River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1906-07-05
MY COMPANION
IN DARKNESS
By OWEN OLIVER
(Copyright, by Joseph B. Bowles.)

the world; but now tndt tnree years
have passed men talk about it openly
and ask one another what it was and
how it 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 my
eyes to look across the street, when
suddenly the sun went out.
thought was smitten with blind
ness and flung up my arms and gave
a 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.
I thought at first that l had died;
but | could feel my limbs; feel my
lips moving as l cried for help; feel
the vibration Of the traffic that | could
not hear.
II am blind" / 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 twitched
conyulsively. They were crying out
as | was. l knew by touching their
open mouths and faces contorted
with fright.
It is possible that tainted, but was
held up on my feet by the pressure OF
the crowd, for seemed to lose myself
for time and to come back to myself
in a swaying, clutching mass of I'M
seen, unheard people. | felt sick and
almost suffocated, and tried vainly to
push my way out, till the crowd was
scattered by plunging horse which
brushed against me as it passed. l
took a few hurried steps and found
myself someWhere-alonei / was more
afraid of the loneliness than | had
been of the crowd
Presently when l had gone some way
two hands Clutched my legs. They
were such small hands that l did not
fear them greatly. 1 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 it's
mouth moving, as if it cried for some
thing. / invented an alphabet and spelt
out a message with taps upon her
shoulder; one tap for A, two for B,
and so on, but she put my hand to 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 1 was. Apparently she was
satisfied, for she held gently to my
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:
|. F-r-i-e-n-d
She. Friend.
l. John Cartier. Friend
She. Yes. Friend. Alice
Thorn. What is it?
/. Don't know.
She. S-h-a-l-l 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. l 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 morning-if it were morning
when we awoke we found a basket,
filled it with food and bottles of water,
and started again.
Il am happy now" Alice spell
ed out l began to spell out an answer,
but the letters would not come quick
ly enough for her and suddenly she
caught at me and wrote with her fin
ger on my cheek. l could read the
writing easily, and it was much quick
er than the taps. We were so pleased
with our quicker conversation that
we stood still writing on one another's
faces as fast as our fingers would
move. eve always used this way after
ward.)
We discussed at length the calamity
which had come upon the world, and
perhaps, l concluded, ''it is sort of
fog over New York. Shall we try to
reach the country"
Il will do whatever you tell me, -
she wrote back.
Tell me just what you are like I
wrote What is the color of your hair ?
How old are your
4 shall not tell you." she wrote,
because if you like me now, per-
haps you would not then. If the sun
never rises again can look just as
you like me to look, and be just as old
as you visa. Now shall we go on?"
We walked on for long time, and
at last we came to some ratings. AS
we felt our way by them we met a
woman coming along in the other I Il
rection. We felt one another with our