Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1881-09-15
INFALLIRLE slaNs.
Professor Burdeite Goes Into the
Weather Business and Becomes
the PrOphet OfProphets.

line crop OF weather prophets Is
growing. Vennor and Tice issue their
bulletins regularly, and they relooked
to with great interest, not SO much by
reason Of their infallibility as out Of q
feeling Of curiosity. The trouble with
the prophets above named, or rather
with their forecasts, is, that they pro-
vide no schedule for general use-one
that will do for every day life, and is
suitable for all the year around. This
long felt want has been supplied by
Bob Burdette, and his arrangement Of
the signs of the weather is submitted
in the belief that it will commend it.
self TO all.
1T is an easy matter enough to
forecast the weather like Professor
Tice and Mr.. Vennor, if people will
only give their minds to it. By close
ly reading and studying the prediction
Of those great weather breeders we
have deduced the following rules by
| which they make al their forecasts.
Hindcasts of the weather are not made
until thenext day.
An intensely blue sky indicates a
temporary absence Of clouds. Under
other circumstances, again, an intense
blue sky indicates a tornado.
When a woman leaves a piece Of
soap on the stairs where her husband
will tread upon it, it is a dead sure
sign Of a storm.
When the sun rises behind a bank
Of clouds, and the clouds hang low all
around the horizon and all over the
sky, and the air feels damp, and there
is a fine driEzling mist blowing, the in
dications are there will be q rain
somewhere in the United States or
Canada.
When it begins to thunder, look out
for the lightning.
When a man gets up at night and
feels along the top pantry-shelt in the
dark, and knocks the big square bottle
without any label down on the floor
and breaks it, it is a sign there is go
ing to be a dry spell until Z or s
O'Clock in the morning.
When the spring millinery openings
are advertised look out for bright,
sunny wreathes all around the house,
with treacherous Gains and rising
barometer, indicative of sudden temp
ests and mean temperature.
When the cradle begins to vibrate
with irregular, spasmodic motions
about / O'Clock in The morning, look
out for squalls, and try to remember
where you left your paregoric the last
time you had it.
When the youngest boy in the fam
lily comes home three hours after
school hours, with his hair wet and
bis shirt wrong side out, look out for a
spanking breeze.
To see the head Of the family feel
ing in his pants pockets, then in his
vest pockets, and then in his coat
pockets, indicates mo change"
If he suddenly stops whistling at
the ceiling and expands his face into
a broad grimace of delight, it means
unexpected change"
If the spring bonnet comes home
trimmed on the right side for the
wearer's seat in church, and has three
more sprigs and two more dandelions
than the bonnet of the woman in the
next pew, it is "see fair"
An unusually large number Of
spiders presages a very mild or a very
open winter, as the case may be.
II the corn shucks are very thick,
the winter will be cooler than the
summer.
If the corn shucks are very thin,
the summer will be warmer than the
winter.
II the corr shueks are neither toe
thick nor too thin, the summer will
be warm and the winter cold.
lfthe weather prophet predicts a
rainy season, and it happens to rain
away out in Oalaveras county, and is
dry as a bone all oyer the rest Of
America. this rain must be set down
TO the credit Of the weather breeder,
and all the dry time counts for moth
ing.
IF the weather. breeder predicts a
very dry month, and the raging food:
sweep all the country in n Wild.
drowning deluge except Newton Up.
per Falls, Mass. then people must saS
that sure enough old Vennor said il
was going to be dry this month.
Still, it is just as well to bear 10
mind when you read the wild prog
nostications Of Mr.. Veunor and BIZ
great rival, that a rain 1900 miles
square no more makes a rainy day OF
this continent than a fy-speck on tn,
dome of the Capitol makes the Dis
trict of Columbia, or even all thu
dome. black. Anybody can say
There will be rain, and thunder
storms, and cyclones in the United
States during July" and it would b,
q mighty safe thing to bet money on
What we want, what the countr,
clamors for, is a man who can tell u
when and where the cyclone is goinj
to strike, and whom it will hit. Ant
up to date that mar hasn't said a wor,
about the weather.