The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1875-05-27
The Great Pumpkin Freshet.

|" You see il was in the month OF > an
uary, when the weather came on as MID
as summers day. 1t didn't stop rainin
fur two days and nights. Everything
hereabouts was under water, and there's
no Gale 1atiDg how nianypeople lost Their
lives and how much property went TO
distinction. That was the time thai the
three families on the island below Port
Jarvis was swept off afore yeu could say
Jack Robinson. Every one of 'em was
drowned, too. afore they fairly knowed
what the matter was every one except
Jerry Patterson. who lived in shanty
by himself; and when he found every
thing was going by the board be just
made for the biggest birch tree on the
island, Skinned up among the leaves Ike
a monkey, and stayed there two days,
til we could git boat TO him. That was
the time that the fresh sliced out about
half an acre from the Pennsylvania bank,
five miles below here, and let out the
biggest den of rattlesnakes lever sot eyes
on. You see they was all in their winter
sleep, and arter they had been cleaned
out, and the river fell, the weather turned
as cold as Greenland, and every one of
them yarInints was frozen as stiff as an
icicle. Well, there! you ought to have
seen EN-. They Was scattered along the
shore for miles and there wasn't one of
'em thai stretched out fair and square SO
as to make q decent corpse; but they
were twisted up into all sorts Of knots
and corkserea 5, such as would have made
you hurt yourself Laughing to see. /
picked up one that looked exactly Ike a
fancy necktie and if hadn't been afeared
of its thawin' out I'd worn it home TO
see how Betsy liked it. BE-
Howsomever, 1 started out TO tell
you about the big pumpkin fresh, which
is the name it Is knowed by from one end
of the river to 'tother. 1t was in the fall
of 1915, just when the pumpkins were
ripe and ready to haul in. Anybody
going down the river bout that time
would have seen several hundred mill.
ion bushels of that fruit in the fields
You see the practice is toplant ia among
the corn, and when that's cut off there's
the pumpkins ready to be hauled in. The
coarse Kind are used to feed to the crit
tiers on the farm, while the best are
slapped into pies by the women. That
fall Twas to work for Squire Goodrich,
who was a deacon in the church, and a
mighty good kind of man. The wea.h-
er had been cloudy and mild for several
f,
though ii came down like huge deluge
up near the head-waters. That gave the
fresh sort of body, as you may say, and
when it overlook US we was all taken I'M
awaTes i was eatin' dinner, and the
Squire had gone out on the porch to
take look at the weather, when he
came runnin' in all of trcmble, with
starin' eyes and white face, and he says
20 his wife: jerusalem, Polly, all our
pumpkin pies are gone to the dickens.
"You see that wasn't very lucid re-
mark, and Polly asked him to be a little
more clear, when he pitched out OF the
house; we followed him, and there was
sight which was worth seeing. 1t
couldn't have been more than two hours
since we had seen the river at its usual
height, and here it was ragin' and roarin'
and tearin' along, and risin' every min
ute as cider does when you let it run into
a pitcher. 1t was full of trees, logs and
the boards of shanties that had been
standing along shore. On the roof VI
one of these residences stood rooster,
that looked as proud and pert like as you
yourself, and two or three times every
minute he threw out his head and let out
crow that l s'pose was to call the atten-
ton of all the chickens along the river
to himself. But the greatest sight was
the pumpkins. The river was full of EN-
There they was, from the size of your
fist to that of a bushel basket, bobbing
up and down like the cork to a fish-line,
and all OF EN- running race down
stream. The deacon's pumpkins was all
IN the corner lot down yonder, close to
the river, on the slope, and he had
two pet ones that was about as big
round as a cart-wheel, and he had nuss'd
them with the greatest love, going out
quite frequent on moonlight nights to sit
by EN- and figure up in his mind how
many pies they would make through the
winter. So you can understand his sor
row when he seen 'em just rise up and
fine the procession that was going TO tie
blazes. The deacon's wife was one OF
the kindest women | ever seed, and
when she understood their terrible loss
she called me aside and aXed me if i
couldn't catch one of them big pump
kins, only one, for the deacon's sake
He had dotted on 'em, for weeks and
weeks had petted 'em, and when he
wanted to be special loving to her he
called her his pumpkin. She wanted me
to try for the deacon's sake. I've alters
a tender side for the females of the other
sex, and when she aXed me so sad like,
answered unto her that I'd do it or break
a trace. There wasn't any time for TO
lose, and | slapped on my hat and started
on run down the river bank, so as TO
keep the pumpkins in sight. L didn't
exactly think how / was gong to get
that fruit in. shore, cause | went off in
such hurry that hadn't time to think.
Well, thereT exclaimed Joe, with a
sigh, as he scratched his head IN puz-
zled sort of way. There was one ex
pected difficulty in the road I've no
doubt the deacon could have identified
them pumpkins in thousand, but !
wasn't "a well acquainted with 'em as
what he was, and when they was all COW
cred up in the water, excepting their
yaller tops, there wasn't any more chance
of knowing EN- than there would be OF
identifyin' bald-headed man by the
crown of his head But had promised
Mrs. Goodrich, and it wouldn't do to give
/ 1t UP without trying. When the river is
high it runs mighty fast, and | kept up 9
dog-trot for a halfmile, and then | come
down to a walk, straddiing ont as a man
must Go when his steps is a half -dozen
feet long. That sort of trayelin' is all
well enough for awhile, but in time ii
gets monotonous like, aud was on the
4 pint of throwing up the job when
/ spled more pumpkins than | ever seed
/ in my life. At u place where the river
narrowed some of the logs had man
aged to catca themselves somehow
and the pumpkin procession was
stopped. There they was, 100000 of
| 'em, humping and piing up in style
that was a sight TO behold Ny heart
give a big bound, for | knowed the dea-
cons pumpkins was there and | thought
| could identify the biggest. | orter had
boat but there wasn't any, and the
fruit was jammed SO tight that it looked
to me as if they would bear my weight.
When | reached it and tried it, sure
enough ii was as firm as rock and |
picked my way out TO the center, where
| faneied | seen one of the deacon's pets.
1t was rather tlcklish work To reach il.
but | got 1t at last, and then was sure il
was the identical prize the deacon's wife
axed me to getfo her. But it amt any
small job to tow pumpkin up stream
agin current running ten miles an hour
and you can't pick one up and carry 'em
on, Tor they're too big to reach round
unless you run a rope through EN- and
string 1t round The neck the same as
you'd carry q bass drum. ---.-
Z" l stood there out in the middle oc the
stream looking down at the pile that
was growing bigger and bigger every
minute, and meditatin' what was best td
do, when all at once | heard shout,
Cl ar the track thar or yees'll git hurt
Looking up, what should | see hut a