The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1881-04-01
Areas and storm Centers.

ing barometer, with DOrtheaSC 10 SOutn-
west winds, and higher or lower tenn
perature, with clear, or partly cloudy
weather and light rains. How is ii
they contrive to tell SO accurately
about the weather? Do you under
stand it?u
"Certainly,n replied Mr.. Spoopen-
dyke. "They do it by observation.
They have q man out West observing,
and a man down East who observes,
and fellows observing around in differ
ent parts of the country. They put
all together, and we know just what
it's going to do.
81 suppose that's what makes the
wind so different every morning when
one mans temperature is rising,
another's is falling, and when one is
clear all the rest are partly cloudy,
with"
"No, they amt. Each observer
sends in what he observes, and then
the chief makes up his mind from
those reports what the weather will
be. Can't you understand"
Perfectly" said Mrs. Spoopendyke,
rubbing her elbows. eff one sees the
barometer rising and another sees it
falling, and it's cold in one place and
cloudy in another, they all say SO. But
should think when one hits it right
the others would be awful mad"
"What would they get mad about?''
demanded Mr.. SpOopendyke. "You
don't imagine they all get together
and fight it out, do you? They take
the weather from different points and
combine it, and then they parcel it out
among the different regions. For in
stance, if it SHOWS in the East and is
warm in the West, they strike an
average in the Lake region. Now,
what's the average between heat and
SNOWY"
"Rain," cried Mrs. Spoopendykc,
delighted with her sagacity. ~ see
how it is now. They take what IS
usually going on and equalize it all
over the country. I'm glad the DEM
Socrats weren't elected"
"What have they got to do with it:
Do you think barometer is pOliti-
cian?"
. mo. But if the Democrats had
been elected they would have had to
change 1t all around wouldn't they?
And the South would have got the
best share. That's what the Re
pub--n
"Dod CAST the Republicans! They've
got no more to do with it than you
have. You've got an idea that they
throw the baronseters and observers
into one end of steam engine and the
weather comes ont the other. They
don't make weather. The weather
makes itself. It's the only self-sup-
porting thing about the government.
And these signal men only watch it
and tell what it's going to be-"
81 suppose when these observers all
get together and talk it over, that is
called storm center, isn't it,"
: "That's itG' shouted Mr.. Spoopen-
dyke. "You've got the weather, now.
All you want is your name painted on
the handle, and the spring broken, to
be an umbrella, They don't talk it
over; they tell what they know, and
it's fixed up in Washington. they
agree on it here, and then they teie-
graph it all over the country. A storm
center travels around everywhere.
It's generally made in Manitoba aad
then sent down here. :.
"How wide is it," asked Mrs.
Spoopendyke, deeply interested. ."Be-
cause, if it isn't too big, should think
they might stop it,"
e "Wide? It's about feet wide! Just
feet. Just about as wide as your
measly information How're they
going to stop it? S'pese it travels on
railroad train? Think it jaws the
sleeping car conductor because there's
only an upper berth left? Well, it
don't 1t hires horse. That's the
way it comes. 1t hires a horse!"
howled Mr.. Spoopendyke, land the
on{y way to stop it is to build a fence
around it. There was some talk about
burning the last one, but the wood was
wet"
"Well, my dear, you needn't get
angry about it," said Mrs. Spoopen-
dyke, soothingiy. 81 only Thought
there might be some way they could
make some arrangement about it. I
think storm centers are horrid, and
the observer in Manitoba must have a
hard time. If he has to observe much
in the winter he must be nearly
frozen.
"Does any human being know what
you're thinking about" raved Mr..
Spoopendyke. "Do you s'pose he goes
around with spyglass looking behind
IOChSS 1uluh lc pToWlS dTOuuu I'LL
night with dod gasted lantern hunt
ing up storm centers? Got an idea that
he runs around under the bed with a
broom, like. q measly married woman
I know of, and when he catches GEN.
ter pulls him out by the leg and OBJ
serves him? He don't do anything Of
: the sort. He has 'em in to spend the
evening with him, and gets 'em drunk
and finds out what they're up to. I'm
.derstand it now? All you want is to
,whirl around twice and squeak nights
to be weather-vane."
81 didn't know how they did it,"
quoth Mrs. Spoopendyke, compliment
ly, "but see it now. If the prohibit
tionists had been elected he couldn't
have done that, aud we would have
been in bad way. Now that 1 un-
derstand it, I'll learn the indications
every morning. How does a barome-
ter rise and fall?"
"With jack screws, dod CAST it,"
thundered Mr.. Spoopendyke. "Some-
times they haul it up with stump
machine:. then they drop carpenters
shop on it. When it gets very low
they blow it up with gun cotton. Once
i, no l>ofo ont Kill, <l,or~ -