The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1911-11-21
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IN THE TRACK OF
| THE STORM
By EMMA BELL MILES

imOuntalneer calenudrs see tue eh
of the borrowed days but here
was week past. and yet there weF
mo signs of a satisfactory settlement
between Meeh japd Apfil. sRerhap
ltlhe year. stu in arrears for an un
lIbsgsify splendid aupmn psseant mad
Borrowed the major portion OF thS
month. Certainly, "a there lingered
round the pond brim, frostsaof Z
Rintry woolliness
ia To-day. however. had turned sud-
denly warm. Thel fall of dusk had
brought with IL an appantion OF SIM
4ular beauty-a perfectly pink mcon'
| blooming full like rose over the
tmoky horizon, looking across the low
| lelds, and changing as ii mounted TO
eisk of copper--to an oranse-to
| leep golden bowl; faery presence.l
1 }ut soon overwhelmed by rolling sndl
hllowing OF heavy clouds. {
Jensy watched it as she crooned her
mby to sleep; she now lay beside him.
NTH a guarding arm thrown clear OF
the pillow. A young mother, whose
ears are quickened with constant lis
tening for the small cry. wakes more
readily than does the open-air toiler.
She was reused toward midnight BY
the rattiing crash of something fall
ing Lying in the bewilderment OF
sudden arousing, she heard the wind
as 1t leapt upon their roof, shaking 1t
by the four corners. tearing like wild
| beast at the stoutly mortised timbers. !
For moment she remained hearken- ,
ling to the rising gusts. then sum-
moned Harvey to wakefulness. u
II Must be the whipporwill storml~
,he cried. sitting up in bed. listening.
Il believe in my soul | never did hear
such a racket"
|. Round the house the tempest roared
like a battle: the loins OF Chilhowee
shivered to an appalling resonance Of
.thunders Il
Looks like somethin' must CO." the
new householder debated Reckon I
better try TO get them shutters shut"
He was out of bed and at the vim
dow when Jensy turned up the fame
,in the little lamp. This was at once
blown out. Harvey could not hold the
thick oak shutter. it was wrenched
from his grasp and banged against the
house gust of rain dashed upon
the two. In the play of colored light
nings they saw dry leaves and twigs,
iwhirled high, passing the window like
flights of arrows. The mother turned
from the sight and CROPPED toward
the bed where her child lay. They
heard Gathering of kitchen things
as the back door gave way. When
there was a momentary lull about
them. sound came up of the gusts rend-
ing the forest below; and now and
then a crashing and splintering as .
ltree went down. From over the val
ley the wind swept in, fierce as from
open sea With every fresh impulse
lof the gale. stupendous uproar ragged
ION the sandstone bluffs above; its re-
yerberations doomed as though the
whole mountain were hollow. beaten
like drum by wild fighting hands...a
Then as abruptly the shutter was
flung shut. cutting or the glare.
though not the roaring OF the Storm
Painting. Harvey fastened the latch,
and cropping forward, found Jensy
with the babe in her arms coWeringl
at his feet.
He kneit beside her and put his arm
around the TWO. The house rocked.
and shook They could not hear eachs
other speak The roof cracked and
snapped as nail after nail gave TO the
terrific strain. They crouched ON thet
floor together, listening TO the winds
trumpeting loud and louder on the
dreadful dark The baby boy. roused
a bit turned in his mothers arms and
slept on :.
So tiny cup of warmth and human
kindness is the cabin home. nestled
on the floor OF the haunted Vast, So
oh ind H1vu lat Hofr fnh
into the Black, Our utmost achieve
ment weighs so little; our highest as
but prick the lower strata a
the air: our loudest cannonade TeveT
berates scarcely higher. IL men couh
realize how alone they are, would th9
NOT let 20 Of old spites and vanities@
would they not make haste to clasp
each others hands? II all
that earth contains OF hate for man
We're loosed at once-what then2
Below in the gulch. where the
stream widened 10 its pond, now
bank-full and churned to,
foam against the barriers by the sud-
den down-rush of waters the elder
cabin slept. black and silent The old
folks slumbered within: resentment
like a coal az the core OF the mothers
heart failed TO disturb her Tepose; pa
tient sorrow seemed TO smooth Asrons
pillow and lull him the faster asleep.
Il was Just as the cTeek-pond ieaped
It's bank and came swirling down on
he dooryard that the hercest lunge
IF that nights storm pouneed upon
he cabin itself. the old house that had
xeathered so many wild nights. that
lsd cTouched TO the beating OF so
many mountain tempests. And at
sst. the sleepers wakened TO world
II chaos. 10 terrifying blows from un-
zen sources and the lash of the storm
tself breaking through their habits-
ion. {
In that region the vagaries OF
he swift, boulder-ehecked mountain
tTeams make land boundaries uncer-
ain Sometimes a creek In spring
lood will change its course, scour of
field and deposit II on some stretch
+ barren land half a mile away To-
light, Nsmeless Greek vas 10 christen
tself, and thereafter to be known as
iarriesne, namesake of the tempest
Fhich sst II HTecking Verona Bry-
1er 9 homestead and sfrewing thet
Treckage OF logs and puncheons, hand
ived boards and shingles for miles
long its course.
The old man was spared BY log and
after: zasping, whiried against this
nd that by the force Of the wind. be
reed himself al last and looked upon
be ruin Of his home a blur Of black
ess against the steel gray Of the