St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1896-05-02

degrees above the freezing point:-
Ruel replied, coming to the fire. u
don't believe it will drop low enough
10 freeze the crops. It's because We
wear thin clothes and the early part
Of the day was SO hot, that we shivcr
80"
The wind increased toward night,
and SO did the cold. Gene and be-.
stirred ourselves to prepare warm
supper. Ruel was out of doors stop
ping the windmill. which had pumped
the tank full Of water and was flooding
the bac': yard. lie looked blue and
cold when at last he came in.
NO oranges or grape fruits for me
tonight! Fry some bacon, girls. and
let's have some nice hot, baked pota-
toes" said he.
While we were cooking he went out
into the field to secure three or four
fertilizer barrels that the wind was
rolling about. 1t grew dark by six
ocIock--an inky kind Of darkness. One
could not see objects two yards dis
:ant from the veranda steps. and the
searching wind blew out the two hang
ing lanterns which we usually kept
burning near the door.
"Forty-six degrces!" Euel an
nounced when he came In. Girls, I'm
frightened! You don't suppose every
thing is going to freeze, do you? Think
what that'll be to us! Why. our NIL is
in it,"
For the first time real anxiety was
felt by us. and the hot supper failed to
cheer us, for frost would destroy near
ly everything we possessed. In Yer
mont we had sometimes lost . few
green plants in the spring or in the
fall, but had never known any real
anxiety from the cold weather. Here
we had 22 acres of tender, green vege-
tables which had just broken the
ground under a temperature of so de
grees: and now the mercury was sink
ing deep into the forties, and what felt
like a wintry hurricane was raging.
Ruel pushed back his plate, and
went to the biackening window. This
will be tough night for cucumbers!"
he muttered. "Whc would have be-
lieved it?'
Few Florida houses are built to with
stand wild weather. Draughts wan.
dered in and played dcrisscrossa about our
sitting-room. Cold puffs OF piercing
air drove us close to the little fireplace,
the heat from which appeared wholly
lost. The house creaked; the lamp
f.ared and smoked at each rush of tho
storm. Ruel was obliged to fetch the
thermometer close up outside the win
dow to read it. Once an hour he dashed
out to see how it stood. At eight
o'clock it indicated Al degrees, and at
nine 80.
''Thirty-eight, and still dropping."
said he. I'VE are in for it. Florida will
freeze out tonight, sure"
can scarcely describe the sense Of
loss and despair which fell on US when
It became certain that all our acres Of
garden crops would be destroyed. We
hovered over our fire, and felt too
respondent for speech.
''Thirty-six degrees" Ruel announced
to us grimly at ten o'clock. and at eleven
"a degrees; and at midnight when he
came in and pushed the door to, he said:
"A low 32 degrees, girls; the cucumbers
are catching it now! You may as well
go to bed. The mischief is probably
DONE"
The wind drove the cold into the
room. There was an icy chill in the air
such as we had never felt in the north.
'The wateE-pipes, Ruel!" said Gene.
will they not all freeze up and burst?"
$50 they will" he cried. II never
thought Of them. Open all the faucets
We will let the tank run dry. The low
bends of the pipes that the water will
not run out Of must be wrapped with
towels"
From twelve to one o'clock we were
busy looking to the pipes. A whole
basketful of wraps was got ready. At
two o'clock the mercury had fallen to
2s degrees.
We were too greatly disturbed and
excited to feel sleepy, but to humor
Rule. who. boy-like, wished always to
take command, Gene and l consented
to go to bed.
The windows Of our sleeping-room
ratified and shook, and the wind fairly
blew ones hair about ON the pillows.
We put all our blankets on the bed,
and then threw on our wraps aud even
our dresses:
At last VIC FELL asleep, and when j
awoke it was broad daylight. The
wind still ratified the windows, but the
cum shone dimly. 1t lacked 20 minutes
of seven.
There was ice in tie wash-bOwi.
Gene crept out shivering and tried to
break it. Rue. like good fellow, came
to the doo- and set pitcher Of hot wa
ter where we could get it.
'Guess how cold it is." he called.
Forty degrees below Zero" cried
Gene.
Twenty Ave degrees said /.
Twenty" said Gene.
Seventeen, replied Ruel.
''But the pour cucumbers and
beans?" cried
"An frozen 80" said Ruel.
II suppose NE are ruined, Mat"
Gene said. dolefully, M she poured
hot water into the bowl.
Il suppose So" said l.
Az Ruel mad sat up all night nursing
the water pipes, he Lad q good fire IN
the kitchen stove. Gene and / got
breakfast. We were very glnm and
scarcely spoke. Ort in the field the
bean-heads had fairly gone from sight.
but while we were at table our next
neighbor came TO the door. He was DR..
Isaac Felt. a Pennsylvania, who had
been in Florida five years.
He cheered US up and advised M to
plan again and gave us what seed We
needed. So the next morning we be-
gan our second planting. It win be
difficult for some readers to believe
that at one o'clock that day the ther-
mometer stood At 30 degrees in the sun.
y u -. ~