les.

"Still later was the Texas tornado, doing its awful work at the rate of
more than sixty miles an hour; while that which swept through Frankfort,
Kansas, on May 17, 1896, was fully a half-hour in crossing a half-mile
stretch of bottom-land adjoining the Vermillion River, pausing in its
dizzy waltz upon a single spot for long minutes at a time."

"Couldn't have been much left when it got through dancing, if that
storm was anything like this one," declared Waldo, shivering a bit as
he watched the awful destruction being wrought right before their
fascinated eyes.

Trees were twisted off and doubled up like blades of dry grass. Mighty
rocks were torn apart from the rugged hills, and huge boulders were
tossed into air as though composed of paper. And over all ascended
the horrid roar of ruin beyond description, while from that misshapen
balloon-cloud, with its flattened top, the electric fluid shone and
flashed, now in great sheets as of flame, then in vicious spurts and
darts as though innumerable snakes of fire had been turned loose by the
winds.

Still the aerial demon bored its almost sluggish course straight towards
the northwest, in this, as in all else, seemingly bent on proving itself
the exception to all exceptions as Professor Featherwit declared.

The savant himself was now in his glory, holding the tiller between arm
and side, the better to manipulate his hand-camera, with which he was
taking repeated snap-shots for future development and reference.

Truly, as he more than once declared, mortal man never had, nor mortal
man ever would have, such a glorious opportunity for recording the
varying phases of nature in travail as was now vouchsafed themselves.

"Just think of it, lads!" he cried, almost beside himself with
enthusiasm. "This alone will be sufficient to carry our names ringing
through all time down the corridors of undying fame! This alone would be
more than enough to--Look pleasant, please!"

In spite of that awful vision so perilously close before them, and the
natural uncertainty which attended such a reckless venture, Waldo could
not repress a chuckle at that comical conclusion, so frequently used
towards himself when their uncle was coaxing them to pose before his pet
camera.

"Is it--surely this is not safe, uncle Phaeton?" ventured Bruno, as
another retrograde gust of air smote their apparently frail conveyance
with sudden force.

"Let's call it a day's work, and knock off," chim