The Irish standard., 1886-12-04
READING THE SIGNS.
! A Weather Prophet Engages in This Pur-
suit and Predicts Cold Winter.
| rRlnnmfnp Grove noa Tattar1 I

1
| [Bloomfng Grove (Pa) letter.
s.Folks ez hain't got no overcoats an i
hopin' that it'll be mild winter, SOS the,
! kin skin through without one. mowt O.
well make up their minds to go an orde
one, an good heavy one at that, for th
comm winters gointer be hummer, 'les
all the good ol-fashioned signs is al
! wrong this fall, ez fur ez pve obsarvet
'em.''
| This cheering bit of information wa
vouchsafed by an old Pike County resi-
dent the other night. and he gavo tn,
reasons for the belief that was in him al
! follows:
In the fust place look at the corn husks
| Be they thick and a good many Of 'em, Oh
be they thin an durn few? Peel an ear o
corn if yer n1ineter, an: Yell see that it,;
got under-shirt, g top shirt. wes' cut, &
coat an overcoat, an all Of 'em is made
o. good stiff material. Natur' knows When
it's mort n likely that her doin's III need 6
leetle extry protection, an she sings it or
to 'em, an that's why she's put good
stock o. kiverin' on the corn. That's 81
good a sign ez want that the comm win
| ter'll come in fer business an tend to il
till some time in the fag eend-o' mex
March, or tharabouts.
'Then, what dye think the groun' hogs
has ben doin' ofa Natur didn't build the
groun' hog overpowerin' purity, but she
seems TO hev hammered inklin' O. hoss
sense inter his wuthless conk, somehow OF
other. Well, what's he ben doin' Of th't's
smart? Nothin' 'cept diggin' that cellar
o. his'n sumpin' like two stories deeper
boards Chiny thin usual, an a puttin' in.
ter it few extry inin's o. leaves an
things. The groun' hog don't do nothin' but
sleep all winter, o course, 'cepton Candle
mast Day, wen he gets up an walks out to
see if be kin get glimpse o. his shadder,
SOS to know whether to go back an sleep
six weeks more Or not; but then ez long ez
he sleeps he wants to be warm, or else be
mowt ez well be runnin' round in the
snow wide awake. An so his weather eye
tells him th't Oh Boreas lie be along this
winter with all sails set, an th't if he
keuches any thing th't hain't ready fur
him he'll givo it beelix. So that's why the
groun' hog digs d down furder from whar the
zephyrs lie be blowin' in q few weeks and
adds a few feather beds and comforters to
his bunk down below.
t'Whar was the wind Wen the sun
crossed the line in Septembera An did
ye see the sun, or was he behind cloud
Well, the wind was in the northeast, ruther,
an the sun didn't shine no more'n it's
shinin' now, here at eight o'clock at night.
An that means th't from the northeast
our weather's goin ter come nex' winter,
an th't we won't git much heat outen Oh
Sol fo Sarcunvent; IL
sBut the best sign Of all is the cunnin'
little muslzrat. Wen he thinks it's wuth
while fer him to rig up house fer hisself
long about now, then th' hain't no doubt
bout wat the comin' winters gointer be.
The 1nuskrat don't hev much time to
waste, an he never fools any Of it away
bui]din' a regular stoppin' place for hisself
durin the winter, less he's likely to need
it. Well, that's jlst Wat he's a doin' of
now. Isee one at it over long the pond
to-day. Yon fellers kin do ez ye feel like
doin;, but ez fer me- Pm agointer bank up
my shanty from cellar to w1nders, an lay
in my extry lot o. pine knots. Winter
haint only acomin', but he's bringin'
sumpin' with him, am he's agointer play
fer keeps''