remember a summer
like this thirty years ago," said Grandma, "the same heat continued for
nine weeks, and then we had a most terrible storm, and after that we had
no more to say very warm weather the rest of the season; and I am pretty
sure there is a tempest brooding in the air to-day, by the dull heavy
feeling about my head, which I always experience before a thunder-storm."

The heat had become so intense by noon that Uncle Nathan and his hired
men did not attempt to go back to the fields after dinner, but sat
listlessly in the coolest part of the house; they made some attempt to
interest each other in conversation, but even talking was an exertion,
and they finally relapsed into silence, and, leaning back in his chair,
Uncle Nathan's loud breathing soon indicated that in his case the heat
as well as all other troubles were for the present forgotten in sleep.
A change came over the heavens with the approach of evening, a breeze
sprung up, scattering the misty haze which had filled the air during
the day, and disclosing a pile of dark clouds in the western sky, which
seemed to gather blackness as they rose. "It's my opinion," said
Grandma, who had carefully observed the weather during the day, "that
the storm will burst about sunset," and true enough it did burst with
a violence before unknown in that vicinity. I had gone to the far-off
pasture to drive home the cows at the usual time for milking. The huge
pile of clouds, which for hours had lain motionless in the west, now
rose rapidly toward the zenith, and hung like a funeral pall directly
over our heads. The tempest burst in all its fury before I reached home,
clouds of dust filled the air, which almost blinded me, and almost each
moment was to be heard the crash of falling trees in the distant forest.
The thunder, which at first murmured faintly, increased as the clouds
advanced upward, till by the time I reached home it was indeed terrific.
They were all truly glad when I burst suddenly into the house drenched
with rain, and completely exhausted. The cows remained unmilked for that
night, a thing which Aunt Lucinda said had never happened before since
her recollection. Flash after flash of vivid lightning filled the
otherwise darkened air, succeeded by the deep heavy roll of the thunder.
It was noticed by those who witnessed this storm, that the lightning had
that peculiar bluish light which is sometimes, but not often, observed
during a violent summer tempest. T