The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1913-05-16


go out.
~7ARK clouds of smoke have
ID been lowering over Hawley
ks1s6z1 for days, and the eyes of
IeSMY@i her citizens have been anXi-
ously, possibly piously,
turned heavenward with the desire
that the smoke clouds would be
changed to clouds of vapor, from
which would fall much-needed show
ers of rain. Woods fires have burn
ed alarmingly near the town, and
they have been fierce fires, too, re-
sulting in much damage to young
trees and forest growth generally.
Talking with one Hawleyite who
has a bit of farm land near the town
which was burned over, the ravages
of the flames we're declared to have
been very severe, not only to vege-
tation in general, but to game birds
and animals, as the skeletons of rab-
bits and birds were declared to be
scattered quite freely over the burn
ed district.
Fire fighting was quite out o. the
question in the early part of the
week, the winds blew so fiercely.
Even back-fring was out of the
question. The winds drove the leap
ing flames until they burned them
selves out when they reached sec
tions that had previously been burn
ed over.
And no rain fell, and feeling of
general alarm began to possess
everybody in the town--eXcepting
the youngsters, to whom forest
fire is about as interesting, exciting
and welcome as a noisy Fourth of
July.
And, when the subject of rain is
under consideration, the writer is
reminded of a very timely incident
that took place "once on a time" in
Erin's isle. 1t must have taken
place, for T. F. Mangan's father re-
membered the story, which had been
handed over to him by somebody
else who probably was an eyewitness
as well as an ear-witness to the act
ual occurrence.
1t appears that in a certain part
of Ireland there was a church parish
that was mainly composed of people
who were not overly religious, and
who were inclined to make the priest
in charge earn his income. A good
old man was the pastor whom every
body loved. He was such shepherd
as Goldsmith describes in his DE
serted Village:
ga man he was to all the country
dear,
And passing rich with forty pounds
a year.
The service past, around the pious
man
With steady zeal, each honest rustic
ran;
Fen children follow'd, with endear-
ing vile,
And plucked his gown, to share the
good mans smile"
But in due time the priest died,
and the bishop appointed young
man to the vacancy. People shrug-
ged their shoulders and said the ap-
pointment was a mistake, and that
he wouldn't stay there very long.
After the very first service the
trouble began. One of the leaders
of the trouble-makers went up to
him and said something like this:
"Now, Father, it is an awful dry
time, and we need rain very much,
and l do wish that you would give
us rain for the benefit of our crops.
ouI6 IL 10 al easy uldIJSl lOl YOU "
do little thing like the likes of that
for us"
Indeed, it is" said the smiling
priest, but l don't want to make
any mistake. Before l bring the
rain for you I want you to get the
people together and have them de-
eide just exactly when they want
the blessed rain and how long they
want the storm. Settle on the ex-
act time and length and let me know
your decision, and than I'll see what
can be done"
That settled it, of course, for the
priest we'll knew that it would be i'm
possible to get a company of people
to agree on any special kind of
weather at any specified time. The
story goes that the young priest be-
came very popular and that he was a
worthy and successful follower of
his aged predecessor.
Which story also reminds the