The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1917-07-26
What the
Lightning Did
By ALAN HINSDALE

1t was a terrific storm. Yeardley
stood at his window looking at the
! lightning, which was followed in some
instances by almost instantaneous
thunder. He was fearless fellow, and
no matter how near the bolts, he kept
his place, admiring the battle of the
elements.
Clara was below in the drawing
room with Hammersley. She was en-
gagged to Yeardley, but was in love
with Hammersley. Yeardley possessed
a fortune, and Hammersley was poor.
The wedding between Yeardley and
Clara was to come off that day week.
Clara had insisted that he make win
in her favor before the wedding. Set
Elements are not common in America,
but Clara argued that her fiance had
lot Of relatives who in case Of his
death would make trouble. Without
will she would receive only widows
third, and that would not content her.
Yeardley had a cousin, Lucia, who
had been left an orphan, and he had
since then provided for Der. When he
made his will he left small income to
Lucia. But Clara objected to this, pre-
ferring that clause be put in instead
stating that the testator expected his
widow to support Lucia out Of the in
come Of the estate lin every comfort"
The bride to be convinced her expect
ant husband that this would be the
better way, and since she promised
him to obey the injunction faithfully
in case he died before her, he yielded
the point. ID. ;,
During the storm Clara, who had a
nervous dread of lightning, was SO
agitated that Hammersley put an arm
around her to soothe her. While they
were in this relative position there
came binding fash, and amid the
roar Of the thunder they heard some
thing fall in the room above. Ham
mersley went quickly upstairs, follow
ed by Clara. Yeardley was lying by the
! window motionless. Help was sum-
| moned, and he was laid on the bed.
The doctor came and pronounced him
dead The room was closed and the
| body left alone.
The thunder was muttering in the
| distance when the door of the death
chamber opened and Hammersley and
Clara entered. Approaching the bed.
they looked down on the marble face.
Then they went to the window and
stood looking out, talking in low
tone. Hammersley drew Clara to him.
| and her cheek rubbed against his.
After few minutes they went out.
closing the door softly behind them.
Hammersley and Clara went back
to where they had been standing when
the storm broke. Clara tried to. look
like girl who had just lost her fiance.
but failed. Hammersley did not even
try to look mournful. Indeed, smile
lowered about his lips. Clara would
now be his.
Later Lucia entered the room and,
approaching the bed, sank on her knees,
buried her face in her hands and Sob.
bed. Then she arose and looked down
through her tear dimmed eyes upon her,
cousin. In another moment she passed
out, sobbing convulsively.
| Two hours after Yeardley had been
stricken an electric bell rang out sharp
~. The register indicated that it had
been rung from his room. What could
it mean? If any one was there who
wanted anything, surely he would not
have rung the bell.
The butler was sent up, and presently
returned with his eyes wide open.
"Mr. Yeardley isn't dead" he ex-
claimed.
"What do you mean?" cried Clara.
"He's sittin' up in bed"
All FASTENED up the staircase, and be-
fore entering the room saw, through
the open door, Yeardley in sitting pos.
ture.
whats been the matter with me?"
he asked, in dazed fashion. Il feel
as If had been keelhauled."
Clara ran out of the room. Hammer
sley followed her. Lucia came in and,
seeing her cousin alive whom she
thought dead, seized his hand and kiss
ed it.
Electricity is a curious antagonist.
Sometimes it kills outright, sometimes
it will strip coat off a mans back
with but trifing injury to him, and
sometimes it will throw him into a
coma for hours. Yeardsley's bodily
faculties had been temporarily para
lyzed.
Clara returned to the room where
her betrothed lay and expressed her
| Joy that he had returned to life But
it is difficult to express joy when one
! feels regret. She explained that she
had been so suddenly cast down and
relieved that she could not control her
feelings.
| Nobody ever knew whether Yeardley
had been struck by the bolt or stunned
by its proximity. The question now
uppermost in his fancee's mind was
whether he had retained consciousness
But she dreaded to ask him, and he re.
Trained from speaking of the matter.
The next day Yeardley was all right
again. He sent for his fancee and told
her that he had decided not to make a