The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-12-01
SOMEWHAT
WARM |
Got So Ho. the Major Registered Kick

country store trying to keep cool.
this is nothing at all to what I've
seen; it's GOODNESS, absolute frigidity
Why, when l lived out in the Canni-
bal islands, back here in 1878, If the
people would see the thermometer fall
to 100 degrees in the shade they'd
get out their skates and begin to con-
slider the probability of an ice crop"
How high did 1t used to get?"
asked Major Potts.
Generally up to four or five hun
dred in the shade. They never did
any cooking with fires out there. Al
ways baked their bread in the sun. Lay
steak on the window sill, and 1t
would be done on one side before you
could stick a fork into it to turn it
over. The water was hot, too. Peo-
pie never thought of trying to get
cold water to drink Put a leg of
mutton down a well and it'd come up
boiled, and you could pump mutton
soup out Of the well for two or three
in the ocean out there l didn't know
about 1t, and was nearly scalded to
DEATH"
I'm the ocean,"
Eyes, sir; in the Pacific ocean.
Why. dog in that country couldn't
put down four legs at a time. He
would go on three legs SOS to give
the other one chance to cool. It
was a common thing for horses to get
their shoes red-hot. and one summer
remember the pavement got SO warm
that several horses and their legs
burned of clean up to the knee"
Did they have no cool weather at
ALL"
70, yes, Of course, that was in the
rainy season. Then 1t would get
very cold sometimes. and this caused
. curious phenomenon. The island l
lived on was about eight miles long
In winter time, but the heat Of sum-
mer was so intense that 1t would ex-
pand the island to the extent Of about
four miles, and so she'd go on ex-
banding and contracting from year to
year In the most extraordinary man
ner. know Just after went there
bought a piece Of IL acres Of q man.
II was summer time and I paid him
30 much an acre. When the cool
weather came found that 1t wasn't
more than half the size 1t ought to be.
and the trees were crowded up to.
gether so close that you couldn't walk
through them. Took advantage of me
the man did. l ought to have bought
in the winter"
WAS II 4 prolific soil?'
well, yes, when the season wac
good. In real hot weather, things were
slow in growing. But ordinarily
my corn would be between 800 and
400 feet high, and the stalks from si1
to nine feet in diameter at the base
We cut It with axes. The ears were
| generally about the size Of large
lobster. There was man over OF
one of the islands, named Smith, whit
used to raise one turnip q year, ant
that was enough, because a singh
turnip would cover three-quarters o
an acre. But one good growing sea
son Smiths turnip grew so fearfull
that it covered the entire island, an
Smith had to move off and go up o.
the side of volcano back of his place
however, the turnip would grow
couldn't be stopped. you know; an
1t did grow until finally 1t got SO heav
that 1t sunk the island"
ibid whatr' .t..
Sunk the entire island, and tbs
you know, let the ocean into the vo
cano. This generated steam SO fas
that the whole thing exploded, an
Smith was blown SO miles out to Sc
and picked up, discouraged, by Sa
Francisco ship. He told friend I
mine that that was the last turnip
would ever raise.
"Yes, sir, 1t was hot in these r
t gions. Let a man in good health ste
: out of doors in the middle Of the de
and he's come back all black ar
wrinkly, exactly like dried beef. "
known men who cured themselves tn
way so that with couple of days in
y smokehouse they'd keep for 200 year
d alive and good as ever"
d "Alive"
Eyes, alive. And evaporation W
4 so great that I've seen the ocean f;
$50 feet under a hot sun until "
- could wade 20 miles from land"
Is did you ever do it?" asked t
n major.
II "Often. I've waded 40 miles GU
le Il thought you said the water W
a boiling hot"
Boiling hot? Well, l believe L
yes, of course, boiling hot sometim
r but-but, of course, wore my boo
r No, sir-if any man catches me t.
r. ing lie l give him leave to kick
a on the spot"
~ Then up rose the major, and, elev
- ing the toe. of his boot, he applied
40 to the rear elevation of Abner, a
sent him whizzing out into the sire