The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1908-12-24

lips. He felt that he had safely dis
posed OF the carpet question, and now
he could once more turn his attention
to Hezekiah and the shirts.
1t was, however, growing too dark to
study Hezekiah's face, so he turned
to the gathering storm that covered
the western sky. Now and then came
a flash of lightning, or a deep threat
ening growl of thunder, which showed
that the storm was slowly coming
nearer. .
Mrs. Bowers, after doing up the
Dishes" had gone to bed; not to sleep,
but to hide her eyes, and cover her
ears with the bed clothes, to shut out
the muttering of the coming storm.
But, as Mr.. Bowers had previously
remarked, the storm was SLOW com
in" So growing weary of watching
it he had gone to bed, leaving Heze-
kiah, who declared it was too hot in
the house, in sole possession of the
porch.
Hezekiah was thinking about the
conversation that he had overheard,
and wishing with all his heart that he
could help little Mrs. Bowers to get
the carpets.
1T 'ud serve old Bill right if he
lost every shirt he had" unused Heze-
kfah, with little sympathy for his en-
plOyer. But the little woman ought
to have them carpets, no mistake"
After sitting alone for half an hour
with his faithful pipe, he walked out
into the yard among the trees and,
taking a good look at the sky, decided
that in another five minutes the storm
would break.
AS he turned back toward the porch
he was surprised to see Mr.. Bowers
emerge from the room door, closely
followed by Mrs. Bowers. A flash of
lightning disclosed that they were
both in their night clothes. Mr.. Bow
ers was carrying a tightly rolled bum
die of some sort in his arms.
Hezekiah wondered where they were
going. AS they passed out of the gate
he resolved to follow.
Sometimes he lost them in the black
ness of the night, and had to wait until
a flash of lightning showed them, Mr..
Bowers always in the lead, Mrs. Bow
ers hating timidIy along behind.
Amusement followed mild surprise,
when on reaching the end of the long
lane, Mr.. Bowers climbed the cornfield
fence, and struck boldly into the sea of
leaves that waved and fluttered with
f1aglike undulatiOns in the colt cool
breeze that had suddenly arisen.
1t was a difficult matter now for
Hezekiah to follow them, and quite
often he thought he had lost sight Of
them entirely; an unusually brilliant
flash of lightning showed plainly that
they had reached an old tree in the
middle of the field, and there they
were both bending over, examining
closely a spacious hollow that the
tree contained. While it was only for
a moment that he could see them it
was long enough for him to note that
Mr.. Bowers was putting the bundle
he carried into the hollow of the tree.
This vivid flash of lightning was fol-
lowed by a loud peal of thunder which
seemed to shatter the very earth and
sky. AS it died away Hezekiah heard
one prolonged and terrified scream
Then the Bowers were lost entirely
from view, but the hired man was sure
that the husband and wife had turned
and were going toward the lane.
The rain had arrived, and it beat
with binding fury in Hezekiah's face
as he stumbled along.
He struck out through the cornfield
and ran against the cornfield fence.
He was about to slide over it into the
lane when a flash of lightning brought
a brief daylight. Down the lane, il
Illuminated by flash after flash of light.
ming, the hired man saw Mrs. Bowers
running with her arms and hair fly
ing wildly, her hands holding two flop
ping rags of some kind, and her night
gown whipping in the wind. Closely
following sped her husband. Mr.. Bow
ers was ge~sticulating wildly and trying
to catch up with his wife, h dashed
along with amazing swiftness.
Hezekiah, between his own re
strained bursts of laughter and the
noise of the storm, could hear, now
and then, a scream of Mr.. Bowers
deep voice; and so he followed them
up the lane and into the house.
After Mrs. Bowers managed to re
cover her voice she told her husband
of his strange visit to the orchard, and
how she had followed him and learned
where he had been secreting the miss
ing shirts.
Mr.. Bowers regarded her doubtfullJ
for a long time. His damp night dres.
clinging about his shanks was a good
deal more convincing than the expla
nations of His wife. There was M
denying the fact that he had been out
in the rain.
oval, maybe l wuz walkin' in my
Sleep he said, thoughtfully. II reck
on | have been putin my shirts In
tibet boiler tree and thet's whar they
have been agoing. 1t was a blamefool
trick, anyhow"
Mrs. Bowers nodded her head, but
did not venture any %outspoken criti
cism. She just Rugged herself. proba
bly, to keep warm.
oval, suppose l wuz asleep" her
husband cried suddenly, with a flash
of anger. But why didn't you wake
- @1l1- - 49, ~ OBI