An Awful Storm

Editor of the Argus: Just two months have elapsed since my writing you last, and up to that time, as I wrote you, we had experienced but very little cold, not enough to blight all the garden beauties, or deaden our emerald grasses, so mild and agreeable had been the weather up to January lst. One would almost believe that we were to have no winter. But the storm king was evidently only holding off for a time to gain power, preparing to swoop down on us with greater force when least expected, and as a Puget Sounder would say for flve long days and mghts the thermometer ranged below the freezing point, and twice dropping to within 17 degress of zero, with over an inch of snow on the ground. As though this were not enough to utterly discourage us, six inches more feil in one night, and staved with us two whole davs. Oh! it was fearful, the bitterness of that whole week wilt live green in the memory of the "clamdigger" foreyer. For the next four weeks we saw little of the sun, lowering clouds hung heavy over the land, one-half of this time misty, rainy weather prevailing. Then the sun in all lts splendor burst forth once more. We are enjoying beautiful weather now, the days are perfection añd have been for the past three weeks. Fire is a luxury, the doors of our stores are open during the day, and the thermometer registers an average of 50 degrees. Such is the climate here on Puget Sound which in itself is a beautiful sheet of briny water stretching away for miles to the north and west, lts sur face scarce disturbed by the gentle breeze and dotted with hundreds of Indian canoes containing each a dusky child of leasure, the sunlight flushing on his paddie, as it rises and falls. is seen in the distance while yet Iiis canoe is too far away for the unaided eye to outline the number of its occupants. The shadows of evening bring theni Dto town where they dispose of the flsh they have eaught during the day, manv of the squaws make a living by digging cliims which they iind readv sale for. Barefooted they carry heavy loads, while the noble buck stalks along rnajestically with his little string of flsh, and the papooses in single file several yards apart bring up the rear. Across the waters of the sound, out luied agamst the blue sky, can be 3een the show covered peaks of the Olym' pia range towering above the clouds. To the south we see Mt. Kainier, the same that ourj rival city calis "Mt. ïacoma," and which is distant from here on an air line 75 miles, yet look not over five or six miles. Yours truly, Seattle, March lst. '88 -- J.A. Bohnet.