The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1908-06-16
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IN His OWN
COUNTRY


1t was long past the usual bedtime
Of the household The wooden clock
on the kitchen wall struck a surprised
and aggressive ten" then proceeded
TO tick of the seconds with an en-
phas,s in which there was something
bordering on d.sapproval. The crack
ling fire in the stove had long since
burned itself into bed of silent Goals:
even the tca!yettle had tired of its
nlonotoncus hummirg, and now the
thin thread ca vapor which floatod
from It's nose did so in a noiscless,
hah'heartod fashion.
On one side or the kitchen table
Sophia Bcntly nodded drowsly over
the Pile OF socks she was darning.
Opposite her her husband porcd over
the pile OF old almanacs before him,
oblivious alike 20 the fight of time
and the suggestive yawns of his wife.
Presently he pushed back his chair,
ran one hand nervously through his
sparse gray hair and gave utterauce
DO an exclamation Indicative, seeming
ly, of deep satisfaction.
ITS comm, nigh. as | can figure
out" he announced. somewhere be-
tween the eighteenth and twenty-sixth
Of next MONTH
Mrs. Bently tossed her pile of socks
on the table. and pushing her spec
tacles up to her forehead, rubbed her
sleepy eyes. what is it now. father?'
she asked with gentle resignation. "a
dry spell CT flurries O. snow?"
'Trotnff aithnr ono or 'ov,
serted. its a tornado!"
"a what?" said his wife, bending
over to peer at him beneath the lamp
shade.
"a tornado" he reiterated, with con-
viction. "One of the kind that1l blow
down trees an bust in winders, an
like enough III onroof a barn or two
l tell YOU" he went on, cit amt goin'
TO be any zephyr. | shouldn't wonder
a mite if it was worse than that blow
we had in the fall of 81 I'm goin
to write the papers about it tomorrow
and give 'em warnin'"
Mrs. Bently did not seem duly inn
pressed by the threatened calamity. In
deed. her smile, as she turned to her
husband, was more than skeptical.
when was it you said it was com.
imp she asked.
Somewhere between the eighteenth
and twenty-sixth," he replied.
Pass me the last almanac" she
demanded; and when he had done her
bidding, she slid the spectacles to the
bridge Of her nose and slowly thumb
ed the pages.
You ought not to have your tornado
coming along that time" she remon-
strated. 1.-THE third Thursday in the
month comes on the eighteenth, an
that's the day the sswing-ciTcle meets
here. Then the twenty-third. which
comes of Tuesday. is the day that
Mis- Bragg is goin' TO have her birth
day party You couldn't have picked
out a more unhandy time for lorna
does. Seems to- me, if / were you I
should put it off till the last Of the
month"
Harrison Bcnty smote on arm Of
his rockingham. "Ain't that just like
women he burst ont. in scorn. Don't
be so foolish. Sophy You talk as if
! held tornadOes in the hollow Of my
hand and turned EN- loose any time
was mind to- | hain't got anythin'
TO do with maxim of g. All I can do
is to warn folks that it's comm and
It is. too, just as / say" She did not
ask him from what source ne drew
his knowledge Of the impending disas-
ter, nor by what DEDUCTIONS he was
able to approximate he time of It's
appearance Precedent cases had
taught her the fuulity OF such "a
course. She returned the almanac
none too gcntf TO ITS place among
its predecessors. and putting her ell
bows on the table and resting her
chin in both upturned palms. she sur
veyed her prophet husband in a du.
bous silence
"Of course" she remarked. at last
most OF the folks won't pay any
| attention to &c. even It does come out
In the paper; but then thereW be 9th.
ers that'l be just fools enough to
Folks like Liza Crowell, now, would
not stir out Of the house n they
heard a tornado was predicted. / want
a good full gatherin' when the sew.
ing-cirole meets here. an guess Mis-
Bragg wouldn't ever forgive you IL
she knew you were the cause OF keep.
In any one away from her party
Since you know it's comm, why can't
/ gou tell iuaf what ffroo tie sroirf 10