The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1918-12-24

and Mats horse started out on a gal
Top. He was going to reach home be-
fore the storm came on if it could
possibly be done.
Flora Weakened with start. She
had hardly been asleep five minutes,
1t seemed. ooh" A flash of snake
lightning caused her to cover her head
In the bed clothes, and she attempted
to stuff a whole sheet In her ears to
deaden the sound Of the thunder that
she knew would follow.
ooh! OH" came in quick success
sion from her lips. The tlmult that
was taking place almost deafened
her, despite the sheet. 1t sounded as
If the whole country had been struck.
Flash after flash of lightning was fol-
lowed by crash after crash of thunder,
made more terrible by a torrent of
rain and wind. 1t seemed hours be-
fore a calm came, but In reality 1t was
only very few minutes The still
ness was almost as terrifying as the
storm.
Flora longed to cry out for help, but
there was no one within hearing dis
lance. Her father was the only 9TH
er person in the house, and his room
was at the rear. He was deaf and
could sleep through any kind of storm.
Suddenly a sound broke the stiffness.
Flora's trembling stopped immediate
ly. She listened. The sound was re-
peated. Some one was knocking the
big brass knocker on the front door.
Who was it at that hour? Flora asked
herself.
A telegram from her mother, was
the answer that presented itself.
Flora jumped from the bed and
slipped into slippers and kimono.
Her heart beat rapidly as she stood
with her hand on the lock of the big
oak door. She was terrified, not Of
personal danger but at the thought Of
what news might be waiting on the
outside of that door for her. Tele-
grams in the night are always hor-
rible things.
No sooner had she opened the door
than she Jumped back with a scream
that rang through the house. A biz
burly body had flung itself at her and
her haEds had cone In contact with
wet. sticky fur. Her head reeled and
she was almost fainting when some
thing told her what 1t was.
"Bonniew she gasped. Bonnie
where did you come from?"
An answering whine caused her 10
sink down with cry of thanktulness.
When she flashed on the lights there
stood Bonnie, Mat. Burgess collie. 1t
was quite some time before Flora
could become composed enough to pat
the dog. He was shaking all over.
Mat was with him, was her thought
as she threw open the door. But no
Mat was there. 1t was almost dawn
and the storm had cleared. The DOG
sank back at the sight Of the wei
landscape. Who could have knockedi
One look at Bonnie answered the ques
ton. He had reached up with his
nose and lifted the knocker.
He seemed to be pleading for some
thing Mat had been hurt and the
dog had come for help. She had read
of such things in stories. With TINS
thought came conviction.
"Where is he, old fellow, and how
was he hurt?" Flora asked, frantic
! ally.
The dog wagged its tail as if it un
derstood, and that convinced Florf
the more. A tree had fallen on Mat
on his way home, or he had beer
struck by lightning. Mat In thai
storm The thought was terrible. on
what could she do? Madly she raced
upstairs and dressed hurriedly.
was daylight by the time she was
down again.
Poor Mat had been pinned down b,
that tree all night Oh, what If n
was dead2 Bonnie would lead her t