Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1885-08-07
4 storm In the Con try.

A storm in the country. writes Bill
Arp in the Atlanta Constitution. is
worth something to see. We can look
out and afar of and see it coming, and
we can see the lightning fash and zig
gag and corrnscate, and have no fear
it is grand, but not fcarful-not alarms
ing. The trees are all around US, and
have never been struck. They are our
lightning-rods. our insulators. Light
ming will strike ono lonely tree, but it
rarely strikes in a grove or forest. 1t
has struck twice in our cotton field and
killed the cotton, but these trees all
around us scatter it and keep it from
concentrating. Neighbor Freeman says
that lightning has liking for a wagon
with one steer, for he passed one on
the road day before yesterday while
there was 4 storm on hand and tho
lightning struck the little one-stcer
wagon and tore it all to pieces, and
the steer just went on with nothing but
one shaft hitched to him. There was
no driver, for the steer had just been
turned lcosc to so home by himself
Cobe says he never did understand
this thunder and lightning business,
nohow, ''for, says he, ''some folks
say that its the lightnin' that strikes,
and some say it's the thunder, but he
has noticed ono thing, and that is
whenever anything is struck trey come
right smack together and it looks like
it takes 'em both to do the work.
We have had good deal of country
life of late, and j have no idea of
changing base. had rather I've poor
in the country than rich in town. We
have been harvesting wheat and oats
and rye. We went 10 see mill-pond
drawn off, and had a big time wading
in and grabbing the big tish under the
moss and III tie hollow stumps, and
trying to hold the slickery cells. / go
with the children after mulberries
and dcwberries and huckleberries. I've
hived six swarms of bees and got stung
only twice. The children have pulled
out the peacocas' tails for fiy-brushes
The peacock is dude. used to think
the peahen ought to have the fine
clothes, but dom t now, for it would
most kill her 10 give them up. The
beautiful feathers were intended for
the use of maw, and it is all right to
strip the vain bird Of his ornaments
and let him feel like a common stock.
There is right good fishing in our big
spring branch, and every spring some
nice trout run UP the crecg and feed on
minnows. We have been watching
them and trying to catch them, but
they wouldn't notice our earth-worm
bait. and so the other day | set out
minnow and got over the fence and
watched the pole, and sure enough q
big fat fellow grabbed it and hung
himself, and was cavorling and splash
ing around, and / had to 20 over a six
plank fence. and couldn't DO it in tho
old time way, and just fell over on my
hands and feet and galiopcd OH all
fours to the pole just III time to pull
him out and save him, for he fell of
the hook on the grass and hssl ike to
have fIirted back in thc water. Mrs.
Arp had fish for supper that evening.
She is fond Of fish, aristocratic fish, =
and when we get trout it is always
for her. They say that fish is brain-
food. and gives folks sense. and i reck-
on the finer the fish the finer the brain,
and that IS the reason folks who feed
on trout have SO much Judgment.
Then. again, trout arc game fish, and
that is the reason why folks who eat
them are 50 game. wish had some
trout. May be Wouldn be as meek
and humble IS am.