Cold Weather in Kansas.
The winter there is about cold enough to "freeze the hair off an Arctic dog,' 1 as the saying goes. It is a matter of no small difficulty to write a letter to the old country in the winter, as the ink was frozen a polid lump, and had to kept on the stove while in use. ' While sitting around the red-hot stove at breakfast one's coffee would freeze jin » very short time if placed on the table a few feet from the fire. If by chance we left our tin' pail full of water when we went to bed, we could ' hear it popping | away 'during the night like a pistol as it expanded with the froet, and \ri the morning the yfater w ; oold havechahgod into a solid block of ice. Hot water thrown into the air out' of would come down a<3 hail. Durinp weather like this we have had to be mighty careful how we handled iron or steel, for the fropt in ah adze or hammer would cause it to cling ; to a damp hand. ■ Once Humphrey wbb driving in some nails in the stable, and thoughtlessly put some in his mouth. He was obliged to go to the houee and get some hot water before he could remove them. If he attempted to pull them out the skin and flesh would have come too. What- a treat it was to • sit down and milk a cow in euch weather. It was as much 'as the milk was worth. We never kept more than one in milk through the winter, and < not' always 'that, so the i < butter waB< rather ecarce, unless, we had enough salted) down. It waa quite a matter of discussion, too, as. to ,who should get '.up and' light the fire, as no one liked to turn out first on a "cold morning. There was a sort Of general! ;watcbin£ and waiting ,all round to see, if, someOne else would not make 'al' start.' Our blankets were a, eight* ( jta, the morning. { A person's form would be outlined , ,m hoar frosty Jind 'around 'the head. t,h,6 clpt^ea,^^ frequently frozen* ,fluite f har(j;" / where > / the r ,breath had come throrigh, for 1 it was, .almost impossible, to keep,one> head from under
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TAN18860925.2.55
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Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 171, 25 September 1886, Page 7
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386Cold Weather in Kansas. Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 171, 25 September 1886, Page 7
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