The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1910-06-17

the big blue OK and started for the
nearest town, forty miles up the
Brule river and across Porcupine
Lake was on my way back the
next day with the beans, when the
spring thaw set in. The thermom-
eter went from zero to so in the
shade when | was crossing Porcu-
pine Lake with the big blue on, and
the enormous weight of the OK
crushed through the ice. | escaped
drowning by climbing on the end
Of one Of the ox's horns, and
standing there with just my nose
out of water, from shutdown to
sun up when | was rescued by Paul
Bunyan and a party from the camp
Paul, II seems, was very wrathy at
the loss of the beans. The breakup
had come with a rush, and with
no beans in camp the men would
not work The Brule river was a
raging torrent, and quick action was
necessary. Paul thought a moment,
drawing at his huge pipe, and then
instructed all hands TO dam up the
outlet OF the lake. With the lake
damed, he set all hands to building
fires around its shores, and within
an hour the lake was a bubbling
pot of bean soup, with a slight
taste Of beef to it, The men, with
cheer, returned to work, and at
meal times the cook would open the
sluice in the dam, and let out a
, supply of bean soup for the men
working on the river one hundred
miles below him.
During the winter Of the blue
snow, the famous snow snakes made
their appearance. They froze up
in the winter, and we used them
for skids, to pile our logs upon.
In the spring they would thaw
out. The first thing a snow snake
did when he thawed out was to
make for the river for
a drink, and carrying the logs
on their backs. 1t saved us lot
of unnecessary work. One Of the
strange creatures that inhabited the
Brule river region, during the win
ter of the blue snow, was the Side
Hill Gauger, an old female. Her
two right legs were shorter than
her two left ones, so she could
only travel in a circle. The animal
belonged to the cat family, but was
longer and more ferociOus than any
member of the feline tribe. 1t
was easy to escape the Gauger, be-
cause she could only travel in one
direction and If We got behind her
she was powerless to reach us ex-
cept by backing up, or running the
entire circle, which she could do
, with amazing CELEBRITY. The old
Side Hill Gauger had a litter OF
little gaugers in the spring of the
blue snow, but she made the fatal
mistake of starting them off the
wrong way around the hill, and
they all ROLLED over and down the
hill, losing their lives in the Brule
river, for none Of them could swim.
No one knows what ever became
of the old gauger. Perhaps she toe
tried to turn around one day, and
was drowned in the waters of the
>, Brule. ...
A strange bird called the Deer
Winter Flying Midget" made its
home near Brule Lake. The bird
used to frequent Paul Bunyan''
camp and the cook always kept il
supplied with food. II would lay III
eggs right out on the surface o.
the snow, Cold, instead of warmth
Matched the eggs. To prevent tbs
eggs rolling down the hillside, th'
midget always laid square eggs.
But If the animals and the bird
of the Brule region we're strang'
creatures, the fish in the Brule ant
Pine rivers were much more so
The commonest fish was thu
"whirley Gig" fish. We Jacks" oil
Sundays and holidays, spent all ouI
spare time catching the Whirly Gil
fish. We would bore a small hol'
in the ice of the river and bait /
with cheese, smearing the chess
around the edge Of the hole. The
fish, il seems, had a ravenous ap
petite for cheese, and could smell
it for miles. They would come t.
the hole, and then one of then
would begin its whirling motion un
der the hole. Presently 1t woulC
shoot up through the hole, ant
holding itself up by its back fins
placed near the tail, would begin
NJ 81 go cheese The fish had
pa 80 a." haped like a suck.
~ 80 USED e. Nwould suck up the
10 i,Ol'0mo IN Ut lEould soon be-
as- ings. A lot dI nave :,
seed on sale at Conley.s q,
lily stated on - SIC