The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-04-02
SEEN FROM MY WINDOW.
a. Graphic Picture of the Late Su
den Freeze I'm Florida.

SEEN FROM MY WINDOW.
A Graphic Picture Of the Late Sud
| den Freeze I'm Florida.
Helen Harcourt in Atlanta Journal.
1t was Christmas Day, 1894, and as
l sat at my open window, the sweetest
fragrance of roses filed the air
mingled with that of sweet violets and
pinks.
Just beyond bed of the latter
lowered large grapefruit tree, its
| green-clad branches bonding beneath
the, weight OF the great golden fruit
balls they bore, many Of them as
| large as the head OF a year-old infant.
"A little farther on was large peach
tree, a perfect picture OF beauty, with
| It's limbs arrayed in delicate pink
| blossoms, and the fresh green leaves
peeping out here and there. On the
topmost branch a mocking-b,rd was
perched, trilling sweet sony from his
very heart.
And there, lighting amidst the
| sweet blossoms of the yellow jasmine.
were several dainty butterflies. Had
they lost their calendar, that they
ventured out in mid-winter i?
Well, small wonder If they had.
Still farther of stood row upon row
OF beautiful trees, dressed In shiny
robes OF green and spangled all over
with golden balls that presently would
be gathered and sent to the frozen
northland, where they would gladden.
the palates of the thousands that love
our luscious. juicy oranges.
Flowers and vines and trees werg
full of life and beauty aud the birds
how they sung The mock ing bird, a
"a f-ta IF =,
forth his hymn of Thanksgiving, and
presently down beside him came, like
hAme-colored flash, scarlet-clad
cardinal bird. a pause, as the two
eyed each other. War or peace !?
Peace, ah yes, better so than war,
above all on this halJowed day, and so
the sweet voices were raised in song
together, until the bright eyes caught
sight of those butterflies sailing away
over the greer grass. That was more
than they could bear unmoved, and
away they darted in hot pursuit.
Farther off still, just visible through
the garden fence, were luxuriant rows
OF peas and beans and lettuce, and
other vegetables.
brightly the sun shone, softly the
wind blew, swectly the birds sung.
All was beauty and peace and pros
perity in the fair Land OF Flowe wers. +"
where 1t was midsummer even on
Christmas Day. And so it was three
s days later. The thermometer marked
rs degrees ii, t,innobtHfos" inobt6fo sm5 nature re-
joiced in the balmy air.
away, and from the northwest came
rushing down a mighty wind, hurting
into our dismayed faces bitter sting
ing cold. Down, down. down sunk the
mercury in its little tube, until before
dawn OF the next day it marked Is
degrees. Think OF it. A drop of 60
degrees within a few hours!
Such thing was never known in
Florida before, and we hope it NAV
never be known again. There was
ice, thick ice, indoors as we'll as out,
In pitchers, basins and cups, and vases 8
filled with flowers were shattered.
MIX was solid in the pans, butter
and vegetables and meat were as brittle
as ice itself. But these things, and
the physical discomfort, were OF small
account besides the fearful disaster
that had befallen those beautiful grow
ing trees and plants.
Again looked from my window, not
open now, and what did | see First,
our pet mocking- bird, crouched close
by amidst the dead leaves, and as l
looked, he stirred and fell upon his
back on the ground almost lifeless.
But the warmth OF q fire soon revived
him and he flew away to Join the
cardinal, which sat in the sunshine,
like a scarlet puffball Gone were the
roses, the violets, the pinks, all the
pretty flowers and vines brown and
somber was the emerald green ef the
lawn
But the trees-the poor trees The
delicate peach blossoms hung limp and
withered. The glossy leaves of grape
fruit and orange trees were brown and
scorched as though fire had passed
over them, and their golden fruit was
frozen solid, ice to its very heart, and
soon it would fall upon tho ground,
valueless.
And the song of tho birds wore
stilled. They like the in human friends,
had no heart to sing, albeit they did
not know, as we did, all that it meant
to us, that one cruel night OF the Ice
Kings visit. Young trees killed, old
ones set back, millions upon millions
OF luscious fruits destroyed and thous-
ands OF thrifty vegetables swept from
the faces OF the land A scene OF
| beauty changed to a scene OF desola-
tion and all in few hours time