Douglas Island news., 1917-10-12
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 The mmmcrlcss days of Che summer now drawing now a close has caused considerable speculation us Co what kind of weather Che coming winter 'vm bring. aud especially have those who class themselves as oldumcrs. among them Frank Bach. p. 1T Fox. .BM Subbius and others. veuturcd many predictions os Co what may bc expected in the line of general uuplcasanmcss SO far as Che weather is concerned between now and Che Imc Che pussy willows bloom and thc robins nest again
 Compared with Che Suolcr8 source Of knowledge Che men mem uoncd above are chcchacos who should not presume Go express knowledge concerning weather lore
 UamstruuE James. the old Indian with thc hirsutc growth ou his face who is frequently seen mcaudcr.nr around our streets u am aimloss manner. was here when tho so-caIlcd oldumers mentioned above were making mud pies In che happy homes of their childhood many years before they had ever hctrd Of Alaska Go say nothing about being here and keeping cases on Che weather
 Meeting Homatruur James ou thc street a few duys ago che Stroller s.ruiUcd Co him chat hc. Che latter had a bottle ot hootchinoo concealed n his raimcnt. Che contents of which hc was willing Co exchange tor information concerning che dim and distant past alao h.a forecast lor Che immediate future as based ou what has gone before and during Che nearly goo years Che oid man has kept tab on weather conditions. he being now Iu his ggtb year
 The bargain was struck. se- cluGcd meeting was held and Ham- strung did not miss Che thumb mark ou Che bottle by sixteenth O. uu inch. thus displaying marked were saUity u cha, accomplishment smackue bis lips and saying some thing about stun that makes tbe hair grow. thc old man thus de,iv- cred himself u his own language which, fortunately. the Stroller uu- dcrst1ujs and speaks like a native.
 "Mauy snows ago and when stood six feet three instead of three feet six as now do. che figures hay- uE been reversed by Che ruyogcs Of time and che weight ot years upon my shoulders. there was weather here that was weather. There were summers when there was no sum mer. an same Che one now ending, and there were winters when wild flowers bIoomod iu January Again Jbcrc were hot. dry and blistor.uE summers. and there wcrc winters when Che Takus that famed thIs portion or Che country lHt winter would have been accounted gentle zcphyrs.
 "I we'll remember thc winter Of IsIu. | remember it because it fol- lowed Che fau we. The Hallbut and myself signed ou agreement on birch bark and she hung her be- Iougiuss ou Che ridecpolc ot my wig- wam ! called her The Hulibut for che reason that she was che coldest- bloodcd proposition ever. Man. oh man. Co this day a cold chin vleglcs up and down my bark every time ] think of her feet But dcv.utc
 That winter was a pippm. We had uo thermometers. but Friar's B1lsam froze iu December and never tbovcd out uu Che ucyt March. And a,l chat three months had Go rustic wood Go keep Tho Hmibut from gct- ting any colder than she naturally was. Work, Why ! worked two tcu-hour shifts In every twcnU-lour
 And that winter was followed by au uusual summer 10 started to rain iu April and never let up until November. when Che water in Cas- tIueau Channel was as fresh as that or any inland stream ! ever tasted. Fearing that Che following winter would bc a duplicate of Che preccd- ing one. ! sent The Halibut back Go her ancestral clam bctch. where the welcome she received was colder than a pastoral call on wash day
 Before Christmas of that year . had signed up with The Lame PtarmiEau. and wild flowers were abloom In January both ou che hills and In my heart. But my happiness was too great to last In May four feet of snow fcll and two days later Che sun came out SO warm it burned a crust on Che surface Of Che snow and The Lame Ptarmigau. in going