Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-02-03
COAL NAN TRIUMPHS AGAIN
Wins Over the People Through Psr6dy
Of the Groundhoe.
SIX WEEKS MORE OF COLD wtATHtF
Colonel welsh Denies that it Wa
He who Sat and watched
for the Traditional
Monitor.

The people have lost; the coal man has
won; the grounding sold us out.
Weather Forecaster Welsh was seated at
q point Of vantage before the winter quar-
tiers OF the grounding when the reporter
approached him.
"sh-h," whispered Mr. Welsh, holding up
a warning finger. de not speak so loud;
you may disturb the grounding"
The Conversation was then carried on In
q whisper.
what effect has the advent Of the
grounding on the weather Of the remainder
Of the winter3' asked the reporter.
Mr.. Welsh smiled at the simplicity Of the
question.
Upon him we base all calculations. II
he comes cut Of yender hels and goes back
again. being afraid Of his shadow, then
our fate Il sealed for six long weeks. But
II he comes out, shifts the air and goes
frolicling gaily away about his business,
then spring has come. Then may the shirt
waist girl get cut her gay array; then
must the coal man retire into innocuous
desuetude. ana then is the season OF the
ice mans rejoicing at hand"
But, Mr.. Welsh IL II reasonable to base
any calculations on the vagaries OF this
ignorant animal. 'who has proven TO be
oven TIC W0Ibt WNaNuCI BuNnoCA VI ahA
UnLind Cut Resented.
Not even the reporters suavity OF tone
could csver the slight which unwittingly
had dropped from his lips. The weather
wizard frowned.
EFT is not possible to explain to the I'M
scientific, I might say the ignorant mind,
the intricacies Of my science" he said with
biting sarcasm.
80
least. He stanmered an apology, explain
ing that his remarks did not apply to the
local weather staff. Mr.. Welsh graciously
accepted the apology with an air that said
the interview was at an end.
Perhaps the grounding is dead" said
the reporter. amiably, by way Of re-estab-
fishing friendly feeling.
I'm the light of science your supposition
II untenable. not to say asinine," said
Mr.. Welsh, keeping an eye on the ground
hogs residence. Suddenly something black
appeared, followed by two cleaning points.
The weather man and the reporter froze
into living statues of silence. The great
annual event was at hand. The ground
hog game out. shifted the air, looked
around for its shadow. discovered It, gave
a snort OF fear and disappeared into the
hole again.
THE coal man ttumphs, said Mr.. Welsh
shortly.
After taking the position Of the sun and
making other scientific observations, the
weather man gathered up his portfolios
and departed to his observatory. while the
reporter returned gloomily to his ONCE to
let an anxious world know the decision OF
the grounding.
Bulletin No. 4.
Later-Colonel Welsh emphatically de-
MES that the man who sat at the opening
of the groundhog's habitat was he. The
colonel is at home wrestling against a tight
grip.
Bulletin No. 2.
Still IAter-Colonel Welsh positively and
disdainfully declares his utter nonbelief in
and contempt for the grounding tradition
pronouncing II a delusion and a snare. He
announces that he still sticks to the atmos-
phere.
Bulletin No. 3.
AS matter of fact, while the atmos-
phere seemed extremely cold, the thermom-
eter only touched as low as below zero
The wind gained a velocity OF thirty-two
miles an hour and that Is what gave the
frigidity it's sting. The weather bureau
predicts fair and warmer for Sunday.