of that; he agreed with the judge, but
l. I1kA
turn early in the morning to bid Miss
Sherwood good-by; hoped she'd come
back, some day; hoped it wasn't her
last visit to Plattville. They gave him
an umbrella and he plunged out into
the night, and as they stood watch
ing him for a moment from the door,
the old man calling after him CHEEKY
good-nights and laughing messages to
HarklesS, they could hear his feet slOsh
into the puddles and see him fight with
his umbrella when he got out into the
road.
Helen's room was over the porch, the
windows facing north, looking out
upon the pike and across the fields be-
yond. please don't light the lamp,
Minnie" she said when they had gone
upstairs. II don't need a light" Miss
Briscoe was fitting about the room,
hunting for matches. In the darkness
she came to her friend, and laid kind
large hand on Helen's eyes, and the
hand became wet. She drew Helen s
head down on her shoulder and sat be-
side her on the bed.
Sweetheart, you mustn't fret" she
soothed, in motherly fashion. Don't
you worry, dear. He's all right 1t
isn't your fault, dear. They wouldn t
come on a night like this
But Helen drew away and went to
the window, fiattening her arm against
the pane, her forehead pressed against
her arm. She had let him go; she had
let him go alone. She had forgotten
the danger that always beset him. She
had been so crazy, she had seen moth
ing, thought of nothing. She had let
him go into that, and into the storm,
alone. Who knew better than she
how cruel they were? She had seen
the fire leap from the white blossom
and heard the ball whistle the ball
they had meant for his heart, that
good, great heart. She had run to him
the night before-why had she let him
go into the unknown and the storm
tonight? But how could she have
stopped him? How could she have
kept him, after what he had said? She
peered into the night through distort-
ing tears.
The wind had gone down a little, but
only little, and the electrical flashes
danced all around the horizon in mag
nificent display, sometimes far away,
sometimes daZingly near the darkness
trebly deep between the intervals when
the long sweep of fiat lands in dazzling
clearness, clean-cut in the washed air
to the finest detail of stricken field and
heaving woodland. A staggering fsme
Glove earth and sky; sheets of light
came following it. and a frightful up
roar shook the house and ratified the
easements, but over the crash of thun-
der Minnie heard her friends loud
scream and saw her spring back from
the window with both hands, palm out
ward, pressed to her face. She leaped
to her and threw her arms about her.
What is it?"
Look" Helen dragged her to the
window. AT the next f1ash-the fence
beyond the meadow"
What was it? What was it like 2"
The lightning flashed necessarily. Hell
en- tried to point; her hand only jerked
from side to side.
Look" she cried.
Il see nothing but the lightning"
Minnie answered, breathlessly.
"Oh. the fence! The fence~and in
the field.'
Helen! What was it like?"
"Ah-ah!" she painted, "a long line
of white-horrible white
What like?" Minnie turned from the
window and caught the others wrist
in a Tutoring clasp.
Minnie. Minnie! Like long white
gowns and cowls crossing the fence"
Helen released her wrist, and put both
hands on Minnie's cheeks, forcing her
around to face the pane You must
look-you must look" she cried.
Il.1sA -