Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1885-08-12
a Kansas Day.

Occasionally in the spring there comes
day that seems to have all zones and
seasons condensed into brief space.
Two or three such days are indelibly
liked in my memory. The morning
may dawn upon us clear, cool, and soft,
with sparkling dew, and the song of a
thousand meadow larks. The sun
comes grandly up above the clean cut
horizon. We feel no languor, 1t is a
delight to live and breathe and move.
The sun mounts toward the zenith, and
the air begins to grow hot. 1t is insult
ferably hot. There is no tree, no hill,
no rock, to give cooling shade, and
the deep-blue sky contains no passing
cloud to give Us moments respite
from the SUMS binding rays. We think
regretfully of the umbrella that yester-
days wind turned inside out, and de-
termine to put up tent as soon as the
weather is cool enough 10 encourage the
effort.
But atmospheric stiffness never lasts
long in Kansas. The wind begins 10
blow. and our stifing breath grows
more free. From the south the wind
comes, reaching our ears with muir
muring sound before we feel it in our
faces. The prairie grass and fields of
grain rise and fall, first in waves, and
tllen in heaving pillows. The wind in-
creaseS in force and becomes a siroccO,
seorching our faces worse than the hot
test rays of the sun could do. There
is no dignity in walking. We struggle
Wif h Of1r sGirtc apI xrranS lVa mo nur
hats down, We hold on to them with
both hands, and still they escape US,
aud we rush madly after them. The
clothes on the line at the next door flap
wildly around, beating out their hens
and splitting in every weak spot, while
the washer-woman is striving to keep
her balance long enough to rescue them
before their total destruction; lucky is
she if they are not snatched from her
grasp and scattered far over the prairie
never to be recovered. Great tumble
weeds come rolling like hoops across
the plain. Here comes market-bask-
ct escaped from the hand of some urch n
who for moment forgot to be vigilant.
We start 20 catch it for him, but l.
eludes us, and goes humping over the
prairie for half mile or more, and Is
soon out of sight. A canvaS-covered
carriage is seized by the wind and roll
ed down the street. On the next house
comes toppling 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 tomorrow putting up their frame
anew. We think about tornadoes and
cyclones, and then remark quietly,
This isn't anything; just an ordinary
straight blow" Clouds of dust fill the
air, penetrating the tnickest wells, red
dening our eyes, and 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; as
a change will surely come soon.
And here it comes. In the south
east. a black cloud appears, moving
ra,5idiy. We LOOK anxlousiy 10 see Ir Il
is funDel-shaped, and a few nervous
persons retreat to their cellars. or caves
that is, artificial excavations that serve
rs outside cellars for some of the
houses. But this is not a tornado, only
a Kansas shower. First comes cloud
of dust, sweeping with the rapidity of. a
whlrlwind, and velling the town from
sight. The lightning blinds our eyes,
and streaks the black sky with CHAINS of
light. Housewives bring sheets and
pieces of old carpets to stop the cracks
of the doors and windows on the wind
ward side, and ''hurry" must be the
word, for in u moment the rain is upon
US, not In drops. but in binding sheets
moving hor Zontally along. In a few
moments the roadways are streams of
running water, the tubs and rain bar
rels and cisterns are oveIfiowing. The
farmers exultingly exclaim, This In
sures the corn CROP" and the local edi-
tor writes for his item column, What
slanderer said 'Drouthy Kansasp"
1t Is no longer rain; it is sleet and
hail. Next comes a rift in the Clouds "a
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
aud stars are shining. 1t Is the perfec-
tion of glorious night. We linger in its
beauty, unwilling that sleep should J
claim the best hours of the "a, but at .
last, the thought of to-morrow's labors
and vlcissItudes drives us to our couch.
We fall asleep, to awaken perhaps in a
few hours and find that the bee-cover-
ing is 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 norther,
which creeps in through the seams of
the windows. lifts the carpet In blllows,
and drives us back to our warmest |
fiannels, and our rekindled fires.
In weather, as in almost all phases
Of this prairie life, 1t is the unexpected
which usually happens. What adjec-
tive Is there, applicable to weather. that
may not be used in the superlative
degree herel do not wonder that it Is
called sunny Kansas" but it is also
windy Kansas. Yes, it is drouthy
Kansas, but it is also fertile, beautiful
Kansas.