The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-08-31
An Effect Of
A Cyclone
BY WILLARD BLAKEMAN


understand why he regarded me thus,
for / did not remember to have ever
seen him before. l passed into the ho-
tel Persons were moving about, hone
of whom interested me or I them, till |
/ ran up against another man, who
looked at me with the same expression |
as the man l had met in the doorway. |
AS he passed me I turned and looked |
back at him and saw him looking back |
at me.
Not ten minutes after this a hand |
was clapped on my shoulder. and a
voice said:
Jim Donegan, want your
This third surprise was a clew to the
others. Quite likely l resembled a
man who was wanted for crime or per-
haps supposed crime. | certainly never
broke a law in my life
True enough. both the men who bad
looked at me in surprise swore that |
was Jim Donegan. who a few days be-
fore was caught red handed in rob-
berry, but got away. The only thing
about my case that seemed to puzzle
my accusers was that should openly
show myself in Topeka. But when ]
denied that / was Donegan they con
cluded that was bluffing
i While l was being taken to jail one
Of those Kansas cyclones came up and
cut a swath right through the town,
I taking in me and my captQr What
became of him l don't know to this
day. AS for me, was blown against
a tree box and chung to it till the storm
had passed. which involved only few
minutes. What especially interested
me was to make good my escape from
those who had mistaken me for some
one else. was fearful lest my captor
would get his hands on me again
Perhaps, considering the damage that
had been done by the storm. magni-
fed my own Importance. Nevertheless
thought of nothing but re-arrest
Holding to the path of the cyclone, ]
ran like a deer till came to house
with a hole in its side so big that l
could walk right through 1t. There
was a bed inside that looked very in
viting for tired man. 1 was not tired,
but it occurred to me that 1t would be
a good place to hide. SO jumped into
he'd and covered up, all except my
eyes, resolving that would pretend to
have been killed by the cyclone.
had not been In bed long before a
pretty girl came in and, seeing me, ran
out crying:
"Who in the world was in bed in the
spare room when the storm came"
A woman, a young fellow about sew.
enteen years old and little girl came
into the room. l lay staring at the
ceiling, pretending to be dead. II
seemed to me that this was the only
way to avoid answering questions as
TO how came to be in bed in a strange
house.
Hes not Dead" said the girl who
had discovered me. Don't you see the
color in his cheek?" / concluded thai
it would be better to play injured.
! groaned and lowered my eyes to the
group bending over me.
where am II" asked.
"How in the world did you come Il
be here?" exclaimed the woman In
tone of amazement.
Don't you remember anything" ask
ed the girl.
II remember being taken up by I
wind and landed somewhere, but whel
stopped | lost consciousness" TheI
looking in assumed wonder at the opei
side of the house, "Can 1t be that wa
blown through therer
l asked them If they couldn't cove
up the opening and let me stay Their
till 1 felt able to go somewhere else
They got blankets and tackled them u
between me and the outside. The
they asked me what else they coul
do for me. told them that l wouh
prefer to be let alone for time till
could collect my faculties, declarin
that / felt bruised all over. They sue
gested that some bones might be broH
en-, but as this would involve an immt
date examination l said my bone
were all right. The girl said tina
though she could understand how
might have been blown in at the apel
ture she couldn't understand how
could have been blown into bed an
covered up. l said that just befor
they had come In l had felt sensi
ton of cold and had doubtless pulle
the covers over me.
do you remember tucking yoursel
in?" asked the young lady.
( | paid no attention to what was plalr
lv a sarcasm. | was well tucked II
for / had got under the covers withou
throwing them down.
/ Well, l played safe" long "noug
to send for my brother, dreadng
the while that the house would B
searched for me. Had seen the dan
age that had been done l would nc
have feared so much for myself. i
strip of the town several hundre
feet wide had been wrecked an
MANY persons injured. The house
was in had been badly damaged. thong
no one was hurt.
left with my brother after dar
and didn't visit Topeka again till ma
ample proofs of my identity. Then
wont TO see the girl who asked me