The Cairo bulletin., 1906-07-24
MY COMPANION
in DARKNESS
BY OWEN OLIVER

Copyright, by Joseph B. BoWles.)
There was a time when none would
speak Of the horror which came upon
The world; but now that three years
have passed men talk about 1t openly
and ask one another what it was and
how it happened,
1t was on the afternoon of the
twenty Of June, 1850. ] was
hurrying down Broadway. It was a
hot, bright day anu was shading my
eyes to look across the street, when
suddenly the sun went out.
| thought was smitten with blind
ness and flung up nay arma and gave
great cry. | heard the beginning OF
/ it. Then ali 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 could feel my limbs; feel my
I 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, and 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 twitcheJ
convusively. They were crying oul
as | was | knew by touching tAei
open mouths and faces contortet
with fright.
1t is possible that tainted, but was
held up on my feet by the pressure o
she crowd, for | seemed to lose myse.
for a time and to come back to mysel
in a swaying, clutching mass of I'm
seen, unheard people. | felt sick an'
almost sufHocated, and tried vainly Il
push my way our, till the crowd wal
scattered by a plunging horse which
brushed against me as it passed
took a few hurried steps and found
myself somewhere alone! | was mort
afraid of the loneliness than I had
been of the crowd.
Presently when | had gone some way
two hands clutched 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 a 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. | felt its
mouth moving, as If it cried for some
thing. invented an alphabet and spell
out a message with taps upon her
shoulder; one tap for A, two for b
and so on, but she put my hand 10 her
head to feel that she shook it. | could
tell by the way she held my hand that
she did not mean to refuse my friend
ship. but to show that she could not
understand my signs.
| plucked at her sieeve TO 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
carefully 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 ny
sleeve when she had finished her in
spection.
After a few minutes | 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:
|. Friend.
She Friend.
|. John Cartier. Friend
She. Yes. T-r-l-e-n-d. A-l-i-c-o
Thorn. What is it?
/. Don't know.
She. Shall we die?
|. Don't know.
She. What shall we do?
|. Find YOUR 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 clearinghouse. Offered
him money, but he refused.
Mousse" he tapped. End Of
WORLD
We had a good meal and lay down 70 |
sleep in an inner room.
In the morning-if ii were mornine |
when we awoke we found a basket, |
filled il with food and bodies Of water 1
and started again.
II am happy now" Alice spell
ed out. / began 10 spell out an answer \
but the letters would not come quick /
~ enough for her and suddenly she /
caught at me and wrote with her fin /
ger on my cheek could read the
writing easily, and 1t was much quick
er than the taps. We were SO pie ised
with our QUICKER conversation that
we stnnd still writing on one another.