Middletown transcript., 1909-01-23

struck a surprised aud aggres-
sive sten, then proceeded to
tick off the seconds with an en-
nhasis II which there was some
thing bordering on disapproyal.
The cracking fire in the stove
had long since burned itself into
a bed OF silent Goals; even the
teakettle had tired Of its monot-
onous humming, and now the
thin thread Of yapor which ioated
from its nose did SO in a noise'
less. half hearted fashion.
On one side of the kitchen liable
Sophia Bently nodded drowsily
over the pile of socks she was
darning. Opposite her her bus
band pored over the pile Of old
almanacs before him, oblivlous
alike to the hightof time and tbs
suggestive yswns Of his wife
Presently he pushed back i'is
chair, ran one hand nervousl5
through his sparse gray hair and
gave utterance to auexclamtltior
;nd;cat;vn saemiuRIy, of deer
satisfaction.
It's comm. nigh rs can hg
ure out, he announced, some
where between the eighteenth
and the twenty sixth Of next
month.
Mrs. Benty tossed her pile Q.
socks on, -the table, and pushing
her spe6tacles up to her forehead
rubbed her sleepy eyes Wha'
is il now, father? she asked, will
gentle resignation. A dry spell
or furries O. snow?
'Tain't either one Of EN-, ht
asserted. It's tornado!
A aohat? said his wife, bending
over to peer at him beneath lh'
lamp-shade.
Al tornado! he reiterated, Will
conviction. One of the kind TIM
viii blow down trees and bust j
winders, and, like enough, @il
onroof a barn or two. ! tell you
lse went On, 1t amt going to b
any zephyr. / shouldn't wonder
q mite If it was worse than tia
blow We had in the fall of 81
I'm going 10 write the papers
about it tomorrow and give 'en
warning.
Mrs. Bently did not seem dull
impressed by the threatened ca
lamity. Indeed, her smile, al
she turned to her husband, wa'
more than skeptical.
When was it you said it wa'
coming9 she asked.
Somewhere between the eigh
foanth and twentV.Sixth, he re
piled.
pass me the last almanac. sh'
demanded; and when he had done
her bidding, she slid the spec
tacles to the bridge of her nos'
and slowly thumoed the pages,
You ought not to have YOU
tornado coming along that time
she demonstrated. The thirt
Thursday in the mouth comes o.
the eighteenth, and that's th'
day the sewing circle meets here
Then the twenty-third. which
comes on a Tuesday, is the day
that Mis- Bragg is going to have
her birthday party. You conldn'
have picked out more lnhandJ
time for tornadoes. Seems L
me. if 1 we're you lslic uld put i
off till the last of the month.
Harrison Bently slnote one ara
Of his rocking-chair. Amt tina
inst like womenP he burst out, il
seorn. Don't be so foolish, ,Sophy
You talk az if ! held tornadoes y
the hollow Of my hand and turned
'em loose any time ! vas q mind
to. / hain't got anything to d
with maxim OF it. All | can d.
is to warn folks thatit's comin-
and IL is, too, just as ! say. sh'
did not ask him from what source
he drew his knowledge OF tn
impending disaster, nor BY wba
I deductions he was able TO ap
proximate the time Of its sppear
ance. Precedent cases hat
taught her the futility Of such I
course. She returned the 81
manac, none TOO gently, to it
place among It's predecessors
and putting her elboWs on th'
table and resting her chin 10 botl
npturned palms, she surveysl
ber prophet husband in q dubious
silence.
OF course, she remarked, 2
list, most of the folks Woa ! pa
any attention 10 it. even II i doe
dome out in the paper: but theI
there'Il be others that'A be jus
fools enough to. Folks like Liz
c-s.nl1 y,ouu xbnuldnst stir out D,