The Oskaloosa herald., 1905-09-14

WIM MNM ~ WV MN"HNHN HNNfH HNNWH IT "'"
eHeet II has ~ peeriN lnlis =
nut UpsA ~ shtm
wsii. riaiAnn cats rAtA N = nten
Tint place issels lfees aNd shrub
befy. and fach pfstt, df,sts. they
nsw "a mere ft trflnhline PAVING "
makes Il susl like naphet petement
fhAt nleht l touh n Clflnatewa
Tho chlnsre have .hc choicest lvcn
lion IN ran Francisco, hut that u mot
leAylng much. don't llks Frisco. I
was disappointed, ! espeeied TO ace
nice hsoha aud brick buildings, but
instead they are mostly frame, and
old.fashioned, but they are lmpfoy'
lns. San Francisco n a grcat town,
however.
Well, I waa only IN The city n few
| DAYS and ! went down TO Fresno
about 200 miles south Of the city, 70
| Walt an aunt whom I had not seen
since | was a little boy wearing dress
en-, and she IL the one that dressed me
up I'm my first suit Of clothes. or
course | remeber all about II. They
have lived In tho San Joaquin Valley
about twelve years and she tells me
some very interesting and peculiar
things OF the country. Fresno Is the
raisin country. II Is 20 this part we
are Indebted for our delicious mince
pies and TO think here they feed bet.
ter ralsins to their hogr than we get
In Iowa TO put in u pie. But they
wish they had some good corn.fed
pork, as raisins don't make good
meat. Take things all around |
think they are pretty evenly divided
up, take the country over, and it's
human nature to want something you
can't get.
II does get so hot in this country!
Oh, my! 100 degrees above. Only
the most direct descendants Of 'Shem,
Ham and Jepeth car live here, as 1t
gets seven times hotter than 1t ought
TO be heated for comfort, cut mats
the kind OF weather they have to have
to make r~alsins. You can go right out
to the well IN pump water warm
enough for dish.water. am not jok-
Ing. This is the truth. And you can
pump that warm water in a jug and
set II down In the shade where the
breeze will strike II and 1t will get as
cool as you care TO drink 1t, and II
allowed TO stand in the jug for a
month IT will be just as fresh as
well, the longer It stands the better Il
gets.
And the feds Of wild poppies,--
acres and acres, and when the sun
shines just right on them It looks at
q distance like a flame OF fire.
I must tell you Of their ice boxes In
this country. They Just take a big
box and take some gunny sacks and
tack on the sides ana put a box OF
water on top and let II drip down on
the sides, and Il ma,.ers not now hot
II gets, butter Will keep in tIere as
solid az IL on ice. They always keep
them out In the yard.
But | must tell you OF my trip TO
San Jose TO visit the Lick Observatory
and then close my letter for this year,
| was working In Oakland for the s.
p. Co. | made a request for en-
ployes' rates TO San Jose and one
night at my work ..e once caused
mo quite a little unnecessary work,
and ] called them up on the phone
and told them ABOUT II. The, general
yardmaster tolu me to tend TO my
own business" and furthermore to
call at his Office on my way home In
the morning. thought ! was in ior
n sure, but instead he gave me a pass
TO San Jose. linen the idea struck
me III would ring up the general man
ager and give him a round up ]
| might get a pass around the world,
guess II / Id anything like that ]
| would sure have to travel some.
The Lick Observatory Is on Mount
| Hamilton, 2S miles from San Jose,
The trip Is made by stage and II j.
n lovely ride. ! was surprised to see
them cultivate those mountains clear
to the top. This In the prune country,
Tine people here are full Of prunes
I would be afrai4 TO farm there for
fear ! would fall out OF the field. soma
places you can look almost straight
down for 1900 feet. Seven miles from
the Observatory Is the hotel where
we ate supper. When we started from
there the driver said: ", from
here up we have n mile or every day
IN the week, and a turn In the road
for every day In ne year."N fhere
was an %Englishman sitting in the seat
with the driver and =. nc said: MIR,
Driver, do you figure 3G5 days in the
year or 1907" The river said: "Wel,
we make an extra turn every -four
Years" at. Hamilton supports about
fifty people; about fifteen astrono-
mers and other employees m their
families. They have a school; in fact
It's a nice litIie village.
on arriving at the Observatory,
from the main entrance you go into 2
long hall and they have photographs
OF the moo and the stars at different
periods, with back lights to give the
full effects. But we must not forget