The Lakeland evening telegram., 1916-10-17
The
Typhoon
A Story of Japan
By CLARISSA MACKIE

Wendell had been in Japan a week
when he decided to leave Nagasaki and
make his headquarters in tiny fish
ing village.
The motive came upon Ray Wendell
the very day he decided to leave Naga-
saki.
1t came In the shape of typhoon.
Toward noon there was a cloud before
the sun.
Everything portable was fastened as
tightly as possible, and then all one
could do was to pray for deliverance
from the whirlwind.
Even the foreign population living in
the substantially built hotels and large
private residences recognized the signs
of approaching storm.
A yellow light seemed to brood over
the city. Birds flew restlessly among
the trees and shrubs in the gardens,
and mothers gathered their little ones
into the house.
In the baZaars the boxlike counters
were quickly telescoped, the stock in
trade vanished as magically and only
the swaying signboards and paper Ian
terms were left to rustic warning.
Wendell, walking toward the ticket
Office to see about reservations for his
journey to the fishing village of his
dreams, paused for a moment and
looked down the street to the very end.
where the busy thoroughfare became a
jutting wharf-a choppy yellow gray
sea, not sail in sight and the shipping
In the harbor rocking uneasily.
All at once the typhoon came scream
ing down the wind like thousand fu-
ries let loose.
Frail roofs were lifted like paper and
sailed through the air like huge kites.
Wendell gasped for breath and clung
toa pole His hat vanished and became
one Of other myriad flying objects. Fur
niture, clothing, uprooted trees, sign.
boards, flew past at dizzying speed.
People struggling against the wind
turned and went with 1t, many to de-
struction.
Wendell. pausing at corner, turned
1t to get away from that dizzy glimpse
Of the sea. He lost all sense of Ioca.
tions.
Dogs lodged under his feet. Paper
umbrellas. whose owners had neg
lected to furl them, were torn to
shreds and went swiriing through the
air like huge paper kites. Signboards
danced and clattered overhead.
There were shrill screams as women
ned toward their frail homes. Clogs
clattered on the pavements and there
were tinkling crashes Of porcelain as
shop windows blew In and devastated
the stock Of some luckless merchant.
Amid the eerie ringing of temple
bells sounded the hoarse notes of
warning whistles in the harbor. The
cries Of flying jinrikisha runners were
lost in the pandemonium of sound.
Wendell wondered what he should
do. He could not find his way back to
the hotel, yet he must find some place
Of refuge and find 1t very soon.
When the blighting wind had passed
over the city there might follow its
aftermath-the tidal wave. Very like
ly the shops in the harbor were pre-
pairing to meet the shoreward thrust
OF the mighty waters.
Wendell tried to hail a rikisha man.
He might get back to the hotel. But
every vehicle was filed and his call
was unnoticed. He addressed one or
two fleeing passersby. He offered
money to be guided to the hotel But
his offers were ignored. The wind
tore the words from his lips, and no
matter which way he turned he met
absorbed, fear set faces or fleeing blue
cotton backs.
Il will go with the wind" he NUT.
tered savagely, and with this resolve
In mind he swung around the next cer-
ner and with the wind at his back felt
himself impelled with great velocity.
The street he was now on was free
from shops and he could see glimpses
OF red tiled roofs among the cryptic
marias in the gardens. Here the wind
was tearing tiles from the roofs and
lashing the trees to destruction.
wendell saw group Of Japanese
scudding down the street to some safe
ty they had in mind. The street
sloped sharply downward. Suddenly
something flashed past the young
American and he heard a girls fright
ened cry.
1t was jinrikisha, with no sign of
attendants, rolling wildly down the
street. In the slight two wheeled
vehicle sat girl, gowned in white.
with ruddy brown hair blowing back
from her face-a white, staring face.
She thrust out appealing hands to
Wendell, and then the Jinrikisha had
borne her down the steep incline.
In an instant Wendell was after II.
the Wind that propelled the flying We
hicle speeding his going. He had not
dreamed that he could speed SO swift
ly, his feet barely touching the ground.
Strange things flew past him-lighter
objects-and he feared for the girls
safety.
1t was growing darker now, and there
was an ominous hush.
The wind seemed to pause in fits
blowing as If catching breath for
greater effort.
In that momentary stiffness Wendell
reached the fiying finrfkisha and nose