The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1896-03-12

ton that the temperature had dropped
to 81 degrees, full p degrees in two
hours.
well, thank fortune, it is still %
degrees above the freezing point!"
Ruel replied, coming to the fire. Il
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
So"
The wind increased toward night,
and so did the cold. Gene and l 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 back yard. He looked blue and
cold when at last he came in.
mo 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 be went out
into the field to secure three or four
fertilizer barrels that the wind was
rolling about. 1t grew dark by six
o'clock--an inky kind of darkness. One
could not see objects two yards dis
SAINT 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 degrees!" Ruel 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 all is
i'll i'll"
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 a few
green plants in the spring or in the
fall, but had never known any real
anxiety from the cold weather. Here
we had 30 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 a tough night for cucumbers!"
he muttered. 'Who would have be.
lieved it?"
Few Florida houses are built to with
stand wild weather. Draughts wan
dered in and played crisscross 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
fared and smoked at each rush of the
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 3S.
"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 30 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 water-pipes, Ruel!" said Gene.
evil they not all freeze up and burst?"
so they will" he cried. 81 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 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 and even
our dresses!
At last we fell asleep, and when I
awoke it was broad daylight. The
wind still ratified the windows, but the
sun shone dimly. 1t lacked 20 minutes
of seven.
There was ice in the wash-bowl.
Gene crept out shivering and tried to
break it. Rue, like good fellow, came
to the door and set pitcher of hot wa
ter where we could set it.
Guess how cold it is" he called.
Forty degrees below Zero" cried
Gene.
twenty-five degrees" said I.
Twenty" said Gene.
Seventeen replied Ruel.
But the poor cucumbers and
beans?" I cried.
"All frozen solid" said Ruel.
Il suppose we are ruined, Mat"
Gene said, dolefully, as she poured
hot water into the bowl.
As Ruel had sat up all night nursing
the water pipes, he had good fire On
the kitchen stove. Gene and 1 got
breakfast. We were very glum and
scarcely spoke. Out in the field the
bean-heads had fairly gone from sight;
l,,A l. Il.