Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1910-03-03

Lie pIeulCllouS 1Oi ILLS udy, says
he, sis cloudy in the forenoon, but
clearing later on; wind %sou'east, chang
ing to south and sou'west."
did Beriah send that out?' says 1,
looking doubtful, for if ever it looked
like dirty weather 1 thought it did
right then.
ME and Beriah sent it out" he says,
jealous-like, but l knew twas Beriah's
forecast or he wouldn't have beer so
sure of it.
Pretty o o out comes Peter, looking
dubious at the sky.
"Hey, Elijah!" says Brown. He was
always calling Beriah Elijah or
isaiah" or Jeremiah" or some other
prophet name of Scripture. Does
this go?' And he held out the tele-
diction on it.
Beriah looked to me sort of sick and
pale.
"The forecast for today" says he,
looking at the water again, "is cloudy
in the forenoon, but clearing later on;
wind %sou'east, changing to south and
sou'west."
Fright you are!!" says Peter, joyful.
"We start for Setuckit then. And
here's where the South Shore Weather
bureau hands another swift jolt to
your Uncle Sam"
So, after breakfact, the catboats
loaded up. Beriah didn't watch ZEN
go. He stayed in the shanty. But by
and by, when Eben drove the buggy
out by the barn and Emma come skip
ping down the piazza steps, 1 see him
peeking out of the little winder.
The Kelly critter had all sail sot
and colors flying. Her dress was some
sort of mosquito netting with wall
paper posies on it, and there was more
ribbons tapping than there is reef
p'ints on a mainsail.
"Oh!" she squeals when she sees the
buggy. ooh, MI. Cobb! Amt you
afraid to go in that open carriage? 1t
looks to me like rain"
But Eben waved his flipper scorn'
full. MY forecast this morning." says
he, sis cloudy now, but clearing by
and by. You trust to me, Mis- Kelly
Weather's my business"
"Of course l trust you, MI. Cobb
she says-"of course l trust you. but
I should hate to Spite my gown, that's
ALL"
They drove out of the yard, fine as
folders, and l watched 'em go. Be
riah was watching 'em, too, and he
was smiling for the first time thai
morning.
Twas nearly s when the catboat
party come stopping up the steps. An(
such a passed. of drownded rats you
never see. The women folks made fol
their rooms, but the men hoped
around the parlor, shedding puddles
with every hop and %hollering for us
to trot out the head Of the weather
bureau.
Bring him to me-" orders Peter
stopping to pick his pants loose from
bis legs. II yearn to caress him.
And what old Dillaway said was
worse'n that. But Beriah didn't come
to be caressed. Twas quarter past
when we heard wheels in the yard.
"By mighty" yells Cap'n Jonadab
"it's the camp meeting pilgrims!
forgot them. Here's a show
He jumped to open the door, but II
opened afore he got there, and Beriah
come in grinning the grin that a terrier
dog has on just as you're going to lei
the rat out of the trap.
Somebody outside says, "Whoa-con
sarn you!" Then there was a thumI
and a sloshy stamping on the steps
and in Eben and the wilder.
I had n Of them long haired, for
eign cats once that a British skipper
gave me. Twas a yeller and black one
and it fell overheard. When we fshed
it out it looked just like the Kelly
woman done then. Everybody but
Beriah just screeched; we couldn't hell
it. But the prophet didn't laugh; he
only kept on grinning.
Emma looked nee round the room
and her eyes fairly snapped. Then
she went up the stairs three steps at
a time.
Eben didn't say a word. He just
stood there and leaked-leaked and
smiled. Yes, sir; his face, yer the
mess that had been that rainbow neck.
tie, had the funniest look Of idiotic JOY
on it that ver I see.
Twas Beriah that spoke first.
"He. he, her, he chuckled. Gle,
he, he! Wasn't it kind Of wet coming
through the woods, Mr.. Cobb? What
does Mrs. Kelly think Of the day her
beau picked out to go to camp meet
ing in?"
Then Eben came out of his trance.
"Beriah," says he. holding out a drip
ping ripper, "shake!"
But Beriah didn't shake, just stood
still.
"I've got a s'prise for you, shipmate,'
goes on Eben. "You called her Mis-
Kelly, didn't you?" gurgled Eben
"Waal, that amt her name. Her and
me stopped at the Baptist parsonage
over to East Harniss when we was
on the way home and got married
She's Mis- Cobb now" he says.
I found Beriah at the weather shanty
about an hour afterward with his head