Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1906-07-17
MY COMPANION
in DARKNESS
BY OWEN OLIVER

and ask one another what 1t was and
how it happened.
1t was on the afternoon Of the
twenty-second of June, 1850 was
hurrying down Broadway II was a
hot, bright day ana 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 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 could feel my limbs; feel my
lips moving as | 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, 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 was I knew by touching their
open mouths and faces eontorted
with fright.
1t is possible that tainted. but was
held up on my feet by the pressure of
the crowd, for I seemed to lose myself
for a time and to come back to myself
in a swaying, clutching mass of UNI
seen, unheard people. I 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. I was more
afraid of the loneliness than l had
been of the crowd.
Presently when l had gone some way
two hands oiutched 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 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 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
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 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:
l. F-r-i-e~n-d
She. F-r-i-e-n-d
|. john Cartier. F-r-i-e-n-d.
She. Yes. F-r-i-e-n-d A-l-i-c-e
Thorn. What is it?
|. Don't know.
I She Shall We die?
! /. Don't know.
She What shall We do?
l. Find y-o-u-r- home.
We we're 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 o.
world"
We had a good meal and lay down tc
sleep in an inner room.
In the morning-if 1t were morning
when we awoke we found basket
filled It with food and bottles of water
and started again
II am happy now" Alice spell
ed out | 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. | could read The
writing easily, and it was much quick
er than the taps. We were so pleased
with our quicker conversation tina
we stood still writing on one another''
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, anC
perhaps, | concluded, lit is a sort o
fog over New York Shall we try tc
reach the country"
81 will do whatever you tell me,
she wrote back.
Tell me just what you are like"
wrote What is the color of yodi' hair
How old are your