The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-10-25

and few trusted assistants who were
 sworn to secrecy, she leased every pe-
 can grove and forest of any value in
 the Colorado valley, When buyers ap-
 peared in the country, starting the
 ranchers by offering to engage oceans
 at 71a cents per pound, those who make
 a business of gathering the nuts were
 astonished to find that a young girl
 had entered the field and cornered the
 crop so far as this particular region is concerned. A little investigation showed that this energetic young
 woman is in a fair way to make a
 fortune in a few months. It is known
 that she got a great bargain in nearly
 all Of her leases As a sample of the
 shreWdness that she displayed, it has
 leaked out that she leased one forest
 for Sl0O in which there are several giant
 trees that will yield twenty bushels or
 SS0 pounds of oceans. At low esti-
 mate the profits accruing this single
 transaction will fall little short of $5, ,000.
 When it is remembered that nothing of
 market value is subject to such.
 fluctuations of price as oceans, there is
 not much matter for wondelment in the
 fact that the people leased their forests
 for so little money. Only few years
 ago there was an abundant crop, and
 yet for some unaccountable reason the
 nuts were allowed to rot where they
 fell. There were no buyers and no
 market.
 Aside from scooping the crop this
 courageous Texas girl has distinguished
 herself in other ways. A pecan crop is
 not easy to gather. The work attend ed with great dainger and many hard
 ships The harvesting is generally
 done by rigorous young men and athIe-
 tic boys. Not many young women
 would exchange places with the fear
 less Texas girl though the profits were
 doubled. Those who are engaged in
 the business have to camp out in the
 woods often many miles from a town
 or a ranch.
 After Miss Bardine became convinced
 that oceans would command a fair price she at once set to work to discov-
 CT some method through which she hoped to gather the crop in some way that would be an improvement upon the old plan of operations. This led her into venture that nearly cost the brave girl her life.
 The largest and best oceans grow upon the topmost bows of the tallest trees, often hundred and fifty feet from the ground. A daring athletic climber of light weight gets few bush els of these "top gallants,' as they are called, but ordinary threshers are fore ed to shake their fists at them and walk away. They often leave from $20
 to $50 worth of oceans in the tops of these tall trees Few boys can be found who dare to ascend to such dizzy heights.
 Miss Bardine determined to harvest the crop clean. T will have those big oceans in the tops of the trees if I have to go after them in balloon" she said. Her assistants laughed at this dea, but after she had tried in various ways to accomplish her purpose with ut success, this irrepressible genius actually concluded to construct small balloon. Her friends looked on in
 mzement and many of them advised
 Ter to abandon the dangerous project. IHOSe p6CdHS, sue Sdlu, are WOrLn several thousand dollars, and I need them in my business"
 The experiment was made at Granite Shoals, on the Colorado River, where there is a large forest of the tallest pecan trees in Texas.
 Miss Bardine's people had already gathered the nuts from the branches of 1he giant trees as far up as the thresh- CTS dared to venture. They estimated that there were at least 800 bushels of oceans yet remaining beyond their reach.
 The balloon was transported to Gram ite Shoals and inflated with hot air from a furnace constructed in the midst of grove of the tallest trees The girl, armed with long threshing- pole, stepped into the basket. and when her assistants who were holding the anchor-rope. announcing that they were ready, the signal was given, and the airship rose swaying and jerking to the tops of the trees. The men who held the anchor-rope had taken A half hitch around a small oak and they found that they could easily control the ascent of the balloon. From the Chi
 cago Tribune.