Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1906-07-19
MY COMPANION
I'm DARKNESS
BY OWEN OLIVER


4 now IL happened.
It was on the afternoon of the
twenty-second of June, 1850. was
hurrying down Broadway. 1t was a
hot, bright day anu was shading ms
eyes to look across the street, when
/ suddenly the sun went out.
| thought was smtten with blind
ness and flung up my arms and gave
q great cry. l heard the beginning OF
it. Then all sound stopped The
rumble Of vehicles, the scurry of feet
the cries of the street vendors, the
shouts of the newspaper boys-all the
hum of life-ceased in an instant.
| thought at first that had died;
but I could feel my limbs; feel my
lips moving as cried for help; feel
the vibration of the traffic that | could
not hear
II am blindi" shouted. Blind
And deaf. Hold me, some one-Some-
one!"
| heard no call, ana no answer.
CROPPED wildly in the darkness, and
met other hands that were cropping too
seized some one by the shoulder, and
others seized me. Their hands twitched
convulsively They were crying out
as I was knew by touching their
open mouths and faces contorted
with fright
1t is possible that I tainted. but was
held up on my feet by the pressure OF
the crowd for I seemed to lose myself
for time and to come back to myself
in swaying, clutching mass of UNI
seen. unheard people. | felt sick and
almost suffocated, and tried vainly to
push my way out, till the crowd was
scattered by a plunging horse which
brushed against me as it passed.
took a few hurried steps and found
myself somewhere-alone! | was more
afraid of the loneliness than had
been of the crowd.
Presently when had gone some way
two hands cutched my legs. They
were such small hands that | did not
fear them greatly. stopped down.
and felt a small child lying on the lap
of woman. The woman's hair was
loose and hanging over her face. /
thought she was young. She shivered
at my touch. but sat down beside her
She laid my hand on the child as if she
appealed to me for help. l felt its
mouth moving, as if 1t cried for some
thing. I invented an alphabet and spelt
out message with taps upon her
shoulder; one tap for A, two for B
and so on, but she put my hand to hec
IN uf, oh I
tell by the way she held my hand tina
she did not mean to refuse my friend
ship. but to show that she could not
my signs.
| plucked at her sleeve tc rise and
come with me, and she came. She was
scarcely able to stand, so | took the
child from her and carried it,
She felt the texture of my clothing
and my scarf and watch
chain and even my handkerchief. She
evidently wanted to know what man
ner of man was Apparently she was
satisfied. for she held gently to my
sleeve when she had finished her in
spection.
After a few minutes l took her hand
and tried my alphabet again; and this
time she understood and answered
This was the conversation, spelt out
slowly, letter for letter:
/. F-r-i-e~n-d.
She Friend.
l. john Cartier. FRIEND
She. Yes F-r-i-e-n-d. Alice
THORN. What is it?
l. Don't know
She. Shall We die?
1. Don't know.
She. What shall We do?
l. Find y-O-u-r- home.
We were very hungry, and at last
we met some policemen who under
stood our new language. One of them
took us to an eating-house. offered
him money, but he refused.
Mousse" he tapped. END OF
world"
We had good meal and lay down to
sleep in an inner room. ~,
In the merning-if it were morning
when we awoke we found a basket.
allied It with food and bottles of water,
and started again.
II am happy now" Alice spell
ed out began to spell out an answer,
out the letters would not come quick
y enough for her and suddenly she
,aught at me and wrote with her I'm
ger on my cheek. | could read the
writing easily. and it was much quick
n than the taps We were so pleased
With our quicker conversation that
We stood still writing on one another's
aces as fast as our fingers would
move. 1--WE always used this way after
yard)
We discussed at length the calamity
which had come upon the world, and
perhaps" | concluded, lit is a sort OF
og over New York. Shall we try to
each the country?"
Il will do whatever you tell me-"
he wrote back
Tell me Just what you are like" I ,
wrote What is the color of your hair? !
low old are your
'"T shall NOT fell vot che mat. :