The times., 1898-01-04
raNSyUTATfAN IN PERSON OR EREE
SvNSCkiAIiVN BY LETTER AAA'
THE SAGE TAKES A BOIL.
He Rema rks just Afterward That IL
Bents Freezing.

Beats Freezing.
It. was lonely at the Weather Bureau
last night.
The den of the Sage was deserted and
drear. lie was not i'll. The place seemed as
empty as a house To let. This was all
unusual. Ii was beyond even the uncer
standing of The Times man. IL was some
thing that had never happened before. Ii
was positively shocking.
Hitherto, the Sage, no matter what the
condition of his temper, had always been
at home. But this time the sage was not.
1t could not be that he had gone out for
a drink, because he always keeps a barrel
in the cellar and never lets his pistol
pocket run dry. Ii could net Toe that he
had absconded, because al the Fountain Of
Weather there is nothing worth absconding
with.
The situation was eXtrem ely trying TO the
mind of the reporter. So he drew from Its
hiding place Savannah Reflector and
sought TO build theory in smoke which
would account for the disappearance of
the Sage.
Ia the northwest corner OF the room
there is range, ana in this a vigorous
fire was blaziHg. On the range. was a big
tin wash boiler, which apparently was
fuil Of seethiag water. the steanI hissed
10 furicusly from under the tin top or that
boiler that it seemed u be always 1lowing
for grade crossings, or ohs,rGcf ions on the
track. The reporter sat down ia front of
this fire aad wondered what had become
OF the Sage aGd why that oiier didn't
blow up. Eggs would have beet hard in Il
minute and half in that boiler. IL
locked TO the reporter that il that toiier
could be provided with piston, cyiinder
agd driving wheel IL could run the ma
chinery OF the world.
The tobacco reverie into which The
Times mau had fallen was disturbed
by what sounded like the song 'There1l
Be Hot Time III the Ola Town Tonight
The boiler seemed To be singing 1t. The
tune seemed TO come out with the steam.
The reporter counted up the nuuiher of
stinulauts ne haa taken during tie even
ing and catue to the conclusion that
il really was the Lo:ler thar was singing.
The song seemed to grow loader The
magic strains OF "A E0t Tiiue in the Old
Town Tonight" were growing clearer.
The tin I'D OF the wash boiler was coming
off. A cloud of steam was making the
ceiling sweat. Everything was taking
Turkish bath. The reporter was reefing
with astonishment. A head was coming up
ont of the uncovered boiler. II was
red as a danger signal @, boiled lobster,
and th. hair ia been bo led OFF in cnunls,
leaving patches of badness. The face that
rose from the seething water and now
looked at the reporte-; the face that shone
scarlet in its frame OF white vapor; the
face from which the song was coming, was
the face of the Weather sage.
I'm taking little bo.l all TO myself -
said the sage, by way of explanat. ION.
Its really the only way to keep warm.
There is nothing like good boiling down
to take tine frost out OF mans joints.
Some of my finger nails have probably
come off, and my whiskers have been re-
moved, and l have reduced my weight "a
little. but still l feel very much relieved.
Boiling beats freezing. After an eXpcr
fence of boiling for twenty minutes a man
need have no fear for the result OF sin or
the future Of his soul. It's good way to
get tempered It's been pretty warn and
humid in here. but then a man in public life
ought 10 get used TO hot water
After this speech, the Sage climbed 1t
OF the boiling water, walked across the
stove. and sat on q hot brick which The
Times man handed him
Il am somewhat overheated," declared
the Sage, land / wish you would pass me
that can of coal oil that | may butter
myself with it,
Il am out here to find out about the
weather. said the reporte-.
The weather. SAID the Sage, '-'oh,
that's ali right. The weather is thawinG
out, and it viii be warmer tomorrow