The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1921-06-18
Down in the Cy.
clone Cellar
BY FRANK H. WILLIAMS

| tSa 1921. by Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate
Perhaps il was because pretty
Betty Simpson lived In the cyclone bel
that she was of such a tempestuOu.
temperament; perhaps it was simpl!
| because she was born that way. A
any rate she was nightly tempestuou.
when any of her deeper emotions were
involved. And when her father, stern
morose Henry Simpson, accused hel
sweetheart of being responsible for the
loss of the Simpsons slowly accumu
lated Liberty bonds she flared up al
once.
''Of course Jim Brown didn't take
| them" she stormed. You ought t.
know him better than that, father!"
"Jim knew | kept them in my desk
and that the desk was unlocked" said
her father stolidly. And what does
he do when | say something to him
about them being gOne-he disappears
That proves he took them ~
Betty wrung her hands disconsO
lately.
He didn't take them!" she cried.
81 just know he didn't"
She looked around the modestly fur
nished little living room desperately. II
only she had some one to help her! If
only her mother hadn't died-she
would have understood,
Betty looked at the foolish grin OIL
the face of her senile old grandfather
and then at the happy smile on the
face of her baby sister. And she
sighed deeply. Life was going hard
with her. If only she could make her
father desist from his expressed pur-
pose.
please don't file an affidavit against
him, Please don't father" she cried.
81 just know Jim didn't take them. /
just know everything will come out all
right"
'Tve already. filed the affidavit ~
answered her father shortly. 81 can't
afford to lose all that money. / can't
help IL If Jim has been your beau"
He turned away heavily. Tears
started to Betty's eyes as she looked
after him. Her father was stern and
hard. Much sorrow and bitter life
had made him cruel. There was no
moving him when he had set his mind
on anything. What could she do?
That night Betty wrote an i'm
FASHIONED letter to Jim-tO an address
he had given her before leaving-urg-
Ing him to come back and prove his
innocence. And In this letter. too. she
urged him to tell her why he had left
for quite suddenly after her father had
partially accused Jim Of the theft, he
had left the countryside without let
ting any one. save Betty, know where
he was going. And he had not even
told Betty why he was going.
IT was about a week later that the
cyclone visited the spot where Betty
lived.
Cyclone weather" had been worry
ing the country folk for some hours
before the unmistakable signs of ap-
preaching trouble sent the Simpson
family scurrying into the cyclone cell
lar near the home. Even as Betty
helped her grandfather down the stairs
into the cellar. which had been pre-
pared years before at some little dis
lance from the house. the menacing
spiral of the cyclone was visible down
the valley.
Betty's father had entered the cellar
first. and as Betty pulled the storm
door fiat and locked 1t she saw that her
father had lighted lantern and was
looking quickly and somewhat fear
fully around the cellar. What was
wrong?
Betty leaped down the remaining
steps of the ladder into the cellar.
whats the matter?" she crieu TO
her father, who was holding the lam
tern high above his head.
Once more stern Henry Simpson
loked around the small room before
replying. Then he gazed fearfully into
Betty's eyes.
where's the baby?" cried Henry
Simpson.
Panic clutched at Betty's heart at
this question. She gazed around the
room with wild eyes. The baby was
nowhere in sight.
81 put the baby down here a half
hour ago. She must have climbed
out ~
Frantically Betty rushed to the side
Of the room and leaped upon box
which brought her eyes I'm line with a
little portfolio. partially raised above
the level of the earth, In which heavy
glass formed lookout. She looked
out fearfully.
There. half way between the cellar
and the house was the baby, dancing
up and down In the gusts of wind
which heraided the near approach of
the twister. A pair Of the grand
fathers old overalls. which had been
blown from the house. were partially
twined about the baby. And only an
appallingly short distance away-com-
pared with the speed at which II was
coming-was the cyclone.
Betty jumped from the box and ran