Two Kinds of "Northers"

The Texans divide the storms into what they call a wet, and a dry, norther.

Wet northers are those which bring rain or sleet, and usually last twelve or fourteen hours without doing any particular damage, ending with a mild north or northwest wind. But the stock is likely to suffer from the storms, because of being wet with the sleet or rain, and then thoroughly chilled by that ice-cold wind.

The dry norther I have already told about. Our host explained to me that it might continue fiercely for from twenty-four to forty-eight hours, then gradually die away in from twelve to eighteen hours, during all of which time that penetrating cold would continue.

I soon came to understand that the man had told no more than the truth, for father said, when he finally came where I was, that we should probably have to remain penned up in Fort Towson two or three days, and advised me to make myself as comfortable as possible, for we were welcome to the use of any of the buildings.

The only way in which I could follow this advice was to hug the fire as closely as possible, for whenever I moved a short distance away, that chilling air would envelop me as if with a mantle of ice, and I thought to myself more than once, that if I were to be caught out on the prairie herding a flock of sheep when one of these northers came up, I might freeze to death.

I did, however, venture away from the heat long enough to make certain that my mother was comfortable. There were two other women in the fort, one a Mexican who appeared to be a sort of servant, and the other the wife of that man who had extended to us the hospitality of the place. With these two my mother remained nearly forty hours, when the wind subsided and the air grew balmy once more.

I remained the greater portion of that time in the hut where I first sought refuge. The hours were not wasted, for I had a strong desire to learn something regarding this country in which we were to make our new home.