The herald., 1894-04-08

and after watering my horse and cow,
washing the dIshes and filling the ket-
tie, we could watch the toads wading in
the bottom, and had to wait till more
leaked in over night. There were two
big bitches somewhere that paid taxes
on, but the compsniea lost 30 much
time fighting and cutting off each others
supply. that what little ever struggled
through the main ditch soaked into the
sand or ran down gopher holes. We
had talked d good deal about artesian
borings. drive wells and windmills, but
given them up as impracticable, when
one evening as my wife sat in contem-
plative mood. her unseeing eyes fixed on
horned toad supping off red ants and
winkinR knowingly at her. she electri-
fed me by springing to her feet with the
extraordinary exclamation, water
melons," Her plan, when che was suf-
dciently composed TO divulge it, was
simply this: Southern California was
not only noted for climate and cactus,
out watermelons; in fact, some think
they absorb all the moisture which
should go to the refreshing Of the whole
land. We would plant our whole place
in watermelons. | WAS to Gear mere
cactus land for that purpose. We would
then get an expresser and have all the
water necessary for oor aloeA ana mock
oranges through the dry season. The
plan was my wife's: no need to say it
was a success.
In five years' time our ranch every
thing from a cemetery lot to 1000 acres
goes by that name in California;
bloomed and bl)ssomed like the rose
Ths mock orange clambered over the
very shakes that kept our cottage water
tight in the dry season. The birds
hoped among its branches and made
our tins and pots rattle like castRne Is;
only those chronic cynics. the owls,
hooted at everything. But our century
plant" How can convey to your mind
an idea OF it's growth? We had, as l
said, planted it, thing Of six yeare'
growth, loot in height and two in cir
cumference, directly opposite our front
door, and had spent many hours seated
on the sill watching the cheerful dis
positioned little butcher bird impaling
horned toads, small lizards, centipedes
and tumble bugs upon its bsyonet.like
points, until we poes essed a private COL
lection of specimens to joice the scien"
tine hard heart OF naturalist. But
this delight, like all others, proved
till we could not use the front path to
the melon patch, but had to take to the
rear. and still it spread and spread, and
we had to close the front door and lock
it, lest we. too, should become unwil-
ing victims to lts museum of natural
curiosities. At last, just as we were
preparing to move the house, 1t ceased
spreading and began to shoot upwards,
and it shot six inches day; it even
looted like prize asparagus. Excel
sior could not hold a candle to it; in the
words Ct our Pike friend, sit did grow
tarrible." When it grew up forty
feet it rested and broke out in
big pimples all over from the exertion
it was the beginning of the end. What
bliss was ours We carried our meals
ont doors 80 as to miss nothing my
wife went round with tipped back head
81. Agnes IN the national gallery, Lon
don, only she was not 90 Dutch. BY
and bye the pimples put out branches,
and the branches dirty yellow-green
flowers of the mangiest kind, that
dropped black, sticky fluid on to the
big leaves below, which turned leathery
aud dead and fell limp on the sand; and
our century plant" had bloomed and
looked more like a very tall rack OF
very dirty inverted hearth brushes than
anything else in life. The whole thing
from the seed had taken just IL years.
know Californians are said to live
fast, but they must go it "tarrible" to
boil down a century into that space OF
time