Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-12

with Its great trunk lying in spiinters
across the road.
Il picked myself ", and found that
was stfii all there. But the cnyuse lay still
alongside the hazel Bushes. slid over To
him, with my eyes tight shut. and yanked
at hts bride. The poos little euss was only
playing possum, or else he imagined that
he was dead. or all ia, or something. for
with the first pull l gave at the bride he
scrambled TO his feet Then he appeared
to be 50 surprised or tiokled that he was
still able to navigate that he tore loose
from me and amhled Into the brush
I didn't go after him. Kansas kids learn
early to keep In the middle of the road and
as far away from trees as they can while
thunder storms are going on. But / hiked
along the road. going It bind and with
closed eyes, until l fell against the trunk
OF the fallen tree. / stretched out in the
mud made by the road riyuiet under the
sheiter OF the big trunk. pulled my Jacket
over my eyes, ana waited for the storm to
pass. Inquired that to be the safest place
because l was already familiar with the
maxim. ma that lightning never strikes twice In
The stunning I had got made me sleepy
ana with my Jacket over my head / must
nave pounded my ear for long time. for
wben l woke UP the SUM- swimming in an
absolutely eloudless sky of sapphire was
far down In the west / remember that IL
TOOK me quite a while to dope Ii out where
!! was and what l was doing there so L
imagine now that the stunning L had got
really gave me harder twist than / had
sense enough to realize then
got up, looked around In n desultory
sort or way for my cayuse. then gave him
up. l struck out afoot Tor the shack OF
Old Man Barlow about six miles ahead
OF me. l knew that that message for him
mad to be delivered. eayuse or no cayuse.
ana wasn't going to fall down on my
job for $3.50 week Jobs weren't hang
Ing around loose In I.eavenworth in those
Gays, and my circumstances in life were
sueh that needed the income. There were
~ hni
and my dad wasn't making out as well as
he had expected to.
The Last Of the Old Hermit.
1T was about 0 o'clock of a moonlit
night when, pretty sore and miserable all
over, made the clearing in front of Old
Man Barlow's cabin. which was well back
from the road. I cut through the clearing
ana, sitting on a bench about ten feet
In front of his cabin I saw the old hermit
as mad often seen him before in passing
that way on the cayuse. He was bent for
Wara with his hands ciasped together and
his head down.
Il thought it queer that the cracking of
the branches under my feet as | approac CHI
ed MIN didn't arouse him But he didn't
LOOK up. but sat there. swathed In the bril-
nant moonlight, his matted white hair ana
beard tossed by the light night zephyrs-
not a very engaging figure for an ina gina
tive boy OF ten to look at.
tooh up a position about twenty feet
In front of him and called out
Aw. pop, here's a telegram for you'
But he didn't look up. Then / caught
sight Of something that gave me a chill.
A little Old half-blind skye terrier the old
mans pet, lay right at the hernits feet on
his back. and with his toes turned I'D I'M
movable
IF I'd ever started to run when I noticed
that I'd probably have kept right on run
ming till 1 dropped dead. But 1 sort o.
pulled myself together and once more call
ed out to the old man that 1 had a tele-
gram for him. When he failed once more
TO respond. L dragged myself over pretty
close to his bench. imagining that he might
be asleep.
When I got close to him I saw that his
oid army overcoat hung in burned patches
from MS frame, and when 1 stopped down
ana took sidewise peek at his face and
saw that 1t was all SCARED purple and that
on one side his hair and beard had all been
singed off. knew that he was dead and
that he had been killed by lightning. The
rigid dog at his feet had been hit by the
same bolt.
Ran Away From the Scene.
with the fear of God and His wrath
tingling in every nerve cell of my kid car
cass. loped out of that clearing and down
the De Soto road for Leavenworth. | took
1t at steady Indian trot for about four
miles. when 1 heard a familiar whinny
and then my cayuse stepped on to the road
from his moonlight brush browsing and
muzzled my Jacket / guess he wasn't good
to see to the sore and lonesome and scared
eyes of a boy scrambling to get away from
such picture as the dead old hermit and
his dog had made in the moonlight And
at that, 1 believe the cayuse was just as
lonesome as l was VIXEN / came along.
II made the office half an hour after
midnight. and the manager looked skep-
teal and growled at me when l handed In
the undelivered message. He thought I'd
faxed tha STORY of tha dep6 nd ba
didn't believe me till Old Man Barlow's'
body was brought into town in a farmers
wagon the next day. When / got home at
1:3O that morning l got the dickens dubbed
out of me for staying out so late and for
having my clothes covered with mud
II broke out of the state of Kansas not
long after that. but It was a good many
years before / could frame myself in
window or stand In a doorway and get any
actual fun out of a thunder storm"
c. I. c.