Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-04-20
BACKWOODS BELLIES.
One of Them Has Experience With
Grand Old Oak.

One of Them Has Experience With a
Grand Old Oak.
EDS. SUNDAY UNION: read "B. B" on
physical culture, and thought it quiet a
superior production. l don't agree with
her, though, in one thing-her feeling so
distressed about the cutting down of the
"gnarled old oaks" in our ''park-like Court
yard" When l relate to you one of
my little experiences with the giant
of the forest" you'll not wonder long,
nor will you have to get out your spy
glass to see that l have no special love
nor reverence for oaks, nor any other
kind of trees. For some years all the
walks of the square were bounded by
bricks, all set up nicely, like the teeth of q
saw, and always ready for you to stub your
toe against them. One evening me and
Jack were walking along, and Jack was
trying to show me which star Vesuvius
was We both had our noses turned up, as
if we scented something in the atmosphere
above US, when one Of the bricks impu-
IDENTIFY stepped out and got right in front OF
me, and the first thing / knew l was sail
ing majestically forward with outstretched
arms, and came up sgainst-s noble oak.
[ saw Vesuvius and all her relations for
generations back. Jack picked me up and
got me home and then went to the drug
store and bought six yards of court yard
plaster.
The next morning, when the Court house
officials were preparing for one of their
daily picnics, they spied something white
| lying under the cool aad inviting shade of
| the old oak tree. One of the Judges
| stepped up briskly to see what it was. 1t
| wasn't handkerchief, but piece of skin
| a foot square that had the evening before
SO gracefully knocked off of my cheek
They picked it up carefully, handled il
| tenderly, and had it tanned, and when il
| returned they wrote beautiful verse on it.
and had 1t framed, and now it hangs In
the Courthouse, where anyone who visits
| Lakeport can see it. couldn't 90 out fol
| a long time, and it made Jack feel SO baG
| that he peitioned the Supervisors 10 have
the tree removed. They complied with hi.
request, and in few days his majesty, the
| oak, was lying low.
| A few evenings after the oak was cu
| down, Jack asked me to take another walk
l felt awful about my face. but Jack sale
| it was dark and no one would see me, Sc
| we sailed forth. We strolled through tn,
| Court yard and were near the old tree
| when q COW came tearing along THAT wa
| DetOTc We had q tattiC law ShC
| ened me so that l let go of Jacks arm anC
started to run; and, Mr.. Editor, it woult
take volumes to tell what my sensations
were when l ran up against the horribl,
stump of that cut down tree and wen
headlong over the top of it. l lit on m!
cerebrum with such force that my stomach
struck the roof of my mouth and knocked
my brains all up into bunch. / know it
because there was lump as big as al
ostrich's egg on top of my head the mex
morning. Ny heart and liver exchanged
places, and my lungs went right hand
across and-leit- hand back" Now, that
what call physical culture"
Jack interviewed the Supervisors again
and they promised to take the stump oui
and in due time that was done, but the
forgot to fill up the hole. One very OAR
evening pa had a fearful pain in his falls
teeth, and he got so frantic that ma said
had better run down town for some medi
cine skipped along through the Court
house square, and seeing several gentleme
coming toward me l stepped to one sid
and landed with dull thud in that dread
full hole, which seemed to have waited pul
posely for me. did / scream!r No,
don't think did, simply yelled. hecsus
thought had fallen into the "bottomles
pit" Yes, yelled; and then ! yelle
some more. and then I took breath an
mouthful Of Lake county real estate, an
then yelled again. The gentlemen, hea
} ing my yells, held their breaths, and the
held whispered confab, trying to decio