Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1896-04-03

ping the windmill, which had pumped
the tank full of water and was flooding
the bac'; yard. He 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
e'clock--an inky kind OF darkness. One
could not see objects two yards dis
'ant from the vcranda steps, and the
searching wind blew out the two hang
Jig lanterns which we usually kept
burning near the door.
"Forty-siN degrces" Ruel an
nonnced 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
~ 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 20 acres of tender, green vegc-
tables which had just broken tho
ground under temperature of so de-
Grees; and now the mercury was sink,
ing deep into the fortics, and what felt
like wintry hurricane was raging.
Ruel pushed back his plate, and
went to tue blackening window. "This
will be a tough night for cucumbers!"
lie muttcred. "Who would have be.
lieved it?"
Few Florida houses are built to with
stand wild weather. Draughts wan
dered in and played crisscrossabout 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 ut each rush of the
storm. Ruel was obliged to fetch the
Thermometer close up outside the win
dow to read 1t. Once an hour he dashed
out to sec how it stood. At eight
o'clock it indicated Al degrees, and at
nine IS.
"Thirty-six degrees!" Ruel announced
to us grimly at ten o'clock, and ut eleven
81 degrees; and at midnight when he
came in and pushed the door to, he said,
"a low 80 degrees, girls; the cucumbers
nre catching it now! You may as we'll
go to bed. The mischief Is probably
DONE"
The wind drove the cold into the
room. There was IN icy chill in the air
such as we had never felt in the north
THE water-pipes, Ruel!" said Gene.
will they not all freeze up and burstP"
so they will" he cried, IT 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
IS 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 aud 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 doc: and set n pitcher of hot wa
ter where we could get it.
Guess how cold it is" he called.
Forty degrees below Zero" cried
Gene.
Twenty five degrees" said I. {.
Twenty" said Gene.
"Serenteen,' replied Ruel.
"But the poor cucumhers and
beans??" cried.
"All frozen solid" said Ruel,
VI suppose we are ruined, Mat"
Gene said, dolefully. as she poured
hot water into the bowl.
AS Ruel had sat up nll night nursing
the water pipes. he had n good fire in
the kitchen stove. Gene and | got
breakfast. We were very glnm and
scarcely spoke. Out in the field the
bean-heads had fairly gone from sight,
put while we were at table our next
neighbor came to the door. He was DR..
Isaac Felt. Pennsylvania, who had
been in Florida five years.
He cheered us up and advised us to
plan again and gave us what seed we
needed. So the next. morning we be:
gan our second planting. 1t will le
difficult for some readers to believe
that at one O'Clock that day the Their
mometer stood at 80 degrees in the sun
For week weworlse'l Is hours day,
and seeded our entire 80 acres again;
and MS write this. February 20. 1898,
cannot see but that our crops look as
well as before the frost.
Nevertheless. our young orange trees
are probably dead. In place OF them we
now intend TO put out tho harder Sat
suma orange and grove Of pecan-nut
trees.--Youth's Companion.
PERsEcuTE AMERICANS.
Turkey Tries to Drive Out tho Mission
aries.