Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1908-01-10
A GALE.


1t came up suddenly from tho No.
noon there was a gray sky and -.
enough breeze to set the Ieaves l'.N'
aspen qulvering; but about an hour ba.
ioie suhset the western sky began r.,
clear and the first fitful gusts Sent ,t.
loose straws in the stackyard ,vhir7; Inc
INTO the hedges. and scattered tba ,iit I'm;
brown leaves of the chestnuts ahou+ ,ir
lawn. For a little while there vas
scurry OF cloud wrSck overhead. bur
the time that the sun was ON fhe ~
the darkenlng sky was cloudIass a,,d W
lohg as there was an afterglow in ~,
WesI the sWaylng of the dark bougLs
u the mrs on the hilltop betokened thar
q storm was sweeping across the VALE
FROM O'Clock till 10 it was blown, -,
strongest, and the horseman who bnJ
gone TO fetch a mare and colt from, ,,r
Oh the pastures brought the news fI,,t
row OF SIX Lombardy poplars borderin,
the pasture had been blown down y,L;is,
ne was catching the mare. Frs nnl
had Iailen. and the tearing up of irs
ROOTS had loosened those of the next treo
which came down immediateIv 81
ward. the other four following II in ~
many minutes. Next morning = -
seen that the weight of each of tbas,
uees mad brought up with the roofs -
wall OF earth reaching to the ton Of Tho
hedge IN which they had stood. Resides
THESE poplars, quite a score other trens
we're we're DieWn down within mile of the
mouse, one OF which. when its miner
branches We're Topped off. was replanfed
by being lifted up again by the weioLf
OF its earth clogged roots
When the gale was at its height tho old
house on the hillside shook as though il
were sheperd's hut on the downs and
when the wind gusts beat upon its west
eril wall 1t seemed to have to brace itself
10 Withstand the strain of the buffetino II
received. From all parts Of the house
came slghings. meanings and wailings. as
though all the pain and trouble eXDeri-
enced by its inmates during the two CEN
turtles of its existence had suddenly he
come afticulate. The easements of tba
upper rooms Jared and ratified as if
shaken by impatient hands; a swaying
cowl on one of the chimneys screeched in
cessantly; when an outer door was
opened and the wind rushed into the hall
all the turmoil of the storm seemed TO
enter with it and the light of the lamDs
grew dim. During the intervals the fallen
leaves which had been whirled against
the windows rustled stealthiIy across the
terrace as though seeking shelter from
the storm. While the storm was at its
worst, the older inmates of the house
were disposed to congratulate themselves
upon having no need to venture abroad:
but two of us, made restless by the roar
ing of the wind, and perhaps feeling that
there was kind of challenge IN its
bolsterous strength, made some excuse
for going out on the terrace. and. having
skirted a belt of woodland beyond the
garden, began climbing the heatbery
slope OF the hill. Before we had gone
very far we seemed to be leaving much of
the storm below us; the roaring of the
wind IN the woods, its buffeting upon its
borders and the groanings of straining
boughs all seemed part of a conflict CON
hned to the valley. On the open hillside
we had the wind full in our faces. and
at time it swept down upon us with
such force that we were brought to a
standstill: but there was nothing of that
medley of sounds which made up the tu-
multi below
We We're weary and hreathless when we
reached the crest of the Hill, but the ex-
perlence was worth the climb The solid
hill lent TO use something of its calm
immobility SO that we could stand on its
summit and bid the storm defiance We
We're opposed to the full force of il. and
as the wind rushed by us we could hear
the quick vibrant throbbing of the swift
stream o. air, but it swept over the hill
top. with an even velocity which was
nothing ike so disconcerting as were
the sudden gusts which burst into The
valley. 1t was like a racing tide, strong
enough, it seemed, to sweep us away
into areial space if we could only raise
ourselves from the ground. and it had
all the freshness of a sea wind. singing
our faces till they tingled as though
smltten with salt spray. The hill was a
namelesS emlnence-merely a mass of
gravel strewn chalk heaped up by the
pressure of a glacier during the Ice Age
but the night dignified it by clothing its
sides with darkness we could scarcely
have felt more lonely on some piercing
peak. The stars seemed nearer to us
than the bouse ON the hillside and the
glimmering light of a cottage window
across the vale.
Before descending the hill we STUN
bled along the crest of the fir ridge,
where we were waist high in whitening
bracken. The sea was thirty miles
away to the eastward, and the wind
blowing directly toward it: but from the
score of more rugged frs there came
such a deep soughing and sobbing that
we seemed to hear the sea flooding up
a thousand cayerns in the cliffs and the
waves breaking along many miles Of
shore. For the stern Scots fir is the
skald of the sylvan choir, continually
singing Viking song set TO the music
of the sea. Through some peculiar quail
ity in that song it seemed to be sound
ing from far away, to be borne on the
wind from remote regions where the
shores were desolate, and the murmur
of the waves unrest filled all the aerial
void between them. 1t rose and fell
as the strength of the wind increased
or subdued. but always it had that far
off sound. like that of harp's deep note
dying away in the distance. Down be-
low in the woodland the ranches of ash,
birch and beech were lashing the air.
and the heavier boughs were creaking
and groaning necessarily, but the frs
on the ridge. although exposed to the
full force of the storm, waved their
plumes slowly to and fro as if beating
time to their own music.-London Globe.