Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1907-08-29

AAO0ASNA "S 49,
shingles had been stripped off. flying
away into the wind like some strange
dark fowl sent as avant courierS OF
more fearsome things to come. Then
weatherboards followed. singly and in
covcys, then gable ends and jcists and
%rafters. all floating and pitching IN
the air as though the wind had the
density OF q tossing ocean stream.
Chairs and wooden b~edsteads. clothes
blown out into grOtesque shapes as
though the freakish spirits OF the storm
had donned them, the scantling OF the
long piazza, and still more boarda
whirred out into the night and van
cyclone. And in the thick OF this
DEVILS bombardment crouched men and
women. and other things, shapeleSs and
horrible. which had been men and
women once. The ale OF the dead
grew with awful pace that night.
Once there was a slight lull in the
blast Of the gale. and driven out waters
Of the shore began to return and swirl
ed knee high about the w VINO were
taking refuge at the foot OF the pile.
Come" said Cambell. taking the girl
by the hand. we must run for It," And
he led the way backward. laundering
through piled up pounds Of wreckage.
while the singing spindrift swirled
around their heads and bit them upon
the face like whips. But a flying mis-
sile from out of the inky blackness
struck. him on the curve of h temple
before he had gon 20 yards, and the
grip OF his fingers loosened, and he
swayed n fell without a word. The
girl threw herself on his body. wailing
that he was killed and that she. too.
would stay there and die. but a wild
hope seized her that he might be only
stunned, and she took his body In her
arms, and half dragging. half carrying.
began to go with him once more by
tedious inches toward the beach.
Then the cyclone burst out afresh
with all the torrent Of its fury. and to
move or even stand against the wind
was a thing impossible. The girl and
burden was flung heavily to the
ground. n a mass Of driving wreck
age slid above them and pressed them
down. "Oh. Pat, Pat" she cried. Y
did so want to live with you and now
we must both die here!"
Three terrible hours more they spent
there. the girl expecting violent death
to fan on her every second, the man in
her arms gradually returning to on
seriousness. And then. like organ hose
wine chamber has emptied itself. the
cyclone suddenly dropped it's voice. 1t
had arisen In a minute to the full OF
Its strength. and In a minute 1t lulled
to a GREATNESS calm, leaving the air
secured n sweet n the and a
tanE(d desert. The sea alone remem-
bered its flashing actively n fumed
In a swell OF sullen majesty in its
deeper parts and sent its angry waters
back in ripping surf on to those shall
low western beaches from which it
had been Sc ruthlessly evicted.
1t was from this last returning tidal
wave that the final danger came, but
the two under that pile of wreckage
managed to slip from beneath the wood
whom tho y,otaro 1oNconoI ~ un1 -, l,
the breaking dawn to the higher
ground beyond. They were bruised,
both of them. and Cambel was bleeding
from a jagged cut on the head; but,
after all. their hurts were trifing COM
pared with what they might nave been.
Three housand people died in that
nights work among the southern
states, and the air was torn with the
Of those who were left, lamenting
as they sought their lead.
That day all who could lift a pair OF
hands a work to do. and the next and
the next. but on the fourth day from
the cyclone. when the fallen had been
managed for h first time to get a
word Ell tete-a-tete with this woman
who had said she loved him and had
promised to be his wife. He had
conned the matter over In his mind.
ard after heavy argument had decided
AOI W uCIO any OI Ills dIdlTS secret
from her. this. of course, having par
ticular reference to the one affair by
which he hoped to make a competence.
He had visions of difficulties with her
over 1t, but he began his confidence
artfully.
"Elsie." he said, II came here to Flor
ida on business"
'Then." replied Miss Kildare, I'D
like to give business a knob OF sugar
tn ant md 40v.nRo IN An Hla
headstall. What color was business?
Whtte?"
Black. distinctly black. but valu-
able. In figures slightly more than q
quarter Of. q million in English money
ought to come to me for my share out
of him. or rather. as 1t now is. our
share. yours and mine. dear"
"Oh. you duck. Pat! You dom mean
TO- say I'm to marry a rich man?
from: Speculation?"
Speculation of sorts. though steal
describes 1t better. It's there, n that's
the main thing"
Money in the pocket is better than
ten plans to get it there, any day.
Pat. Well have q big steam yacht. and
when we get sick of London we'll 60
and see all the rest Of the world. And
you Of all people to become q successful
speculator! And what nave you been
making your corner In? Nothing IN
clean. I hope. like short ribs Of pork?''
Gold. II that will suit your lady
ship"
'Oh. this 10 delightful! You've been
trading on American necessities. Tell
me all about It. / think I car follow.
One hears so much about the silver
question that one can't help under
standing 1t a little."
So with a pardonable couleur de rose.
wherever tinting raj available. Cambel
told the story Of his finding the chan
nel into the Everglades. his compact
with Shelf. the hazardous voyage Of
the steamship Port Edes and the sub
seQuent disposal of the specie. The girl
listened to the tale with close attention
and unmoved face. Even the account