The tornado came without any sign—the sky was blue and the sun had been out. The first alert (警报) that my husband, Jimmy, 67, and I, 65,   got came around 9 p. m., from some scrolling text on the TV Jimmy was watching. He ran upstairs to find me in our third-floor bedroom, and we changed the channel to our local station of Pensacola, Florida.

No sooner had we found coverage of the tornado than it was on top of us. The bones of the house shook, and the power went out. The wind began to roar through the house. We had three flights of steps to move to the relative safety of the first floor. Because the closet down there is wedged (将……塞进) underneath a brick staircase, it seemed like the sturdiest (坚固的) place in our town house to wait things out.

I didn’t know how or if we would make it down the steps. It felt as if there were no floor underneath me as the wind lifted me off my feet. I gripped (紧抓) the banister (楼梯的扶手) and tried to move forwards, but this intense pressure held me in place. In those seconds of stillness, I could hear everything around me rattling (发出咔嗒咔嗒的声音).

As we reached the last flight of steps, our front door blew out. Shards of glass that looked like broken ice flew everywhere. Suddenly, a three-foot-long tree branch whipped through the door frame. It flew over our heads, missing us by inches. Had we been one step up, it would have impaled (刺穿) us. The back wall of the house followed suit and was tore off into the darkness outside.

Instantly I reached the closet, Jimmy pushed me down to the closet floor, but he couldn’t get inside himself because of the wind. I gripped Jimmy’s arm as the tornado sucked the door open and tried to bring Jimmy with it. My knees and scalp (头皮) were full of glass, but in that moment, I felt no pain. If I had let go, Jimmy would have flown right out and into the bay. “Hold on! Hold on!” he shouted. But there was nothing in this closet to hold on to.

All of a sudden, Jimmy lifted off his feet like people in tornadoes do in the movies. I thought he was gone. And then everything stopped. He landed on his feet. In those first quiet moments, I couldn’t believe it was over. Jimmy said he’d go outside to check. “No,” I said. “Don’t leave me.”

Our neighbour says the storm lasted four minutes. In that time, four of the twelve town houses in our unit were completely destroyed. Of the houses left standing, ours suffered the most damage. Amazingly, none of us were severely injured.

One sunny afternoon in the autumn of the year 1861, a soldier lay in bushes by the side of a road in western Virginia, America. He lay at full length upon his stomach, his head upon his left forearm. His right hand loosely grasped his gun. But for the slight rhythmic movement of his back, he might have been thought to be dead. He was asleep at his post of duty. But if found, he would be dead shortly afterward, death being the legal punishment for his crime.

The sleeping soldier was a young Virginian named Carter Druse. He was the son of wealthy parents, an old child. His home was but a few miles from where he now lay. One morning he rose from the breakfast table and said seriously:’ Father, the Union army has arrived at Graton. I am going to join it. ‘

The father lifted his head, looked at his son a moment in silence, and replied,’ Go Carter, and whatever may occur, do what you consider to be your duty. Virginia, which you betray, must get on without you. If we both live to the end of the war, we will speak further of the matter.’

So Carter Druse, bowed to his father and left the home of his childhood. His bravery won him his selection for his present duty at the extreme post. Nevertheless, he fell asleep, exhausted. What good or bad angel came in a dream to awake him from his state of crime, who shall say? He quietly raised his forehead from his arm and looked between the bushes.

His first feeling was a great artistic delight. On the cliff(悬崖) was a man sitting on a horse, straight and soldierly. The face of the rider turned slightly away; he was looking downward to the bottom of the valley.

Fully awake and keenly alive now, Druse cautiously (谨慎地) pushed the gun forward through the bushes and covered a spot of horseman’s breast. A touch upon the trigger(扳机)   and all would have bene well with Druse. At that moment, the horseman turned and looked in his direction—seemed to look into his very face, into his eyes, into his brave heart.

Druse grew pale; his whole body shook. His hand fell away from his weapon, and his head slowly dropped until his face rested on the leaves.

The duty of the soldier was clear—the man must be shot dead. But no –there is a hope; he may have discovered nothing—perhaps he is but admiring the beauty of the landscape. Druse looked downward. He saw some foolish soldiers watering their horses in the open!

Druse fixed his eyes again upon the group of man and horse in the sky, and again it was through the sights of his gun. But this time his aim was at the horse. In his memory rang the words of his father,’ Whatever may occur, do what you consider to be your duty.’

He fired.

Ten minutes had passed when a Federal officer came to him cautiously.

‘Did you fire?’ the officer whispered.

‘ Yes.’

‘ At what?’

‘A horse. It was standing on the rock. You see it is no longer there. It went over the cliff.’

‘ The soldier’s face was white, but he showed no other sign of emotion. Having answered, he turned away his eyes and said no more. The officer did not understand.

‘See here, Druse,’ he said, ‘ It is no use making a mystery. I order you to report. Was there anybody on the horse?’

‘Yes.’

‘Well?’

‘My father.’

How do you make a restaurant business an overnight success at the age of 52? Ray Kroc said, “I was an overnight success, but 30 years is a long, long night.”

In 1917, 15-year-old Ray Kroc lied about his age to join the Red Cross as an ambulance driver in World War Ⅰ, but the war ended before he completed his training. He then worked as a piano player, and a paper cup salesman. In 1954, he visited restaurant in San Bernardino, California. There he found the small but successful restaurant run by brothers Dick and Mac McDonald, and was surprised by their effective (有效的) operation. The McDonald’s brothers produced a limited menu, concentrating on just few items—burgers, fries and drinks—which allowed them to focus on quality and quick service.

They were looking for new franchising agent (特许经销商) and Kroc saw chance. In 1955, he founded McDonald’s System, Inc. By 1958, MeDonald’s had sold its 100 millionth hamburger.

In 1961, Kroc started a training program later called Hamburger University, at a new McDonald’s restaurant in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. There, franchisees (特许证持有人) were trained on the proper methods for running successful McDonald’s’ restaurant. Hamburger University used a research and development laboratory to develop new cooking, freezing, storing and serving methods. Today, more than 275,000 franchisees, managers, and employees have graduated from the program.

Right up until he died on January 14, 1984, Ray Kroc never stopped working for McDonald’s. His legacy provides McDonald’s customers with great tasty, inexpensive food; staff and franchisees with chances for growth; and suppliers with a shared promise to provide the highest quality food.