The Portland daily press., 1897-01-22
Winter Gets in Its Work at
Last.
DRIVING SNOW STORM AND
PELTING RAIN.

had his innings yesterday. 1t has been
some months since that highly respected
and much sought after individual has
had an opportunity Of exploring the
cobwebby recesses of his Uranium and
digging out facts and figures about the
weather, the tide, etc., and no doubt
some people had begun to fear that the
"old inhabitant" was no more. But
yesterday he turned up again none the
worse for wear and as far as could be told
he was just as full of "reminiscences as
ever, and had just as many facts and
figures at his fingers ends.
Up to Wednesday night the Coolest In
habitant" had very little to do and his
salary was earned without much labor.
Winter. with the exception of one small
snow furry, had overlooked Portland
and the dealers in rubber goods, big
listers, storm clothes, plumbers sup
plies. toothache crops and sundry other
articles which are rendered necessary by
a genuine Maine winter, wore longer
faces day by day and began to talk about
"hard times,n and "terrible weather for
health and business The "oldest in
habitant'' got few odd JOBS at first tell
ing about "nothin' had ever been seen
like it before since right after the big
fire." and then he would ramble on for
an hour or more and talk about "what
it used to be like in winter" and how
sit took four days once to go from City
hall to Saccarappa an the drifts were 80
nigh that folks had to tunnel under them
to get into their front DOORS - Then the
"oldsst" would bring his story to q
close by ympathizinR with the woe be-
CONS looking store keeper and would go
on his way feeling as if he had at least
done something towards making life en-
joyable for the people who "want goin'
to have no winter no more. seems like"
But folks got tired of the "oldest' and
his stories. His yarns became moth
eaten, his stock in trade shop worn and
his kindly countenance ia looked upon
as something worse than the bore.
1t may be that there were few people
in Portland who were satisfied with the
"warm spell O. weather. There were
no sidewalks to shovel, no overshoes to
buy, no kid making the night enjoyable
with aching teeth, sore throat. diphtheria
or other delights Of winter, but these
people were in the minority and hardly
dared to talk about the weather at all.
II it hadn't been for the new city charter
and the Saely dinner, folks would have
become actually dumb before Wednesday
night. You could sse men looking tired
of life every where you went. Even polo
talk can't make up for the loss of
weather topics. The poor bashful young
man who wanted to call for the first
time on his girl didn't dare to make the
call until the weather changed. He knew
that if he went he wonld have nothing
young women, don't know much about
city charters, polo or the other conver-
sational topics that have kept the tongues
of the good people of Portland wagging
for the past three months.
Yesterday morning the "oldest." the
bashful young man, the store keepers,
the doctors and others were happy. On
the ground was several inches of snow,
and it was still coming down. Men
looked more cheerful as they hunted up
their snow shnvels and got out OIL to the
sidewalk to remove the first blessings of
the winter. The weather could be talked
Of by everyone again without danger Of
thrashing out old wheat. The electric
roads got their snow plows out early and
inaugurated their winter campaign. 1t
seemed like old times to the suburban
ites' to stand in snow drift in gale OF
wind and wait for delayed car. They
smiled sweetly at the conductor for the
first time in weeks and chcerfuIly
acknowledged that winter had indeed
found Portland again.
Tho wind blew great guns and as the
morning wore away continued to increase
in force. 1t had been GOLD early in the
morning, but by nine o'clock the temper
allure had moderated considerably and
the big snow fakes turned into hail and
then into pouring rain. The sidewalks
became ankle deep in slush In a
twinkling, or II they had been cleared OF
snow were as slippery as glass. Pedes-
trians slipped down into the ice cold
water and sat gracefully in running
rivulets, still wearing their thankful
smile for the coming of winter. Men who
had leak in their last years. overshoes
knew it was there by noon time, and
bought new ones. The man who had
borrowed your umbrella last and failed
to return it was blessed in language
more heartfelt than polite. Yes, winter
had come with vengeance, and every
one was happy again.
Like the dew before the summer sun,
as the poets say. tie first snow ef the
winter faded away. Cellars were flooded.
oyerworked Office boys got out into the
gutter and dug miniature canals in the
street to help the water off the sidewalks
while the hard hearted employer stood
behind the glass doors and bossed the
lob. The livery stable men who have
been laying for sleighing CRASHED their
teeth In anger as the downpour contin ued
rroepooti boor, n b0ir