The times., 1899-04-14
TAE FIRST TOUCH
OF JULY WEATHER
Without Warming the Thar-
mometer Jumps to so.
The Weather Man Says Winter Has
Gone at Last.
An Ideal Summer Day When All
Nature Seemed JubiInnt to
the Extreme.

Miss July visited the handsomest city in
the country yesterday and after giving
Miss April good scolding for the surly
disposition shown by the latter in the first
week of her month, departed for Humid
vile, where she will remain until the last
day Of June.
With Miss July came a benson of real
summer The sun shone forth as though
it held an advertising contract with soap
powder firm, the clouds sneaked off into
the horizon in disgust, the sky beamed
as though ever innocent of frowns or sulks,
the breezes held peace jubilee, the buds
peeked out in wonder at the wonderful
weather, and the grass was the cleanest,
greenest grass of the season.
And the great careless citizenry lwoke
and found that it must have slept apace,
for here was summer, real old. genuine
summer, which smacked of airy goods,
languid warmth, pleasant things, and
happy outings. So the citizenry ammo
mated its straw hats, trimmed its Gauzy
bonnets. dug out its camphorated white
iixin's,'' and hied itself out of doors TO
And the mercury seeing all this, be-
thought itself that it must be summer
whereupon ii logged it's memory and sailed
gracefully UP, up. up. until il feared that
IL might bump its head. So it remained
and gossiped with its old friend, Eighty
degrees whom ii had not seen for many
months, and only the bedtime signal from
the sleepy sun caused the delighted mer-
curry TO retire TO the privacy of slightly
lower figures.
1t was indeed a glorious day and ii was
proud of the title, first of the summer,
though many weeks in advance Of the real
show All the sorrow and misery and pain
and privation of months was forgotten in
the new. sweet balm of new life. Even
the cynic and the-pessimiEt and the anti
imperialist opened his windows and
thought that it was good world. and that
it was sweet to live. 1t was day OF
Shelter to the homeless, life to the invalid,
hope 10 the hopeless, and JOY to the mourn
ing.
Those who might not don the new proud
garb of style were fully content 10 roam
and survey mans Inheritance. The river,
the parks, the woods all had new joys
and new meanings. Thousands walked
where none had passed for many months,
and all this was good. ~.
The streets were glorious in sunshine and
new garbed crowds. The summer girl
made her annual initial bow and was per-
feet in such summery things as make
woman doubly womanly TO man. Nor did
any man shirk frcm things light and care
less. and therefore was summer inaugu-
rated even in April.
Thousands Of people frequented the
parks and public breathing places during
the day Thousands more found pleasure
in trips to rustic hooks in Virginia and
Maryland. via bicycle and vehicle. The
open cars were literally patronized, while
the closed ones were boycotted. Air and
sunshine was in favor everywhere. and
the first taste OF the joys of summertide
intoxicated the anxious public.
AT times during the early afternoon the
mercury registered over so degrees, yet
the temperature was not uncomfortable.
II was hot, but not humid. A slight breeze
famed the hot pavements and the sersa-
ton of real atmospheric warmth was de-
licious after stretch of raw and even zero
weather. 49,
Sun baths were in vogue. The ancient
and honorable citizen -snoozed in the parks
with the buifeted and unknown initerant.
The old sweet scent OF dog days was alert
and men longed for beaches, and farms,
and mountains, and vacations, The wan
derlust of the genus man came forth and
asserted itself. ,sf5S ..tt
Cooler weather is promised for next
week, but not SO cool that the overcoat
may not be given up to the moth and the
camphor. Warm weather. the weather
guessers say, is here to stay this time, and
rain will be the coolest thing experienced
for some time to come, excepting, al
course, the new ice crop.
The indications for today are c'oudy
weather, with probable showers in the
afternoon and light southerly winds.
In the mean time the people are merry
and have sense of joy, for summer has
been here and will come again, even
though spring may hang around for few