Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-06-15
8 ID E II CHIT 8
(By Sandy.)

(By Sandy.)
the recent storm, which struck in
this vicinity was productive of consid-
cradle amusement in a number of
ways. Some of the freak things done
by the elements themselves were COM
ical in the extreme but in the havoc
played with the telephone wires is
found the greatest source of amuse-
menr. due entirely to the wires becom-
ing crossed during the violent lashings
caused by the storm. There is nothing
that is so really like visit to the
realms of the deep among the spirits
and shades of the lost as talking into
telephone when the wires are
crossed.
You sit alone in your Office or may
hap library at home-alone. The storm
has just lulled and outside the twi-
light is deepening and the shades of
night are assimilating the sombre
darkness of the passing storm The
air is full of the feeling of suppressed
or pent up violence. You feel lucky
of some extra sharp strokes of light
ming or that the four walls which sur.
| round were not the ones to succumb
wind Suddenly SILVER of fear at
what might nave been causes you to
feel an ominous foreboding of what
may be If the storm returns. You feel
an indefnable sense of fear as you
walk from room to room, feeling more
and more the sensation of utter soil
tude and vaguely you wonder how it
might seem il you, alone would some
time be the only person left in the
world. You crave companionship and
you go to the telephone as the most
immediate relief obtainable and you
attempt to call up your wife, who is
making a visit with your mother-in-law
or If not married you call up your
sweetheart, or mayhap comrade at
the club with whom you had an en-.
gagement, which The storm prevented
you from filling.
Central is your sibyl. Vaguely you
feel sense of comradeship with her
as you talk to her out there in the
1 void somewhere. You don't know
where she Is but you feel her presence
as her voice seems to speak directly
into your ear. You feel almost as If
you could reach out and grasp her-if
| you dared, but you don't.
You ask for "No. 2323-X, please u
and 1t Is given to you-yea verify in a
double dose. The fairy queen, who
presides over the switchboard, that
links thousand souls, pulls out plug
here, drives one home there, shifts a
lever and presses button and-pres
to, you are In the land Of Arabian
Nights You are in the midst of q
world of giant whispers. You heal
the rustling of wings, the roaring Of
conf1agration, music, soft and sweet
broken into and only by raucous
sounds that could come from nowhere
/ but the land Of evil spirits. You are
surprised. You we'll may be. Yo,
dare not move-you only listen, scarce
ly breathing. You close your eyes
You can see, in your imagination thu
world turned topsy turvy, the conglom
4 Grafton Of animals and man all churnet
together into heterogeneous beings tina
are neither man, animal, nor devil
You hear the kissing of serpents, tn,
whirrfng of wings, the swapping ant
cracking of bones, the crash and rat
tie Of musketry and as the scene rap
idly changes you can picture in you
mind the long lines of men drawn VI
for battle, and falling victims to tht
enemies bullets by the hundreds
Again the scene shifts and you FIND
yourself poised above the center O
a giant volcano You can see tbs
flames and molten lava churning a
the bottom of a horrible pit which
whirls round and round in a fearful
vortex Of flame and smoke, carrying
with it the spirits of the damned, WHIT
speak you fair or foul as they whir
by in swift procession, followin,
each other in rapid confusion. Uncon
sciously you seek to pick out your owl
face in the grotesque procession wne1
you jerk yourself together with star
and turn your attention to world.
things again.
You don't remember whether yo,
have been talking or not as you hea
woman with a voice like mosquito
ask:
"Who is this?"
"This is No. 18 and s." you answer
who are you
The answer is walled back:
ooh, didn't want you l never ask
ed for you"
You feel like telling her that tn
feeling is mutual with you but befor
you have time to say word, littl
thin piping voice butts in from ava
out on the edge of purgatory with:
"Send down that load Of coal RICH
away, we haven't had a fire sine
morning"
You are on the point of telling hin
to go where no fire is needed at an
time when he is suddenly swept ava
and you hear the voice of IL woman
crying:
ooh, George, where are yoa? VIII
don't you answer me? Hello, George
-Hello-Hell-o-o-. Oh, Hell-o-e
loo. Oh pshaw, had him minut
ago, but now they have cut us of
they have cut us off, they have GU
US
Her voice grows DINNER and din
mer as she is swept away like Fran
cesco and her lover in Dante's vision
ion and on through the eternal gloon
lof the mysterious night, which enve
opes them in an eternal embrace.
Chur-r-r-, whir-r-r-r, zip, crack
tBANG! You leap from the wall a
your ear is split by some unearthl
noise that is neither human nor devi
isn and Won wonder If your head