II 
HE mildest January I have ever seen 
7 in Maryland has come to an end, and 
February is here. The ground-hog has seen 
his shadow, and gone back into his hole, 
expressing his belief that we shall have six 
weeks of cold and bad weather. Sure 
enough, the first real cold weather of the 
winter has set in. The goose-bone prophet 
made the same prediction last fall. He lives 
in a Pennsylvania town, and for many years 
he has prophesied what the winter will be, 
after studying the breast-bone of the first 
goose of the season. This year the goose 
bone indicated mild weather till the end 
of January, and then late cold lasting well 
into the spring. 
No wonder the vegetable world became 
confused during January, and daffodils and 
tulips sprang up, and roses budded. Every 
one whom I consulted prophesied dark 
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