The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-06
DEAD JURIsTs AND RAIN.
Extraordinary Phenomena Observed
by Residents of VaquerO Water.

Extraordinary Phenomena Observed
by Residents of VaQuerO Water.
From the San Francisco Argonaut.
The old resident of the county who turn
ed up at the ranch-house yesterday dis
coursed of rain. At vaquero Water an
old resident is a rara avis. Modern drift
wood from the middle west popuates the
hills, congregates at the village stores.
To thena rain" spells moisture more or
less. To him the word is fraught with the
hopes, the terrors.. of weu-nigh thirty
years. so
"Poetryr--he shook a lean brown fin
ger-"poetry about rain amt worth a
damn! Let a man that's losin thirty head
a day write about the 'patter OF the rain
drops on the roof He'll put some beef
into it,"
The witticism was Unconscious; tragic
memories had crowded TO his mind.
1--WE known the time when every day
it held off meant thousands of dollars to
me; and when it did come-good Lordl
Many a mans In the asylum to-day who
couldn't stand the sound of the rain that
saved the country-waited for 1t too long!'
He smoked meditatively.
That there stock ca tin moss Is in pretty
good condition now. Begin to tell on 'em
in another two months. Folks at La
Huerta is maxim a sight of fuss talkin
dry year-complainin they can't keep
girl or buy a bicycle. Don't know in
town what dry year means. You'll know.
See your cattle hangin around for food;
can't drive 'em away. They's stick their
heads in the window and low at you. Shoot
your horses an feed EN- to the hogs, but
they'll die soon. That amt the worst; pull
through this year; where'll you be next?
Where's your seed-wheat comm from2 Or
hay to feed your horses, If there are any
left? Can't tell me! I've seen three dry
years"
An old residents discourse is distinctly
grewsome. The CHEEKY prattle of anso-
phisticated driftwood suits me better.
"Over at La Huerta they've a sure
thing on rains. A dead lawyer brings
shower, but jedge fetches a real No. l
storm. Don't believe 1t? Ject bark to this.
Way back in the sixties it was clair an
cold, an we was all a-feelin' pretty blue,
when Jedge Johns died. Came on to rain a
regler downpour, lasted ten days. Couldn't
send him to Los Angeles like he wanted;
had to plant him in the boneyard. His
death want no particular surprise to him
they was maxim his coffin in one room
and practicin' his funeral march in the
other. His last words was: Boys take that
part a leetle slower He was leader of the
band. Poor old jedge! There want no
flowers, so the boys fixed him up with slie-
ed lemons from the bar. They looked real
nice round his white hair"
Death and sliced lemons! A hideous trav-
esty of grief.
There was a few drizzles after that
when small fry died, but we didn't begin
to ketch on till just. before Jedge Smith
was taken. Bets ran pretty high on the
rain question while he was sick. Barom-
eter pretty high, too. Day of the funeral
there was nary cloud to be seen; bright
sunny day in March. About 10 O'Clock we
seen a speck in the south no biggern
mans hand. Well, sir, it spread, and I'll
be jiggered il the masons didn't have to
march mile to the cemetery in a pourin
rain, an it didn't let up for a week Last
time a ledge went off was in July. We had
thunder an hghtnin an two inches. At
ter that any self-respectin' man that was
half white would sacrifice himself for the
good of the country But they amt built
that way at lie Huerto: they're always re-
commendin the other fellow to suicide
I'm police jedge myself" he added, dry
ly, as he rose to go, but wouldn't fetch
half shower, am my life is valuable to
my family"
We need rain at Vaquero Water. Each
morning the sun rises over frost-nlantled
valleys; each night cold, cruel stars look
down upon us. Castled clouds sailing with
the north wind, filmy vapors from the
south--all are delusive, rainless.
Where IS the modern Curtius who will
plunge into the gulf and save the coun-
try?
If small legal light brings a small To-
cal rain, how great a one would a noted
jurist bring?
We implore the lawyers of the state to
solve the riddle, and TO bring, even at this
late day, the rain that saved the country.