The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1875-07-31

rustling of millions of winge caused the
dogs to howl dolefully, and vague terror
began 10 steal over our hearts.
Near niphtfall of the third day of the
presence of the foe, brisk breeze blew
from the north Our neighbor keturah
came to our door, and said, "Do you see
how the smoke is rising on every side Of
us2"
We could see from ten to twenty miles
in any direction, and all about us were py-
randall columns of smoke, as we thought,
rising toward the heavens. ''Iiow is it,
we asked, 'that these great masses OF
smoke appear simultaneously at every
point ?" And rs we gazed and saw them
slowly grow blacker and arise higher an in
defnable dread of some fearful coming
took possession OF us.
Two of our number were out taking a
gallon on their ponies. Ga their return
| tbev said "Did you see the grasshoppers
rise We heard Il sound like arushing wind,
and thought we were riding into the edge
of whirlwind" (such as are often seen
here carrying pyramids of dust and sand
many feet from the earth), "but, looking
a moment, saw the grasshoppers going up
in cloud-like masses, and they passed oil
south
"Ah that was the grasshoppers, and we
thought it smoke ~ we exclaimed; and i'm
medately the weight was lifted from our
hearts. Some grasshoppers were left near
our buildings. but they were merely going
to rest for the night, and by noon next day
very few were TO be seen. In just one
week from the day of their first arrival, a
great shower of grassboppers fell again,
and began to devour what the others had
left. One cornlield which the others had
left in part, and which still promised a
small harvest, was attacked by these latter
marauders, and our last hope for corn that
season soon vanished.
Our shade trees were entirely stripped
of their leaves, the netting screens in our
doors and windows hung in tatters, and the
greedy millions made their way into our
houses 10 devour plants which we thought
hidden from their insatiste little jaws.
They ate holes in clothing, in curtains,
and in pincushoDs, and heard of one wo-
man who found the draught of her stove
clogged with grasshoppers, they having
fallen down the pipe in such numbers as to
fill it.
The houses and fences soon were black
with the millions of these insects. We
could not even see the bark on the trees
because of the myrads of wings, and we
beheld the result of the labor of many
hands blank before us. We sat in awed
silence, feeling we were IN the presence of
that Power which can bar the raging waves
of the sea with little grains Of sand and
send an army Of little insects to bring to
naupht the boosted work of man.
The third day after their arrival, clouds
screening us from lis intense heat, and to-
ward night n company of us, daughters of
these prairies, dragged our really exhaust
ed selves to the river, hoping to find little
refreshment by q bath. We were scarcely
in the water before we were startled by a
crash, a peal, and then rushing wind.
Peering over the high northern bank, we
saw a black cloud driven ftriously up to-
ward the zenith, and at the same time the
sun burst from under dark veil in the
west, revealing to our eyes scene of won
der. Myriads upon myriads of little wings
were flashing like specks of silver in the
sunlight, not only as far as the eye could
reach, east, west. and south, but as far as
we could see into the air above US, and we
knew the grasshoppers were driven again
before the north wind.
When our bath was finished, very few OF
them were left to annoy us as we returned
home, and great was our relief and JOY to
have them gone. st. Nicholas for July.