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Show TrT1" '"L"L" MJ"!W'B'P WJ'W' ".ir'a-uw igiw'wttm.. I ,, . r...f pff--ffTi rrT ., i , 'lllllllllUll Uihhpum (Copyright, W. N. U.) "S1 "kT- o A When the Acorns Drop Q There's a whimper on the hilltop d V and a murmur in the wood, 0 X There's a dream of golden j? X glory everywhere: 2 ft On the beech a russet cover, on the elm a mottled hood, ct S While the walnut lifts her u ?j branches brown and hare. 5 Oh, the crows hold their meeting -D in the old oak's top, r And ho, for Indian summer when O X the acorns drop! Q There's a bloom upon the meadow ft V like the ghost of summer M flowers, O A But the forest and the valleys X 5 ' are aflame, q Q And on hillside and in hollow $ V throughout all the misty 0 g hours g j Descend the rustling drops of x o autumn rain. X V Oh, the squirrel's at his feast- 5 5 ing In the old oak's top. r And ho, for Indian summer when 2 r the acorns drop! V w'hen "the chestnut and the hazel- 0 2 nut put on a richer brown, g A And the blackbirds nil are X 0 gathered in a flock, w 0 When mallow - in - the - marshes o V buttons up her yellow gowns, o X Then It's lime to heap the fod- 2 der in a shock. 2 it Oh. autumn's on her waning; 5 V better gather in the crop! iy S And ho, for Indian summer when V " the acorns drop! g 5 Cornelia R. Dolrty fj 4 0ii0-rrS0rH'H'H'p"0 I The term "second summer" was also used for Indian summer, but that was not until some time later. By 170S the name "Indian summer" was widely used in New England, in New York by ISO:) and in England by lSIKl. The name Indian su-iimer is an Americanism, but the season to which it refers is not limited to this country. The same phenomenon of delightful, balmy weather occurs in Europe. In England it is known as St. Martin's summer or All Hallow summer, referring refer-ring to the time of the year, if occurring, oc-curring, when It has puule the most impression (St. Martin's day, November Novem-ber 11, or All Hallow Even and the days following. All Saints day, November No-vember I). In Germany It Is called Old Woman's summer or St. Luke's summer, commencing about October IS, and in the Mediterranean regions it is commonly called St. Martin's Little summlT. So as nearly as It can be fixed Indian summer may come any time between St. Luke's day, October IS, and St. Martin's day, November 11, although the Indian summer type of weather may be experienced before or after either date in September or even in December. Science cannot find any fixed period to correspond to popular pop-ular Ideas of when Indian summer Is and it cannot be predicted any more than thaws In midwinter. Science can, however, account for Its appearance even If It cannot predict It, and It accounts for Indian summer by say-that say-that It Is a phenomenon resulting from a sluggish movement of the areas of high and low barometer across Ihe country, and the fixation for a time of high barometer In the South with low pressure In the Northwest, giving general southwest winds and mild weather. Concerning Indian summer one scientist says : In the I'nitcd States this Indefinite spell Is likely to lie more apparent In Hie upper Mississippi valley where ll Is mrre Inclined to be In strong contrast con-trast with the i-lirnatic conditions that precede and follow It. Bast of the Mississippi valley, the nuttimn periods of dryness and tranquillity berome Ir-rfrolrir Ir-rfrolrir In their o'-rurrenee Find of brief fiurrilion. The rainfall Is normally so li;rht In the western states of oer country that the chief elements of the fennine Indian summer arc not snf-tiflf-ntly unusual to attract attention. The periillnr hnze vvlileh may oerur nt this time of the year Is chiefly caiiv-d by the aeeuimila t bin of dust and smoke In the almost motionless atmosphere. at-mosphere. It Is frequently railed dry fog and ll-nrilly appears In what Is known as an "nntl-cyrbme" when fine, dry weallier prevails. Minute dlaloms and vob-anle lust unit the dust from deenyed vegetable mattef contribute to the density of It. It i ny also, be Increased by ttie smoke from pralrln nrid foiest fires which may be transported gre:(t d 1st a noes t h roug h the lliiir a I ninspbci , while nt the same time the air neiir the earth may rfl-niiiln rfl-niiiln quite clear, often producing n pec ii 1 1 o r yellowish or pinkish effect due to the blue rays of sunlight being sb-sorbed. sb-sorbed. Indian siirnmcr'has become n pert of the I'.ng'ilsh language even though It Is not recognized by science. Even though Indian summer Is not n ""giil.cd bv science ll has always and probably always will bold lis place In American tradition and American Amer-ican literature. II Is a favorite theme of pods- especially among the New J England group --essayists and cartoon Isls. nil of whom have told In one way or another of the glories of this sea son. 1 By ELMO SCOTT WATSON , i j T f'N and what is Indian Jy summer? vV1 yiihl Here is a case, indeed, FjLpyQe? where "doctors disagree," vU ZJ for there are many the-) the-) ories as to the origin of Eip4 the name, the reason for it and the time when it occurs. Most people will agree upon the fact that it means a period of warm weather in one of the three months of September, October or November No-vember and that it is characterized by three peculiar elements: By a warmth greater than preceding days or weeks, by tranquillity of the atmosphere at-mosphere and by smoke and haze. But when an attempt is made to predict pre-dict a definite time for the appearance appear-ance of Indian summer, then divergence diverg-ence of opinion begins. Consult the dictionaries and you will find that one sucli authority, the Standard, says, "A period of warm, dry, calm weather in late autumn with hazy atmosphere." But Noah Webster goes into more detail as follows: fol-lows: "Indian summer: in the United States, a period of warm weather late in autumn, usually characterized by a Clear sky, and by a hazy or smoky ap pearance of the atmosphere, especially near the horizon. The name is d3 rived from the custom of the Indians to use this time in preparation for winter by laying in stores of food, or from their belief that it is caused by a wind blowing directly from tiie court of the southwestern god." However, How-ever, he expands upon the theme by giving two quotations, one from Freeman Free-man and the other from the National Intelligencer, in regard to this season. The first quotation from Freeman, is as follows: The southwest Is the pleasantest wind which blows in New England. Jn the month of October, in particular, after ihe frosts which commonly take place at the end of September, It frequently fre-quently produces two or three weeks of fair weather, In which the air Is per-! per-! fectly transparent, and the clouds, which float In the sky of purest azure, are adorned with brilliant colors. This charminrr Reason ls"called the Indian summer, a name which Is derived from the natives, who believe that It is caused by a wind which comes Immediately Imme-diately from the court of their great and benevolent god, Cautantovvwlt, or the southwestern god. The explanation from Ihe National Intelligencer also Is based upon an aboriginal custom. It says: The short season of pler-sant weather occurring about the middle of November Novem-ber is called the Indian summer, from the custom of the Indians to avail themselves of this delightful time for harvesting their corn. It Is a bland and genial time. In which the birds, insects in-sects and plants fee a new creation The sky In the meantime Is generally filled with a haze of orange and gold Intercepting the direct rays of the sun yet possessing enough of light and heal " lo prevent rensa t Ions of gloom or rhill. while the nights grow sharp and fros'y snd the necessary fires give cheerful foreca'st of the social winter evenlrgs rear at hand. So here are two nut horil I"m d's agreeing on both the time one s:iy October ai d the other November of Indian summer and the reason for lb" name. I'crhnps the earliest known reference to the term was that mad" by a Frenchman, St. John ( 'revecoeiir. In 177S when h" was living nl Pin" Hill. Orange county. N. V. In an ""say, "A Snow Stoi-u, as It Affects the American Farmer," printed In 17S2, he called It "I'Ete Sauvage,"a free translation trans-lation of which would ha "Indian summer." sum-mer." In this essay be said, '.'After the fall of leaves, but before any snowfall, comes a rainy period, fireat rains at last replenish the springs, the brooks, the swamps and impiegnate the earth. Then a severe frost succeeds suc-ceeds which prepares it to receive the voluminous coat of snow which Is soon to follow; though It is often preceded pre-ceded by a short interval of smoke and mildness, called the Indian summer. sum-mer. This is in general the invariable rule: Winter is not said properly to begin until these few moderate days and I lie rising of Ihe walers- have announced an-nounced It to man." The origin of the term, which Is most widely known, occurs In a hook printed several years later than Crevecoeur's essay. ' This was -Dr. Joseph Doddridge's "Noles oii the Settlement Set-tlement and Indian Wars of the Western Paris of Virginia and Pennsylvania Penn-sylvania From IVi" to ITS"." Doddridge Dodd-ridge traces Ihe term back lo early (olonial times when Indians slill were a menace to Ihe backwoods settlers. All during Ihe summer, seniors in the more harassed sections had to live behind stockades In constant dread of Indian raids. When the chill blasts of winter came on. everyone breathed a s'gh if relief. No longer vvould the Indians nllnek. The sever-iiy sever-iiy of the winter would prevent thai da Hirer . 'I he hemmed in settlers now took to Ike open, going lo their log cabins outside Willi the Joyful reeling of men relensed from prison. II happened sometimes, however, that the welcome inclement weather gave way to a few days of uinenson able w arm wen I her. This was called Indian summer because ll gave (lie Indians iniolhcr Huniee to wage destructive de-structive waiTa-e iigainsl Ihe eoloiilsls once more. |