Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1882-04-19
The Weather Bureau.

81 see, says Mrs, spoopendyke, as sh,
laid the paper down, IL see that We are t.
have nsing, followed by falling barometer
with northeast to southwest winds, ant
higher or lower temperature, with clear o.
partly cloudy weather, and light rains
How is it they contrive to tell so accurate
ly about the weather? Do you under
stand irl"
Certainly" replied Mr.. SpGopendy ke,
''they do 1t by observation. They have 8
man out West observing, anu man down
East who observes, and fellows observing
around in different parts of the cosAtry.
They put all their observations together,
and We know just what it's going to do"
IL suppose that's what makes the wind
so different every morning, when one mans
temperature is rising, another's is falling;
and wRen one is clear, all the rest ar
partly cloudy with -"
"No, they amt. Each observer sends
in wEat he observes, and then the chief
makes up his mind from those reports
what the weather Will be. Can't you un-
derstandi"
Perfectly" said Mrs. Spoopendy ke,
rome.er 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 awfu! mad"
"What would they get mad about de-
manded Mr.. SpoOpendyke. "You don't
Imagine that they all get together and
fight 1t out do youi They take the
weather from different points and combine
IL, and then they parcel it out among the
different regions For instance, if it
SHOWS IN the East and warm In the West,
they strike an average for the lake region.
Now, what's the average between heat and
snowl"
''Rain," cried Mrs. Spoopendyke, de-
lighted with her ssgacIty. IL see how it
is now. They take what is usually going
on, and eqalike it all over tine country. I'm
glad the Democrats weren't elected"
''What have they got 70 do with iii Do
you think barometer is a Politician"
''No. But if the Democrats had been
elected they would have had to change it
all around, wouldn't theyl And the South
would have got the best share. That's
what the Repub-.r
bod gast the Republicans, They've
got No more to do with it than you have.
You've got an idea, that they throw the
barometers and observers iBto one end of
a steam engine and the weather comes out
OF the other. They don't make weather
The weather makes Itself. It's the only
thing about the Govern
ment- And these signal men only watch
1t, and tell what it's going to be-
IL supp ,se when these observers all get
together and talk it over, that it Is calle,I
a storm center, isn't itf"
''That's ill' shouted Mr.. Spoolendyke.
you've got the weather, now. All you
want is your name painted IN the handle
and the spring broken, to be an umbrella
They dom talk 1t over; they tell what
they know, and it is fixed up In Washing
ton. They agree on it here, and then they
telegraph it all over the country. 1t is
generally made in Manitoba and then
sent down here"
''How wide is it?" asked Mrs. Spocp-
endyke, deeply interested. because if it
amt too big. l should think they might
stop it,
-"Widel It's about a feet widel Just
3 feet. Just about as wide as your measly
How're they going to stop
~ S'pose it travels on q railroad trainl
Think it jaws the sleeping car conductor
because there's ouly an upper berth left7
Well it don't 1t hires q horse. That's
he way 1t comes. 1t hires a horsel"
nowled MIR. Spoopendyke, land the only
way to stop it is to build fence around
t, There was some talk about burning
Inc last one. but the wood was wet"
"Well, my dear, you needn't get angry
about it, p" said Mrs. Spoopendyke, sooth-
ngly. II only thought there might be
'ome way they could make some arrange
nents about 1t. l think storm centres are
lorrid, and the observer in Manitoba must
nave hard ii NE. II he has to observe
much in the winter, he must be nearly
iraZen."
'Does any human being know what
you're thinking abouti'' raved Mr.. Spoop-
,ndyke. ''Do you s'pose he goes around
with spy glass looking behind rocks?
Think be prowls around all night with
iod gasted lantern, hunting up storm CEN
res? Got an idea that he runs around
lnder the bed with broom, like a measly
married woman 1 know of, and when he
catches centre, pulls him out by the leg
and observes him2 He don't do anything
,f the sort. lie has 'em in to spend the
evening with him, and gets 'em drunk,
and finds out what they're up to. Under
stand 1t now? All you want is to wnirl
around twice and squeak nights to be a
weather yane.'
81 didn know how they did it, quOth
Mrs. Spoopendyke, CT cmplacently, "but
zee now. IL the Prohlbitionists had been
elected he couldn't have done that, and
We would have been in bad way. Now
hat understand 1t, I'll learn the lndica-
lions every morning How does barom-
,ter rise and fallf
with isck-screws, God CAST it," thun
lered Mr.. SpoOpendyke. sometimes
hey haul 1t up with stump machine;
.hen they drap a carpenters shop on II.
Once in Dakota 1t got so high that they
had to dig hole and rain it down with a
pile driver. Got it nowl Begin TO see
through itl What you need is a box of
pills and conundrum to be an almanac
And Mr.. SpoopendyKe jumpen out of the
house like corical shot. and banged the
ioOr after him.
81 never quite understood 1t before"
Mrs Spoopendyke, specula-
ing whether she would put the plume on
he side or back part of her hat; but now
hat he's made il PLAIN to me, wonder
hey don't observe By steam. 1t must be
awful hard on the poor men," And, hav-
ng decided about the plume, Mrs. Spoop-
sndyke flied her mouth with pins, and
:rawled under the bed IN search of her
himble.