THE END OF THE DROUGHT 181 
“It will be gone soon/’ she stated. “It is too 
heavy to last long.” 
This was encouraging news, although just at 
that moment it was coming down harder than ever. 
Then lightning sped through the sky and a great 
roll of thunder passed overhead. I have never 
liked lightning, not that I am afraid of its striking 
me, but it makes my head feel as though a tight 
band were drawn about it. 
“If it is as sharp as that this evening,” Joseph 
said, “we must try tO' photograph it.” 
“The lightning?” I asked. I felt indeed more 
like taking refuge in the dark closet. 
“It is stupid to be afraid of lightning,” Joseph 
said. “Mr. Percy has told me how to photograph 
it when it comes in the evening. I am sure, if you 
once try to do it, you will never be afraid of it 
again.” 
“It has struck near-by,” Mrs. Keith called 
sharply, as again another roll of thunder followed 
the lightning. “It has struck one of the spruces !” 
she cried, having gone to a front window to look 
out. 
Joseph and I did not know what to do. We 
would rather the storm had devoured the whole 
garden than to have had it harm one of the six 
spruces. But what Mrs. Keith said was true, 
although we could not see then how much damage 
had been done. We wondered if the storm had 
had the special intention of killing one of our 
