South-eastern Independent. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1871-1871, 1871-08-25
MHnchausen in California,

VI WINS dAO II SIdrTe0 OF q
visit to Yosemite Valley. The Stockton
boat leaves San Francisco at balf-nast 4
O'CLOCK 10 the afternoon. 1 arrived at the
wharf just a moment too late to get on
ooard, and instead of waiting until the
next day, 1 determined to 90 to Stockton
on horseback, by land route. l according
ly crossed the bay to Oakland, or as it is
better known, Little Peddlington," pro-
cured a horse and rode over the Livermore
Valley, whore 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 a degree of fortitude not universal in
IN this country. Well, as supper time ap-
preached, CLAMPS" asked me if I would
like some egg, and how l preferred it, hard
or soft, boiled OF fried. told him l would.
and that 1t would suit me best ~soft-boiled.
In few moments there came CLAMPS
ana his wife, rolling an egg the size of a
nour barrel, which they boiled in a short
time Ia a large cauldr0n, and then set il up
on END alongside of mad6m's chair at the
table. A hole was made in the top of the
smell, and the egg was dipped out with a
long hdAtled ladle. | was sstonished 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 I tell you that one
hen did not lay this egg alone; it took
seven or eight hens almost a week to lay
it L was a jOilt-stock production of the
chickens, but still it is better than the in
oIvldual responsibility plan.
At breakfast the neXt morning we had
more egg, and then I went on the road to
Stockt N. reached San Joaquin River at
noon, and was. with my, horse, ferried
ov r in a very unique looking craft
While the ferrym9n was Juggling silently
at his big oars, l started a conversation
with him by inquiring whether his ferry
was very profitable.
Doesn't scarcely pay for raisin' the
boat" he replied.
"Raising the boat?" I repeated, "What
do you mean by raising the boat?'"
Mister" said he, resting for the while
on his oar, you be a stranger in these
parts, bean't your"
replied that l had not been long in the
country.
Then" said he, pointing away to the
held, this ere boat growed in that punkin
patch over yonder
"Growed in a pumpkin patch" 1 ex-
claimed.
NAO"SO Ii IuaI puHhm patch Ou d
punkIn vine. Mister, this boat is a punkin
Shell, cut in two and the innards taken
Gut. That patch is where it growed."
Where, over by that baIn?" l inquired.
THAT amt no barn" he answered, I'M
less you choose to call it 80. That's a
punkin, too. But l started a hole in the
end ont and let the stock inside it, and
when the wet season sets N, why, you see,
l jist plug up the hole and let 'em 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.
I'VE don't have no SIGH difference here
on the San Joaquin as CROWN seasons and
them others; things keep on CROWN all
the time till we pull 'em or they die"
As | was about taking leave of the fer.
ryman he gave me a pumpkin seed, with
the remark that l might some time aston
ish the folks in the East with it; and be
fore twenty-four hours had elapsed 1 came
near having a calamity by reason of this
same seed.
1t wasin this wise: After riding several
hours in the sun, l was so overcome with
drowsiness as to find it impossible to keep
in my saddle, so l dismounted and lay
down on the ground, intending to take a
short nap. 1 had put the pumpkin seed
in my vest pocket During my SAUNDERS
it fell out on the ground, and l rolled over
on top of it. My great fatigue caused me
TO quite overslerp myself, and | was ava
kened the next morning by being roughly
hurried along over the ground in my pros
trate position, and it seemed as if a rope
were wound around my body. l bawled
Justify for help, and my cries attracted the
attention of two mn who were on their
way to the harvest field.
On being released from my perilous
position, the mystery became clear to me.
The warmth of my body caused the pump
kin seed to spring into vigorous life, and
one of the tendrils of the new vine had
coiled itself around my body, dragging
me along in its rapid growth a distance of
more than half a mile before I was awak-
ened- My two ~deliverers had q hard run
TO keep pace with me in the clutches of
the pumpkin vine, and finally arrested my
unwilling progress by cutting off the end
of it with their sythe-blades. l gave them
the vine for their reward, and we counted
on it no less than three hundred young
pumDkins, ranging from the size of a hens
egg up to a -four barrel.
~ IL aCAlS1 = 49, AA
Fl ling hims If with green pumpkin, and,
as a consequence, during the after part of
the day, while We were proceeding on our
journey, he was sized with a violent fit
of collie, of which he died. n~otwithstand-
ing that | gave him several bottles of Cal
ifornia soothing syrup. l did not feel
able to pay for the pony, which l knew
woull be required of me on my return to
Little PeddlIngton, and began to think
very bad over the unlucky turn in
things. While sitting on the ground
near my dead pony, a jackass came brows-
ing along. l took out my hunting-knife,
and in a fly whipped off the pony's hide
and threw it owe the jackass. 1t fitted to
a charm, and, after visiting Yosemite Val
lep, | returned the disguised jackass to the
man of whom l had hired the pony in Lit
tie PeddlingtOn. To this day he does not
know but that he has got the same animal
he lent me
There is but n thing more 1 will no
tice in this letter. Six years ago, a gentle
man residing near Stockton planted a
grapevine by his house. In q couple of
years the building was completely eDfold-
ed in the strong branches of the vine, and
the gentleman was surprised at seeing his
dwelling starting from its foundations.
The vine gre V with wonderful vigor, and
carried the house, bodily and unframed,
up to a height of sixty feet in the air,
where it remained at a stand. The gentle
man now reaches his front door by means
of a winding staircase around the stout
trunk of the grapevine, and anybody who
will take the trouble to go and see. will
find it just as l have related.-C0r. ". Y.
Neus.