Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1901-12-19
Signs Of Winter often Conflict.
Evansville Courier.

Evansville Courier.
According to most signs, the coming
winter will be a hard one. The first sure
sign is the thick onion skins.
But If there is any truth in the say
ing accepted by many, 'If November 2l
be cold, so win the winter be" then
pleasant season is ahead.
Another forecasting saying is, IF flow
ers are blooming out Of doors in Novem-
Der prepare for a cold winter"
Still another is, Warm October, cold
February"
sight If not prophetic vision as to the
weather.
How do All know it's gwan to be a
had winter?" said an old-time negro with
white wool, a bent back and uncertain
legs. "Why, de signs all pint dat erway.
De hawg's melts is big, de cats is CYAN
dey tails high, hey hair is full of 'lestris-
ity an dey Is a sneezin'. Cats is de know
inest beasts what is. De rats an de mice
is squealin' an scurryin at nights, an
OATS a sure sign of had winter.
de fur on de rabbits is thick, an !
head a mole cry. Dere is snowfiales on
de goose bone an de skin on de cat fish
belly is thick. De goose bone an de cat
fish never lies about de wedder It's go
in ter be a rich mans winter. Cullud
folks, git in yo're hawg meat an yo're
fab wood!'
The river man looked out through the
mist on the river and pulled two doleful
blasts from the steamboats, whistle. 1t
was damp and cherries and a musty
smell arose from the water The river
mans voice was raw and rough. This
we're fog is maxim snow right now" he
said oracularly. 81 never see ii fail. Jest
as many fogs as we git in October an
November jest so many snow storms Will
al aNMHn nil ~ will
tell you that. This yere fog means two
inches Of snow sometime in January or
February.
1t takes a country boy to know the
weather signs thoroughly. Out near
West Terre Haute a small boy with a
rusty shotgun was slouching along the
road-
Gee whizv' exclaimed a young Vigo
county rube "but this is goin to be a
hard winter. How do know? Huh, look
at the signs! They's lots of chipmunks
this year an they're gittin' into their holes
early. They've been mighty busy since
the middle Of September. An, then, the
hickry nuts has got thick shells an hard
to crack. The moles is diggin' deep, an
the muskrat is buildin' high an warm.
The squirrels is carryin' nuts all day long.
Crawdads an turlCies is gittin' scarce an
goin' down deep into the mud. The ants is
pilin' dirt around their holes an fine bees
hev had a busy summer. The hornets
nest is near the ground. Spiders is crawl
in into cracks in the wall an under
stones. an there is lots of loose cobwebs
foatin' around. There amt no gnats or
small flies in the air. The apples this fall
growed lopsided an are thick-skinned.
Snakes has all hunted their holes. Logs is
splittin' easy, an the smoke rises from
the bottoms an climbs the hills. Every
one OF them is a sure sign. My grandpa
says so, an I guess he knows, an so
do T.
IAN signs point to a cold winter" said
a Vigo county farmer with a wagon load
Of hay. THE mules have been a holler-
in a lot lately, an that's sure sign. l
heard a fox bark out my way one night
last week, an 1 told my woman to look
out for lots OF snow this winter. 1 hear
a grouse drum one night an that's sign.
But the best sign is to look for the first
snow. There will be as many snowstorms
during the wintersas the moon is days old
during the first snow storm.
but about the best sign is the strong,
thick husks on the corn, an it's hard TO
husk this year; besides there's been lots
OF grass seed. I noticed that the Goals in
the fire is covered with white ash this fall
that's a sign of snow. Ropes are hard
70 tntwist. an the trees are snappin' an
crackin' a good deal.
Now. I'll tell you the surest sign OF all,
and the one that made me go and bank up
nv house good an pile the wood close to
the back door. I've got log smokehouse
on nv place that was built the year before
| the war. This fall the bark on the logs on
the north side is two inches thicker than
il was this summer. Jest gettin' ready
for a hard winter"