Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1885-07-10

Occasionally in the spring there oomesa day
that seems to have all zones and seasons con
densed into its brief space. Two or three
such days are indelibly fixed ia my memory.
The morning may dawn upon US clear, cool
and soft, with sparkling dew aud the song OF
a thousand meadow larks. The sun comes
Rrandly up above the cleau-cut horizon. We
feel no languor. Il is a delight TO live and
breathe and move The sun mounts toward
the zenith aud it begins to grow hot. II is
insuiferably hot There is no tree, no hill, no
rock, to give a cooling shade, and the deep
blue sky contains no passing cloud TO give us
a moments respite from the suns binding
rays We think regretfully Of the umbrella
that yesterdays wind turned inside out, and
determine TO put up a tent as soon as the
weather is cool enough TO encourage the e.
fort.
But atmospheric stiffness never lasts long
in Kansas. The wind begins to blow, and
our sitting breath grows more free. From
the south ths wind comes reaching our ears
with a murmuring sound before we feel il in
our faces. The prairie grass and fields Of
grain rise and fall, first in waves and then in
heaving billows. The wind increases in force
and becomes sirocco, scorching our faces
worse than the hottest rays of the sun could
do. There is no dignity in walking. We
struggle with our skirts aud wraps. We tie
our hats down, We hold on to them with both
hands and still they escape us, and we rush
madly after thom. The clothes on the line at
the next door flap wildly around, beating out
their hema and splitting in every weakened
spot while the washerwoman is striving 10
keep her balance long enough TO rescue them
before their total destruction lucky is she il
they are not snatohed from her grasp and
scattered far over the prairie, never to be re-
covered. Great tumble-weeds come rolling
like hoops across the plain. Here comes
market basket escaped from the hand Of some
urchin who for a moment forgot TO be vgi-
liant. We start to catch it for him, but it
eludes Us aud goes humping over the prairie
for half a mile or more, and is soon out of
sight A canvas covered carriage is seized by
the wind and rolled down the street. On the
noHt house comes topping down the stove
pipe chimney. Three or four 'claim shan
ties" are laid over on their sides, and the
builders Of the large house in the upper part
OF the town will have TO begin to morrow to
put up their frame anew. We think about
tornadoes and cyclones, and then remark qui-
etly, This isn't anything Just an ordinary
straight blow" Clouds of dust fill the air.
penetrating the thickest wells, reddening our
eyes, aud sitting through the cracks of doors
and windows to the utter ruin of all good
housekeeping The only comfort is in the
thought that this state of things cannot last
long; a change will surely come soon.
And here it comes. In the southeast black
cloud appears moving rapidly. We look anx.
iously to see if it Ia funnel shaped, and few
nervous persons retreat to their cellars or
caves THAT is, artificial excavations that serve
as outside cellars for some of the houses) But
this ia not a tornado-only Kansas shower.
First comes a cloud of dust, sweeping with
the rapidity OF a whirlwind aud yelling the
town from sight. The lightning blinds our
eyes ard streaks the black skies with chains
of light. Housewives bring sheets aud pieces
OF old carpet TO stop the cracks OF the doors
and windows on the windward side, and ''hur-
ry" must be the word, for in a moment the
rain il upon us, not in drops, but in binding
sheets moving horizontally along. In a few
moments the roadways are streams of running
water, the tubs and rain. barrels aud cisterns
are oveThowing The farmers exultingly eX-
claim, 'This insures the corn crop" and the
local editor writes for his item column, "what
slanderer said, 'Drouthy Kansas Z"
1t is no longer rain; it is sleet and hail.
Next comes a rift in the clouds, perfect arch
of rainbow, and the clouds roll away out of
sight, leaving the clean washed earth dotted
with flowers The afternoon wanes. The
winds are still The sun sinks in blaze of
golden glory, and almost without twilight
the day is ended. In the ocean of dark blue
ether above and round us, the moon and stars
are shining. 1t is the perfection of glorious
night. We linger in its beauty, unwilling
that sleep should claim the best hours of the
twenty -four, but at last the thought of to-
morrow's labors and vicissitudes drives us to
our couch. We fall asleep, to awaken per-
haps in a few hours and find that the bed.
covering ia insufficient. We wrap ourselves
in all the blankets we can find, but are still
cold, and grow colder. The south wind has
given place to a norther, which creeps in
through the seams of the windows, lifts the
carpet in billows, aud drives us back to our
warmest hAnnels, and our rekindled fires.
In weather, as in almost all phases OF this
prairie life, it is the unexpected which usually
happens. What adjective is there, applicable
to weather, that may not be used in the su-
perlative degree here do not wonder that
this id called Sunny Kansas, but it is also
windy Kansas. Yes, it is drouthy Kansas
but it is also fertile beautiful Kansas. July
Atlantic