Sentence:  ... one was sodden to the bone and mildewed to the marrow and moved to pray ... for that which formerly he had cursed—the <WSD>Dry</WSD>! the good old <WSD>Dry</WSD>—when the grasses yellowed, browned, dried to tinder, burst into spontaneous flame— ... 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  The dry season.