This often
happens to corn, which has broad leaves easily torn by hail."
"What is hail?" asked Hal.
"Well, it's a sort of frozen rain," said Daddy Blake. "Often in a thunder
shower the wind plays strange tricks. It whirls the rain drops about,
first in some cool air, far above the earth and then whips them into some
warm air. The cool air freezes the rain, and when it falls it is not in
the shape of beautiful crystals, as is the snow, but is in hard, round
balls, sometimes as large as marbles. Often the hail will break windows."
"I hope it doesn't hail in our nice garden," said Hal.
"It will hurt your corn worse than it would my beans," said Mab. "I hope
it doesn't hail, too, Hal."
But two or three days after that, one evening when the Blakes were sitting
on the steps after having worked in the garden, there came from the West
low mutterings of thunder. Then the lightning began to flash and Daddy
Blake said:
"We are going to have a shower, I think. Well, it will be good for the
garden."
And soon the big drops began splashing down, followed by another sound.
"Oh, it's hailing!" cried Aunt Lolly. "Hear the hail stones!"
"I love to see it!" exclaimed Mab.
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