Middletown transcript., 1909-01-23
IN His OWN COUN
By JOHN BARTON oxaeoRD

my part if / came within eight
days Of il, be declared, although
maybe | can narrow it down
day or two by and BY.
The best thing you can do is L
say nothing about it. Mrs. Bently
advised, tartly More D. likely
itH turn out like that killln' frosI
you pFsdicted the twentieth day
Of last June.
this open skepticism her
husband bristIed. Well, there
W4s afrost that night out in Illi-
.nefs, anyway, be said, in self
deAense.
AID maybe that's where your
! tornA dos going TO be! snapped
his SPOUSE, as she gathered Up
her sdcks and went upstairs, to
be followed presently BY her hus-
band bearing ii bis arms his pile
Of treasured almanacs.
fits all right, mother, he de-
clared jubilantly the next morn.
/ ing, as he stood warming his
hands at the kitchen fire, while
Mrs. Rently hustled about, pre-.
pairing breakfast. That tornado
that's comm amt goin' to inter-
fere with your plans a mite. |
had a dream last night. Seemed
as if | was sitting here in the
kitchen, and all of a sudden up
come some Of the blackest clouds
| in the west that | ever saw. And
when they got up overhead
cricky, how it begun to blow
The limbs came of the elms as
If they were Topped and the lilac
bushes were blowed fat, and one
end of the shed was stove in.
Seemed as if | was reading a
newspaper, and / looked at the
headin' to see just what day Of
the month it was, and I saw it
was the tenth. Then looked at
| my watch, and noticed it was
just three, though somehow the
kitchen clock was striking six.
So now, you see, I've got it all
Strengthened out. That tornado
is due here on the tenth, some
I time between three and six.
i Well, it might just as well come
then as any time, said Mrs, Bent
", with a grim smile. I hahn t
heard tell of any goia's-on round
the tenth, SO guess 'twon't put
nobody out much.
| You get my breakfast soon's
you can, will you? he urged. |
want TO get to writing what I'm
going to send in to the papers, SO
can 60 up to the postofice in
time for the afternoon mail.
Mrs. Bently, who was bending
over to whisk pan OF we'll.
Drowned biscuits outof the oven,
looked up sharply. I thought
you and Jim were going to plow
1.-THE lower lot this morning, she
said.
! Her husband coughed uneasily
was intending to, he admitted,
uut I guess uoE, SO long as l
kuow exact when this tornados
coming, ought to write the pa
pers about it When a man can
see into the future, as can, he
owes something to his fellowmen.
No doubt, was Mrs Bently s
Iacid retort.
Breskfastover, he betook him.
Eself to the desk in the front room,
and from an old tin box he drew
out a number Of yellowed news
lpaper clippings. They ell began
lin the same manner:
"Uncle Harrison Bently Of
South Boxford, who predicted
the great March blizzard Of 's8,
and who has not failed to give a
correct forecast of the winters
for the past twenty years, now
comes to the front with the an.
nouncement, " and SO forth.
/ He read them over one after
tanother. drawing from them, ap-
parently, the necessary inspira-
ton, for he caught up 3 pen, and
with bis spectacIes pulled low on
his nose and bis tongue pressing
out one cheek, be began to write
Iaboriodsly in Q heavy, sprawling
hand, The morning waKsd; the
pen scratched on stprdily. Alb
sorbed In his self imposed task,
be gave no heed to the loud tap.
ping on the back door and the
sound Of voices in the kitchen
which followed.
Noon was approaching, and the
Eorknf transferring hisdire fore.
cast TO paper was nearing com.
pletion, when the door from the
kitchen was pushed open and
4 Mrs. Repflv ontarnd tho ronrn il