Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-03-10
Gales aud Sketthes.
A Few Texan Delights.
KINDLY PROVISIONS OF NATURE IN THE
WILD SOUTHWEST.


but that our faculties, from disuse, withel
and finally perish. Just come here awhile
and see how thoughtfully nature has pro
vided against monotony.
i Take the cactus for example-the spe
cies known as prickly pear. In you
neighborhood it grows only in hothouses
and there but feebly, and the florist charg
es s. for specimen two feet high. Here
can show you strip of land 100 miles
long by 20 miles wide. entirely covered
with the beautiful and hospitable foliage
of this plant, and specimens will average
feet in height, and each Leaf be guaran
teed to hold 10000 prickles. with which i
can be induced to part at moments no
tice. 1t is said that blind man can tel
by intuition or something, when he ha:
kicked over a bee hive or walked into &
yellow jackets nest. On the same princi
pie you can tell on the darkest night wher
you run into pricklv pear plant | sal
on one upon one occasion. 1t was a ten
der young thing just sprouting, but fall o
ambition. pride and prickles. | was very
tired and | wanted to sit down, but q
something begged me TO change my mind
and change it quickly, and entreated me
besides to say something strong and Wig
orous. Then | had to get a friend and g
pair of tweezers and some arnica. and al
/ though had not hurt the plant much
remembered the incident for month
We all know there are sacred plants in
some countries. There is something
about this plant which appeals to even the
rudest nature in these parts, tor have
seen men otherwise stepped in crime and
blasphemy, who would make detour of a
mile rather than interfere with the domes
tic privacy OF family of these cacti.
Then we have the mezquite. This cheer.
full tree bears beans which are not fit to
eat, and likewise thorns.
! Besides these and other vegetable bless
ings we have the redbug. do not by this
mean the cochneal bug. although we have
him. too. There are differences between
the two, the chief of which is that when
you gather cochineal bugs you can sell
them for high figure-$S a pound may
be-but you couldn't sell redbugs for 81 a
ton. No man wants redbugs, or if he does
want them all he has to do is to lie down
anywhere in the grass and he will get
more than he can reasonably wish for in
! five minutes. Redbugs are interesting
and occupy the mind, but they have no
commercial value.
The redbug is by no means as large as
a grizzly bear, but he is twice as ferocious,
There are many instances on record Of a
grizzly bear running from a man, but no
man has ever seen redbug exhibit any
thing but the most clinging affection. He
sticks to the man of his choice like a
brother, and even cruel treatment seems
| 70 l-n
Redbugs are about as large as one OF
the periods used in punctuating this arti-
Gle. If you can use them for that purpose
| will send on newly married pair and
by the time they get to New York you will
have enough to punctuate your entire
paper for year. They are not red when
in their normal condition of hunger, but
become so after burrowing under mans
skin. You might think thatthis peculiar
ity would lead man to confuse redbugs
and freckles, but assure you there is a
very wide difference. and one you will
easily learn to recognize if you ever come
to this part of Texas. There is serenity
and fixedness of purpose in a freckle. 1t
is quiet and domestic as an old-time
anchorite, and when it settles down it
does so modestly and without fuss. Be-
sides. a freckle has a respectable area,
and you never find over % or 80 of them
to the square inch, even on persons of a
redheaded temperament. With the redbug
ventilation and space seem to be superflui,
ties, and he will cheerfully undertake to
raise family underneath Il patch of skin
already so thickly populated that no men,
Der of the community has room to turn
around. This naturally breeds both
trouble and redbugs and leads the lawful
owner of the skin into active litigation.
That portion of the soil which is not
claimed by the mezquite and cactus is pre-
empted by the redbugs. They marry and
settle down anywhere and scratch and
worry along until they have about 5000
themselves into little ball on the end of
leaf or blade of grass and clnk to-
gether until a man comes along. The
moment he shakes the leaf or blade Of
grass they drop on him, and then each
lakes different direction and finds suit.
able spot in which to sink shaft. Once
safely beneath the skin they defy eviction
by any means provided man by nature.
Thus. if man feels himself redbugless
and lonely IN this section all he has 10 do
is to take a brief walk through the grass
or lean against tree or bush for min
ute and then return with more companions
than he can rid himself in week.
There is only one means known to
science of serving writ of ejectment on
a redbug, and that is by literally apply
/ ing kerosene. In consequence of this you
will observe on arriving here that the
most eminent citizens smell like a cracked
lamp, and more coal oil is used here for
bathing purposes than for illumination.
Kerosene seems to defect the redbug's in
tel]ect from his connubal and mining
pursuits. and induce him to back out tC
/ light and judgment. Unless kerosene i.
brought TO bear this retrograde idea never
seems to occur to him, and he burrows
and works up the census with an alacritv
and cheerfulness worthy of emulation
He is capable of going for year with
out food or shelter, but when offered
hospitality works it for all in i:
worth. A volume might be writer
about the redbug and still leave his ener
gies half unsung. He is not done Justice
in the few lines | have devoted to him
He is not done justice by anyone. A few
fluent takers here have tried to do him
justice in the interests of kerosene baths
but have failed. The subject is too vast
Besides the redbug we have about sc
species of something which rhymes per
fectlv with him.