The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1890-09-13
WRATH OF THE FOREST.
WooDsToWN's uNAvAILING BATTLE
WITH AvENGING NATURE.

AxOW AAOAuOu AAGO - 0AA
Utensils Reasserted Themselves-Re-
markable Experience of q New From
tier own-Had to Desert Their Homes.
The site was superb for building a town.
They had only to clear the river bank by
telling q part of the forest-of the immense
virgin forest rooted there since the begin
ming of the world. Then, sheltered all
around by wooded hills, the OWL would
descend to the quays of a magnificent har-
Dor. established at the mouth of the Red
river, but four miles from the sea.
AS soon as the government at Washing
ton had granted the privilege, carpenters
and w%oodchoppers went to work. But you
never saw such a forest. Clinging to the
soil with all its vines, with all its roots,
when they felled it at one end it sprang up
again at the other, acquiring fresh youth
from its wounds, and each blow of the axe
brought out green buds. The streets, the
town squares, barely marked out, were in
vaded by vegetation. The walls grew less
quickly than the trees, and as soon as
raised crumbled beneath the upheaval of
the still living roots. To overcome this re-
s~istance that dulled the blades of the
hatchets and axes they were obliged to
have recourse to fire.
Soon an enormous town, all in wood,
like Chicago, stretched along the bank of
Red river, with its broad, straight streets,
numbered and glittering about it's squares,
It's Merchants exchange, its markets, its
churches, it's schoolhouses, and the whole
maritime train of sheds, custom house sta
tions, docks, depots and %shipyards. The
town of wood Woodstown, as they called
it) was speedily peopled by the plaster dry
ers of new places. A feverish activity was
displayed in every quarter, but'upon the
surrounding hills commandingthe crowded
thoroughfares and the harbor packed with
vessels a somber and menacing mass ex-
tended in a semicircle. 1t was the forest
looking on.
WOE 70 wooDsTowN.
1t was gazing at the insolent town that
had taken from it it's place on the river
bank and 5000 gigantic trees. All Woods
town was made of it's life. The towering
masts that swayed down in the harbor,
those innumcrable roofs, inclined one
toward the other, even to the last hut of
the most distant suburb, it had furnished
everything-even the instruments of toll,
even the furniture, limiting its service
only by the length of it's branches. Hence
what terrible hatred it cherished against
that town of thieves.
While winter lasted they perceived moth
ing. The people of Woodstown heard oc-
casionally a hollow cracking in their roofs,
in their furniture. From time to time a
wall was cleft asunder, a store counter
noisily burst in twain. But new wood is
subject to such accidents, and no nj at
tached anyimportance to them. However,
at the commencement of spring-a sudden,
fierce spring, so rich in sap that they heard
it beneath the ground like the babbling of
brooks-the soil began to be agitated, up
heaved by invisible forces. In each house
the furniture, the partition walls swelled,
and they saw upon the floors long bulges,
such as mark the passage of a mole in the
fields. Neither doors nor w~indows-noth-
ing, in fact-worked any longer. "It is the
dampness," said the inhabitants. "When
warm weather comes that will be over.".
BUD UNDER EVERY ROOF.
Suddenly, on the morrow, when a great
storm come from the sea, which brought
summer amid its scorching lightning and
lukewarm rain, the town, when it awoke,
uttered a cry of stupor. The red roofs OF
the public buildings, the belfries of the
churches, the floors of the houses and even
the wood of the bedsteads were sprinkled
with a green tint, thin as mold, fimsy as
lace. Closely examined it was a quantity
of microscopic buds, in which the rolls OF
leaves could already be distinguished. This
freak of the rain amused without causing
alarm, but before evening bouquets of
verdure were blooming everywhere-upon
the furniture, upon the walls. The
branches grew as they looked at them.
Lightly grasped by the hand, one felt them
grow and struggle like fluttering wings. +
The following day all the apartments
had the appearance of greenhouses. Vines
clambered up the rails of the stairways.
In the narrow streets the branches Joined
one roof to another, casting over the noisy
town the gloom of the venue of the
forest. Matters were becoming alarming.
While the assembled scientists were delib-
Grating over this case of extraordinary
vegetation, the crowd fastened out of
doors to see the different aspects of the
miracle. The EXPLANATIONS of surprise,
the %astonished noise of all these idle peo-
pie gave solemnity to this strange event.
Suddenly some one cried out, "Look at
the forest!" And it was observed with
terror that in the last two days the YER
dant semicircle had approached very
much nearer.
RETURN OF THE VIRGIN FOREST
Then Woodstown commenced to under
stand and be afraid. Nevertheless, every
body fell bravely to work with scythes,
harrows and axes, and they made an inn
mense abatis of boughs. But in vain.
From hour to hour the confusion of virgin
forests, amid which the twining Of vines
joins gigantic saplings together, invaded
the streets Of Woodstown. Already the
insects and reptiles were pouring in. There
were nests in all the corners, q great flut-
ter of wings and multitudes of chattering
little beaks. In a. single night the gran
aries of the town were emptied by the new
" Matched broods.
Vaguely, amid the noisy swell of the TO-
Nage, the hollow strokes of the axes and
hatchets were heard, but on the fourth
day all work was admitted to be -impossi-
BILE. The grass grew too high, too thick.
Climbing vines hooked themselves to the
arms of the woodchoppers and prevented
their movements. Besides, the houses had
become uninhabitable; the pieces Of furni-
ture, loaded with leaves, had lost their
shape. The ceilings broke open, pierced by
the lance of the yuccas, the long spear Of
the thorn trees, and in the place Of the
roots spread out the immense dome'of the
catalpas. All was owe Only flight re-
manned. ss@