A VISIT TO THE WEATHER OFFICE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2240, 4 February 1897, Page 51

A VISIT TO THE WEATHER OFFICE.

"What dreadful weather! Rain, clouds, and wind ; and in the holidays, too 1 I never saw anything like it. One no sooner gets on one's things to go oat than down comes the rain. It's really too bad for anything 1 " And Joan flung herself into an armchair, her pretty lips pouting, and the tears nearly starting from her dark eye*. "Well, my dear," said her father, calmly dosing his newspaper, " I have often told you to write to tho olerk of the weather office, but you never take my advice." "What nonsense, papa," said Joan, with an impatient shake of her head. "It is only to babies that people say silly things like that, and not to girls of nearly nine year* of age. Every one/ knows that there is no such person at. the olerk of the weather office I " " Well, my dear, have it your own way, 1 said her father as he went oat of the room.' He was a meek, kind man, and he hated ' arguments. Joan was very cross indeed. Her brothers and she had been planning a picnio in the woods to celebrate tbe last day of their holidays, and now it was raining "oats and dogs," and gave no hope of ceasing. " And we go back to school to-morrow 1 " sighed Joan. Just then she noticed a very curious thing. The room seemed to be filled with a thin bine mist, so that she could not see the other side of the wall at all. Was it smoke 7 No, there was no smell of burning. Was it Ding-dong, ding-dong 1 Joan listened. A sound of bells, mingled with a rush of waters, the sighing of wind, the beating of hail, and the drip, drip, of the rain outside, filled tbe room. Soon a sound of steps caught her ear, gradually getting loader and loader, till at last she peroeived through the mist a whole company of little people march- . ing towards her, two and two, with a leader at their head. When they reaohed her chair the muilc b topped. " Who is this ? " cried the followers. " This is a mortal, the very one who just now denied my existence," said the leader, with a frown at Joan. " Please, are you the olerk of tbe weather office ? " asked she. He bowed. " And these are my follower*. Here are Mr Rain, Mr Wind, Mr Fog, Mr Rainbow, Mr Hurricane, and Mr Storm. Here you see Miss Snow, Miss Ice, Mica Hail, Miss Cloud, Miss Sunshine, and Miss Frost." They really were very funny little people. The clerk was dressed entirely in blaok, very shabby and discoloured with age, because, .as he said, It had seen "all weathers." Under his arm he carried a pile of notebooks, ledgers, and calendars, and behind his ear was a huge pen. "If you like, we will take you to the office," said the clerk, and Joan eagerly sprang np. "Not that way," said be, a* she moved towards the door; "herel" and he led her to the fireplace. "Up the ohimney I*' said Joan. Then she saw that what had once been the fireplace was a flight of marble steps, white as snow, np whioh they went till they came to a door, on which was marked in big letters, " Office." Tbe clerk tapped at the door, crying at the same time : Come, let me in, my merry men, My troup and I are here again ; With us we bring among the band A mortal child from mortal land. Immediately the door flew open, and they entered a large hall, where nearly a hundred other little pixies were busy filling boxes and bags arranged around' the room. "Brother Rainbow," said the clerk, " I am busy, and you are not needed at present, so I give this young lady into your oharge. Show her round the office, and tell her how the things are made." With a wave of bis hand the clerk walked towards a desk and climbed on a high stool, where he was soon deeply engrossed in the " Weather Reports." Brother Rainbow was a merry little fellow with a Bait striped in seven different colours. "Come with me," he said, and taking Joan's arm, -ho led her to one of the boxes against the wall. " This is where they store raiD," he said. " That is easy enough to understand ; it is condensed oload." " Bat what is in all those bags ? " asked Joan. "That is wind. You see, they blow with a tube till the bag is quite full, and then tie the neck up quickly before it escapes. These sacks are full of fog, made nearly in tbe same way. These boxes are full of lightning in long, bright sticks, twisted into funny shapes-; you must not touch it or it wonld burn yon. Here is aome. thnnder; it is only big crackers. Both these boxes are managed by the twin brothers Lightning and Thunder, to whom you were introdaoed-in the lower hall." Here Rainbow stopped, a little out of breath, and Joan observed that the little pixies were crowding round and staring at her. • " You must excuse their bad manners," said her companion, " they are not used to seeing mortals np here. This is where they make clouds, and in this corner they are manufacturing snow, ice, frost, and bail. They do that by" Suddenly a loud bang was heard, tbe mist enveloped everything, the bustle of the office died away, and Joan only faintly heard a voice saying, " I shall see you again," when "Joan, Joan, it's fine, and we are going after all. Wake ap, or we shall be late I " and her brother Rex bounced out of the room as noisily as he bad entered. Joan got up and walked to the window?. The rain had ceased. The sun was shining, and over the sea, there was a beautiful rainbow. Joan smiled, and hastily donning her hat and jacket set off with her brothers to the woode.— Mabel Eileen Newton in the fceeda Mercury,