Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-08-31
Munchausea in California.

a COUPLE or weeks ago l started on Q
visit to Yosemite Valley The Stockton
boat leaves San Francisco at half past
o'clock in the afternoon. ! arrived at the
wharf just moment too late to get on
b ard, and instead of waiting until the
next day, determined to go to Stockton
on horseback, by land route. according
| ly crossed the bay to Oakland, or as it is
better known, "Little Peddlington," pro-
cured horse and rode over the Livermore
| Valley, where Istaid allnight with a ranch
er, who was known in the valley as
CLAMPS" They all call him that because
he got rich by holding on to his money
with degree of fortitude not universal in
in this country Well, as supper time APP
preached, "ClampS" asked me if would
like some egg, and how preferred it, hard
or soft, boiled or fried. Told him would
and that it would suit me best sof-boiled.
In few moments there came Clamps
and his wife, rolling an egg the size of a
-four barrel, which they boiled in short
time in large cauldron, and then set it up
on end alongside of madam's chair at the
table. A hole was made in the top of the
shell, and the egg was dipped out with
long handled ladle. / was astonished at
the size of the egg, and observed that his
hens must be enormously large. BY no
MEANS" he replied. "You will not be so
much surprised when / tell you that one
hen did not lay this egg alone; it took
seven CT eight hens almost week 70 lay
it, It was joint-stock production of the
chickens, but still iS is better than the in
dividual responsibility plan.
At breakfast the next morning we had
more egg, and then [ went on the road to
4
noon, and was, with my, horse, ferried
over in very unique looking craft.
While the ferryman was tugging silently
with him by inquiring whether mis- ferry
was very profitable.
boat" he replied.
Raising the boat." ! repeated. "What
do you mean by raising the boat2'"
Mister" said he, resting for the while
on his oar, "you be a stranger in these
parts, bean't your
l replied that had net been long in the
country.
"Then," said he, pointing away to the
field, "this ere boat growed in that punkin
patch over yonder."
"Growed in pumpkin patch!'' I ex-
claimed
"Growed in that punkin patch on a
punkin vine Mister, this boat is pupkin
shell, cut in two and the innards taken
out. That patch is where it growed."'
"Where, over by that barn ?" | INQUIRED
THAT amt no barn." he answered, "un
less You choose to call it 80. That's
punkin, too. But I started hole in the
end ont and let the stock inside it.. and
when the wet season sets IN, why, YOU see.
! jist plug up the hole and let EN- winter
in there. They come out awful fat in the
spring That big green looking SQUASH
over yonder, I'm hollerin' out to live in"
Are these the growth of the season ?,
l asked
We don't have no SIGH difference here
on the San Joaquin as CROWN seasons and
them others; things keep on CROWN ali
the time till we pull 'em or they die"
As was about taking leave of the fer. |
yman ne gave me pumpkin seed, with |
the remark that might some time aston. |
ish the folks in the East with It. ard he. |
lore twenty-four hours had elapsed came
near having calamity by reason of this
same seed.
1t was in this wise: After riding several
hours in the sun, was 30 overcome with
uho"sAhcss as W una IL Impossible 10 Keep
in my saddle, SO / dismounted and Law
down on the ground, intending to take a
short nap. had put the pumpkin seed
in my vest pocket. During my slumbers
it fell out on the ground, and rolled over
on top OF it. My great fatigue caused me
to quite oversleep myself and was ava.
kened the next morning by being rouohIu
hurried along over the ground in INV nros
trate position, and it seemed as if rone
were wound around my body bawled
Justify Tor help, and my cries attracted the
aeteh,ion OF TWO men who were on their
way to the harvest field. ' 'i10n
On being released from NV per;,o,.
posiuon, the mystery became clear Tn mo
IN; warmth of my body caused the pumn.
KIN seed 70 spring into vigorous life, and
one OF the tendrils of the new vine had
conea itself around my body, drapo;nr
me along In Its rapid growth a distance e
more than half mile before l was avail.
eneo. my two deliverers had a hard rnr
70 Keep pace with me in the clutches ~
.ne pumpkin vine, and finally arrested ,,n
~ oS9W; !. progress by cutting off the end
Oh OIL with their sythe- blades. I gave the nu
.ne VINE Tor their reward, and we countad
on no less than three hundred vonrr
pumpkins, ranging from the size IF : b sn
egg up TO -four barrel. n
VI returning To my horse, found him