Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1906-08-17

watcneu MIN as ne ate, answering MS
questions I'm distracted monosyllables.
Suddenly he cried in a shrill little
voice;
"Oh, mommie. what a funny cloud!'
She looked lazily 10 the west; then
started to her feet, Dinny In her arms.
The air had grown suddenly unbeara-
bly, oppressive. There was a strange
thick haze over the prairie. Moving up
from the west was the old familiar
funnel shaped cloud which for the past
ave years had been her constant dread
The child. after a look ut her white
face, chung whimperingly to her neck.
For a moment she stood undecided. To
run with the child IN her arms was
next TO impossible, And, even so, of
what use would 1t be to run when she
was powerless to tell what would be
the course of the tornado? She looked
toward the faraway herding line. At
that far distance 1t seemed immoyable,
yet she knew that already the herd
was snurting and wild with fear, In
the heavy silence her voice sounded
loud and shrill.
"Dinny," she said, I'VE are going to
lie down, with our faces IN the grass.
until the storm passes over us, and
then we are going home, and mother
will make boy a gingerbread man for
supper. Won't that be nicaT'
AS she spoke Rhoda dropped the boy
to the ground. and then, dropping be-
side him, she drew him close to her
with one hand, shielding and protect
ing him with her body, while with the
other hand she chung to a stubby brier
root.
Then there were a mad roar, a sud
den half darkness and a wild swirl Of
wind, then gradual quiet and freezing
cold with great deluges of icy rain.
When the first roar had died away in
the distance Rhoda sat up. The tor
nado had passed between her and the
ranch house. She pulled off her skirt
and wrapped it about the child, who
vas limp aud speeches. with terror.
She herself was strangely calm.
As the darkness lifted a little she
tried to look off through the driving
rain to the herding line, but she could
see nothing. She lifted the child and
with him IN her arms struggled in the
direction of the ranch house. Slipping,
falling, wind whipped and half drown
ed, shivering with the cold, she strug-
gled on and ON.
Then through the swirl of the storm
she heard hoof beats, then Donates
wild shout:
"Rhoda! Rhoda! Rhoda!" And her
husband threw himself from his horse
and clasped them both in his arms.
Are You hurt? Oh, you poor, poor
girl!'
"Oh, Donald, Donald" she gasped.
"Oh, no, I'm not hurt. Neither is
Dinny."
"Dinny-oh, yes, Dinny, too, of
course" And he took the little fellow
from her and led her toward the horse.
II went home for lunch" he painted,
Ito surprise you. They said you were
out here. Then the tornado came, and
land | went mad, l guess"
Donald" said Rhoda, raising her
voice above the howl of the storm, did
you really ear SO much as that? Why,
you even thought of me before you did
Dinny. Did you really care so much,
Donald?'
Donald looked down into her upturn.
ed face in daZed establishment. Care,
Rhoda?" he asked. care! Why, what
else do | live for?" And he put her
on the horse with a touch that thrilled
her rs of old. She looked down at
the child as Donald laid him in her
lap, and the thoughts of the morning,
Of the past years, came back to her.
How could l have misunderstood
soY' she asked herself. What a foo
a woman can be!'
Donald. leading the horse, could not
hear, but she smiled happily at bis
back through the binding rain and
Rugged the child to her with the old
JOY of living.