Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1909-11-11
The OVERRIDING Of
Iowser II
By EDWIN L. SABIN
Copyright, by j. B. Lippincott Coz

Il y. d.
| This is a true story, because the re-
mains of the her are still in circu-
lation.
When the golf epidemic captured
Wheatley the victims secured the
country far and wide to find grounds
suitable for links. Hi Hacocks pas
ture was selected as being the best
site, and negotiations were entered
into with Mr.. Hacock with view ID
leasing and eventually purchasing the
land
Hi was wary. For some time he
held off. He could not understand
why crowd of town people wanted to
acquire so much ground "jes' to play
shinney on" To the most casual read
er it must be evident that Hi never
had INDUCED in golf
Finally, after he had been talked to
by the mayor, both bankers, and the
school superintendent, and other lead
ing citizens, all golfiacs, he consented
and gave the lease desired.
Immediately the old pasture became
famous resort. The Wheatley Golf
club, its friends and friends friends
f1ocked there. Business in the town
of Wheatley was paralyzed. No one
had any time for business. Out of
this fervor arose unique incident
which l believe is unprecedented in
the annals of golf. Especially is it
unique, because 1t is true; l can prove
it. In fact, will prove it at the con-
clusion of this narrative But now
will let Hi take up the thread. He
says:
Couldn't see as they'd hurt the land
any, tho they plowed it an cut it
considerable hittin' it with their sticks,
an as they paid my price rented it
to 'em. Then they come out, mornin,
noon an night, men an women, with
red shirts an knee pants tucked into
their socks an short dresses, an every
durn one had about a dozen of them
there goff sticks. My boys an Peters
boys, they made as high as dollar a
day totin' sticks for parties playin',
an tol' EN- to go ahead, an hired
hans to do their chores.
When the players weren't playin',
they an their help-'caddies that's
what they call EN-, isn't it?-were
Iookin' for lost balls. The way balls
were lost was caution-part of the
game, l reckon. l dunno who beat.
Anyway, these women-you never
could tell where their balls was
goin to land-they'd swat at the ball,
an b'gosh, twas as likely to go be-
hind 'em as in front. Some of the men,
especially them little dudes with
stuffed calves, was as bad. Quite
often the big fellers would knock
ball clean out of sight-that is, out
of sight of where anybody was ex-
pectin' 'twould light.
Il begun to think I'd better 20 over
that pasture with a hoss-rake an gath.
or in few hundred balls jes' for luck
when Towser II. come to the front.
You must have heard of Towser II.
Pshaw, now! Why, Towser H. was the
famousest settfn' hen in the hull coun-
ty. Set? She was setter from
Settersville. Named her Towser after
setter dog we used to own. Both
setters-but she was the setterest.
"One day we missed old Towser
an says to mas says 1: 'Towser's
a-settln' ag'in. Johnnyll have to go
out In the mornin' an hunt her up.'
So In the mornin' Johnny struck out,
an he follered the gully down through
the pasture, while SEARCHED the barn.
But where do you reckon we found
Towser? In the dried-up swamp,
bgosh, a-settin' to beat creation, with
Ia goff balls under her. Fourteen, by
gum!
Wa-al, old lady, l thought, we
don't want on ingy-rubber chickens, so
I'll jes' relieve you of these here
eggs With her a-cluckin' an a-sput.
term at me l put the balls in my hat
an started off.
Mex time we found her she was in a
corner under the rail fence, settin' on
IL goff balls. She'd elected 'em in
less'n an hour, swun, an was pleased
as peacock. l begun to see I'd
struck real bonanzie. 1 dumped this
second lot long with the frs, in a
barrel. In about an hour more we
rounded up Towser in the swamp ag'in
on top of Is balls. All day we jes' let
her have full swing, an at night
burned if didn't have barrel plum
heaped with goff balls. Dunno how
many dozen, but anyway, old Towser
had done herself proud.
With goff balls wuth 40 cents
! apiece, new, as somebody toll me, |
reckoned this was purity fair days
work. ! counted on turnin' Towser
loose every day, IS long as she liked
it, an she'd more'n earn our keep,
easy. Of course she couldn't do as
well as this every stretch, for balls
wouldn't get sech head-start ag'in. but
figgered on two dozen a day.
"'Twould have PANIED out all right
If the blamed fool hadn't hid herself
SO we couldn't fin her for three days.
| Somehow she carried a lot of them
balls off mile-one at a time, |
calc'late-into the timber long the
/ creek, an made nest in boiler
StJmn Sot there fill wa copo q ooroce