The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-08-23
An Effect of
A Cyclone
By WILLARD BRAKEMAN

morning and was entering a hotel
when a man in the doorway looked at
me with growing expression Of as
constituent on his face. / could not
understand why he regarded me thus,
for did not remember to have ever
seen him before. passed into the ho-
tel. Persons were moving about, none
Of whom interested me or l them, till
l ran up against another man, who
looked at me with the same expression
as the man had met in the doorway.
As he passed me 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
voice said:
/ Jim Donegan, want your
This third surprise was clew to the
others. Quite likely resembled
man who was wanted for crime or per-
haps supposed crime. certainly never
broke law in my life.
: True enough. both the men who had
/ looked at me in surprise swore that
was Jim Donegan. who few days be-
fore was caught red handed in a 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.
/ Whilo I Vuoc haino fo to i0V Ona
of those Kansas cyclones came up and
cut a swath right through the town,
taking in me and my captor. 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 I came to house
with hole in its side so big that
could walk right through 1t. There
was a bed inside that looked very in
viting for tired man. was not tired.
but 1t occurred to me that 1t would be
a good place to hide. So jumped into
bed 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 camew
A woman. a young fellow about sew
enteen years old and little girl came
into the room. ] lay staring at the
ceiling. pretending to be dead. 1t
seemed to me that this was the only
way to avoid answering questions as
to how l 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 that
1t would be better to play injured.
groaned and lowered my eyes to the
group bending over me.
Where am II" l asked.
How in the world did you come to
be hereT exclaimed the woman In q
tone Of amazement
Don't you remember anythingT ask
ed the girl
II remember being taken up by a
wind and landed somewhere, but when
stopped | lost consciousness" Then
r looking in assumed wonder at the open
side Of the house, "Can it be that was
blown through thereT
asked them II they couldn't cover
up the opening and let me stay there
till l felt able to go somewhere else
t They got blankets and tackled them VI
} between me and the outside. Then
' they asked me what else they could
do for me. l told them that l would
prefer to be let alone for a time till
could collect my faculties, declaring
that felt bruised all over. They sug
gested that some bones might be brok
en-, but as this would involve an imme
date examination l said my bones
nCAC dlA AABhis Inv Sal SUM NAA
though she could understand how
, might have been blown in at the aper
ture she couldn't understand how
could have been blown into bed and
! covered up. ! said that just befor'
+ they had come In / had felt a sensa
t ton OF cold and had doubtless pulled
: the covers over me.
do you remember tucking yourself
inr asked the young lady.
= paid no attention to what was plain
ly sarcasm. l was well tucked In
!, for had got under the covers without
throwing them down.
Well, l played safe" long enough
to send for my brother. dreading al
: the while that the house would b,
, searched for me. Had seen the dam
age that had been done would no
r have feared so much for myself
strip Of the town several hundred
2 feet wide had been wrecked and
many persons injured. The house
was in had been badly damaged, thougl
no one was hurt
T | left with my brother after darl