And what a play it had been! Drowsy animals,snug in their holes while wind and rainwere battering at their doors, recalled still keenmornings, an hour before sunrise, when the whitemist, as yet undispersed, clung closely along thesurface of the water; then the shock of theearly plunge, the scamper along the bank, andthe radiant transformation of earth, air, andwater, when suddenly the sun was with them[Pg 59]again, and grey was gold and colour was bornand sprang out of the earth once more. Theyrecalled the languorous siesta of hot mid-day,deep in green undergrowth, the sun strikingthrough in tiny golden shafts and spots; theboating and bathing of the afternoon, the ramblesalong dusty lanes and through yellow corn-fields;and the long, cool evening at last, whenso many threads were gathered up, so manyfriendships rounded, and so many adventuresplanned for the morrow. There was plenty totalk about on those short winter days when theanimals found themselves round the fire; still,the Mole had a good deal of spare time on hishands, and so one afternoon, when the Rat inhis arm-chair before the blaze was alternatelydozing and trying over rhymes that wouldn'tfit, he formed the resolution to go out by himselfand explore the Wild Wood, and perhapsstrike up an acquaintance with Mr. Badger.
Then the brutal minions of the law fell uponthe hapless Toad; loaded him with chains, anddragged him from the Court House, shrieking,praying, protesting; across the market-place,where the playful populace, always as severeupon detected crime as they are sympatheticand helpful when one is merely "wanted,"[Pg 164]assailed him with jeers, carrots, and popularcatch-words; past hooting school children, theirinnocent faces lit up with the pleasure they everderive from the sight of a gentleman in difficulties;across the hollow-sounding drawbridge,below the spiky portcullis, under the frowningarchway of the grim old castle, whose ancienttowers soared high overhead; past guardroomsfull of grinning soldiery off duty, past sentrieswho coughed in a horrid, sarcastic way, becausethat is as much as a sentry on his post dare doto show his contempt and abhorrence of crime;up time-worn winding stairs, past men-at-armsin casquet and corselet of steel, darting threateninglooks through their vizards; across courtyards,where mastiffs strained at their leashand pawed the air to get at him; past ancientwarders, their halberds leant against the wall,dozing over a pasty and a flagon of brown ale;on and on, past the rack-chamber and thethumbscrew-room, past the turning that led tothe private scaffold, till they reached the door ofthe grimmest dungeon that lay in the heart ofthe innermost keep. There at last they paused,[Pg 165]where an ancient gaoler sat fingering a bunchof mighty keys.
Wind or Rain eBook free
.carousel-control-prevleft:-15% !important .carousel-control-nextright: -15% !importanthr + hrdisplay:none Preview this eBook eBook Preview: Preparing For A Hurricane Previous Next Hurricanes bring strong winds and rain that can severely damage roofs and windows, and cause water damage inside. To make matters worse, facility managers will likely be addressing these problems while running on emergency power.
Heavy snow will track across the Upper/Middle Mississippi Valley and UpperGreat Lakes today as pockets of rain/freezing rain fall over parts of the Northeast. On the warmer side, there is a marginal risk of excessive rainfall, severe thunderstorms along with strong winds over parts of the Eastern Gulf Coast, Southeast and Ohio Valley. Some snow will fall over parts of the Rockies and the Plains. Read More >
We put a lot of effort into controlling how the weather affects us. We build structures that shield us from rain, snow, wind, and sun. We create all sorts of specialty textiles, and use them in complex garments to protect ourselves from the elements when we go outdoors. And we use lots of electricity to power systems that keep us comfortably warm or cool, as well as devices that put moisture into the air or suck it dry.
Mostly sunny, high in mid 90s South southwest wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph. In the evening, a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 8 p.m. We could get 1.5 inches of rain on Saturday. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 75.
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