A Typical Wisconsin Storm

A Typical Wisconsin Storm BY E. H. LUND Many years ago, before coming west with my parents, I lived in the Badger State, in a certain flourishing little city noted for its lumbering industry, on the banks of the Father of Waters. Storms in that section are of frequent occurrence and often of a very vio- lent character, though, as a rule, of short duration. It may be of interest to relate an experience which a boy friend and myself passed through on one occasion, just prior to the closing of the school season, when we were waylaid by one of those terrific outbursts of the upper elements. We were school-mates, and had been discussing our mutual prospects of passing successfully the coming examination-test, which would mean the end of our common-school days. The thought of quitting school suggested to my chum that we go on a little hike together, and this we decided to do. So, early one Saturday morning — as there was no session of school, we started out, with the intention of passing through a certain forest, which we hoped to reach by midday. The air was crisp and exhilarating the blood tingled in our veins and we were full of life and energy. The weather was inexpressibly fine. The patch of wooded land referred to, though not of large extent, was rather compact in growth, with here and there open spaces, sylvan glades and pretty little nooks, which oft attracted the swains and their lassies from the surrounding farming communities. There were bits of clear- ing and natural amphitheatres within the edges of the woods, which were well adapted to the requirements of picnicking par- ties and other social festivities. We had been on the road some two hours, and the sun was already high in the heavens. As the day advanced it became ex- ceedingly bright and very warm, approaching sultriness. The only cloud in sight was an innocent appearing, fleecy, wind- streaked affair hanging low over the far western horizon. We had slipped off our coats on account of the heat, carrying them on our arms. The surrounding landscape formed an attractive and beauti- ful picture to gaze upon, with its orderly and well-kept farms and nestling homesteads ; the fields of growing grains and other earth products ; the symmetrically-arranged apple orchards and ornamental trees and shrubbery, all testifying to thrift and indus- try backed by intelligent management.

A TYPICAL WISCONSIN STORM 1069 Despite the beauties of nature, enhanced by the handiwork of man, which met our appreciative view everywhere, and which, under more favorable conditions, with the air less torrid in its temperature, would have enchained our prolonged attention, we nevertheless sought to hasten our laggard steps, while beads of perspiration rolled down our faces. Though we were not cal- loused to the interesting sights and beauty spots along the way — which led us through winding stretches of partly shaded lanes and over gurgling brooks and trickling streams, spanned by rus- tic bridges — we were at the same time most uncomfortably aware of the excessive heat, and looked forward to the pleasure, in con- trast, we would sense on entering the grateful shade in the cool depths of the leafy forest, the fringed edge of which we saw in the near distance. So, mopping away at our faces, we forged ahead. There also seemed to be a heavy pressure on the air about us, the sultriness becoming more pronounced; and we now ob- served that, while the heat continued oppressive, the sun's bright light grew less intense, and we noted a slight haziness in the heavens. The exceeding brightness of the orb of day himself had altered to such an extent that we were able to gaze upon his face without injury to the visual nerve, and he assumed the appearance of a great, round, ruddy disk, with its edges well defined. We both noted and remarked upon these things ; and also the fact was borne in upon our consciousness that there had come a gradual and final cessation of the merry notes from the feathered song- sters, which had hitherto greeted, us upon all sides, from bush, and tree, and fen. There was now but an occasional faint "te- wheet," as though in protest and fear of an unnamed, impending terror, which had put a quietus on their exuberant spirits. The heretofore incessant chatter. of small voices of insects and other life along the way had entirely ceased. Though we were but inexperienced youths, we could not fail in reading aright the meaning of these portentous signs. As we hurried along, my companion suggested that it looked very much as if we were about to be visited by one of those great wind-and- rain storms, of sudden development, for which this part of the country was noted, and as it is today, at times causing great devas- tation and damage to property and sometimes loss of life, the lat- ter is especially the case among cattle and lesser livestock caught unprotected in open pens or in the meadows, death ensuing from exposure to the tempest, drowning in the raging floods, or killing outright in the fearful electrical discharges, as I have witnessed in a number of instances. Thus we were given a more pressing reason for making all speed to gain the shelter of some of the larger trees within the wooded area. Ere manv minutes had elapsed we reached the forest, and

1070 IMPROVEMENT ERA made our way along a well-worn path into the darker recesses. I [ere we selected a tree of massive girth, thickly boughed and of the ever-green variety, the sloping far-reaching branches of which readily sheds water. Beneath the wide-spreading limbs of this ' monarch of the woods, we made our stand, and awaited the com- ing storm, at that moment little realizing how serious and fraught with peril our position was soon to become. The trees were closely set, so that their boughs as a rule interlaced, permitting little light from overhead to come through. The gloom about us became deeper, though it was not actually dark ; there were, how- ever, lighter patches here and there, which relieved the situation somewhat. Neither my companion nor myself possessed a watch, but judging from the position of the sun just before we had entered the outer edge of the forest, we knew it must now be some time after the noon hour, probably about one or two o'clock. We had penetrated into the woody depths quite a distance and no longer felt the heat ; in fact, we had stopped but a few moments here, before we began to feel a decided change in that regard. The air here was cool and, whereas it had heretofore seemed to hang heavy and stationary, there was now a very perceptible movement in the upper branches of the trees. Soon the air be- came still cooler, and, as we had previously perspired profusely in the heat of the sun, under the now altered conditions we felt the chilly touch of our moist clothing, and we were glad to don our coats. The stirring in the heights above grew more noticeable, and we were also made aware of a gentle breeze about us ; this gradu- ally, and then more quickly increased in force, till soon we felt the gusts of a cold, moist wind upon us. Overhead the sky, which less than an hour ago was rosy-hued, had become overcast and murky, and in the immediate west — as we were able to descry through the clefts between the wind-tossed tops of the trees — heavy storm clouds were fast gathering. Old Boreas also seemed to be assembling his forces ; for even huge trees, granddads of the forest, including the one under which we were huddled, were swaying and creaking and groaning under the lashing fury of the now angry blast. The glades and forest aisles became darkened. Then the blinding lightning flashed, and flashed again ; followed by roar upon roar of thunder, causing the very ground under our feet to tremble. To our alert ears came the awful sounds of splitting and rending of trunks and the crash of falling trees. For so sud- denly were we in the midst of and surrounded by the raging ele- ments ! The warring clashes of the forces of nature above the forest must have been something terrific, for despite the thick growth of monster trees, the tremendous high winds forced their

A TYPICAL WISCONSIN STORM 1071 penetrating tongues like whip-thongs down through them to the lower levels, and the now descending rain was blown in sheets hither and thither in the open spaces. Great boughs and lesser branches were torn from mother trunks and flung to earth. The shrieking gale above us held high carnival with the horizontally- swept rain. Anon the lightning flashes momentarily lit up the old forest with their fierce glare, while we clung ever closer to the friendly — though somewhat doubtful and precarious — shelter of our old tree. And how it thundered! 'Twas like the roar of an hundred cannon fired above our heads, mingled with the sharp rattle of musketry, each seeking to outdo the other in their deafening re- ports; rlie exceeding great din, together with the intermittent noises caused by the shattering of weaker trees, and the dashing to earth of severed limbs, the howling of the wind, the beating of the torrential downpour, a creaking and a groaning on every side, all contributing to a fearful, awe-inspiring conglomeration of sound of such vast volume as would strike terror to the heart of the bravest, and caused our very souls to quake with fear. It would have tested the nerves of the best of us today, to say noth- ing of two youngsters, like ourselves. With bated breath, our backs pressed to the rough bark, we held tight to each other, fear- ing we might become separated, each gleaning some degree of comfort and encouragement from the knowledge of the other's presence. And how the rain poured down ! A veritable deluge. It was as if the sluice-boxes of heaven had been opened ; or that the heavy-weighted clouds had burst in impatience to relieve their tension. The foliage above us no longer protected us. Streams of water came down the trunk of our tree ; we were soon soaked through from heads to feet. Miniature rivers and lakes were all about us, while the low-worn pathway had been transformed to a turbulent stream. However, like most storms of sudden rising and fearsome character, this one did not last long. I doubt if much more than an hour had elapsed from the time we first felt its chilly touch till its force had entirely ceased, and peace and quiet again reigned. The mighty fury of the elements was spent. The wind died down, the heavy downpour gave way and dwindled to a gentle patter, and finally passed away altogether. Overhead the terrifying aspect had changed ; the heavy, an- gry, black mass of storm-clouds had already broken apart, and lanes of lighter coloring could be seen. Soon the silver linings here and there were in evidence. Within another quarter-hour the bright and welcome sunlight came filtering— aslant from the west — down 'twixt the branches of the trees, many of which had been sorely torn and riven by the raging storm ; others had been whipped to earth, and now lay prone or hung caught in the arms

1072 IMPROVEMENT ERA of their more fortunate fellows. Ere long the forest and the whole country-side was bathed in the golden glow shed by Old Sol, whose life-giving wramth and light had been denied us for a short season. The world about us was again in action, teeming with life on every side. As we picked our way along the debris-strewn, watery path, there was a rustling and a scurrying here and there in the underbrush, the cheery chirp of the cricket greeted us, as also the now swelling chorus of chatter and song of the warblers overhead, and even the mournful note of a distant loon came to our ears. The lesser inhabitants of the forest and field seemed to vie with each other in the effort to adequately express, in their own way, their grateful appreciation of the return of the warm sunshine. The face of all nature had thrown off its frowning mood and resumed a smiling countenance. In aftertimes, when my mind has reverted to our little adven- ture in the woods of Wisconsin, I have been impressed — as I am at this day — with the insignificance of man, notwithstanding all his boasted strength and knowledge. He becomes puny in the presence of the mighty forces of nature, and with the thought, my reverence and gratitude increase daily for the benign mercies of an overruling Providence, who permitted us to live through that hour of uncertainty and peril, when, in the midst of what seemed imminent destruction, with the terror of death upon us, we were preserved unscathed. Truly, in the words of the poet : "He plants his footsteps in the sea And rides upon the storm." In this connection a portion of the eighth Psalm of David comes to my mind, as follows : "When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained ; what is man, that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that thou visitest him?" From ' The Promise of Life," by Howard Sutherland "We must all die. Let us go courageously. Our dust shall be wel- comed by all that has ever lived; by all that has ever loved; but the spirit, the true self, can no more be imprisoned beneath the soil, than can the fragrance of the violet or the rose. Those fragrances, along with the souls of us, shall continue in eternal ascension; and we who have endeavored and enjoyed, shall endeavor and enjoy forever. "The setting sun, a purple sea, a shaft of golden light That strikes the hill tops, and, to me, hints dawn-burst after night. Fear, not, my Soul, the gray of death, the still uncharted main, The Light shall find thee, and the breath of God be thine again."