Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1871-08-24
Munehausen in California,

A COUPLE of weeks ago 1 started on
visit to Yosemite Valley. The Stockton
boat leaves San Francisco at half-past
o'clock in the afternoon. l arrived at the
wharf just moment too late to get on
b ard, and instead of waiting until the
next day, determined to 60 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 horse and rode over the Livermore
Valley, where l staid allnight with ranch
or, 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 tins ap-
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 soft-boiled.
In few moments there came Clamps
and his wife, rolling an egg the size of a
flour barrel, which theyiboiled 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 a
long handled ladle. l 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 I tell you that one
hen did not lay this egg alone; it took
seven or eight hens almost week to lay
it. 1t was joint-stock production of the
chickens, but still it is better than the in
dividual responsibility plan.
At breakfast the next morning we had
more egg, and then went on the road to
Stockton. I reached San joaquin River at
noon, and was. with my, horse, ferried
over in very unique looking craft.
While the ferryman was tugging silently
at his big oars, started conversation
with him by inquiring whether his ferry
was very profitable.
Doesn't scarcely pay for raisin' the
boat" he replied.
"Raising the boat?" 1 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 1 had not 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 a pumpkin patch!'' I ex-
claimed.
"Growed in that punkin patch on a
punkin vine. Mister, this boat is a punkin
shell, cut in two and the innards taken
| out. That patch is where it growed."
"Where, over by that barn ?" l INQUIRED,
"That amt no barn." he answered, Gun
less you choose to call it so. That's a
punkin, too. But 1 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 '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. u
Are these the growth of the season ?''
1 asked.
"We don't have no sich difference here
| on the San Joaquin as growin' seasons and
| them others; things keep on growin' all
| the time till we pull 'em or they die"
As | was about taking leave of the fer
ryman he gave me pumpkin seed, with
the remark that I might some time aston
ish the folks in the East with it; and be
fore 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 so overcome with
drows1ness as to find it impossible to keer
in my saddle, so 1 dismounted and Law
down on the ground, intending to take =
short nap. l had put the pumpkin seed
In my vest pocket. During my slumbers
it fell out on the ground, and rolled ovel
on top of it. My great fatigue caused me
to quite oversleep myself, and was ava
kened the next morning by being roughly
hurried along over the ground in nv pros
trate position, and it seemed as if a ropt
were wound around my body l bawled
Justify for help, and my cries attracted The
attention of two men who were on thei]
| Way tn the harvest field
On being released from my perilou.
position, the mystery became clear to me
The warmth of my body caused the pump
kin seed to spring into vigorous life, ant
one of the tendrils of the new vine haC
! coiled itself around my body, dragging