The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1911-11-09


were finally extracted from that ex-
ceedingly tacitnrn individual the
man with the key and are given
below. Verbatim.
It seems that the gentleman above
mentioned, once had an uncle who
owned a small farm on the banks Of
the st. Lawrence, somewhere above
Quebec.
Came to his domicile one day an
Ishmalite from the uttermost parts
of the earth who tarried but night
Gas is the habit of his kind), and
the morrow found him drifting west
ward ever westward. But ere.
leaving, as a small return for the
hospitality received he gave t h e
said uncle a shriveled pumpkin seed,
which, he stated, would, if planted
in the spring, produce results Of an
amazing character.
Came the spring and the seed was
planted and 10! when the morrow
dawned, pumpkin vine of magnif-
icent proportions was growing
toward the river at the unheard Of
speed of twenty-three feet per hour.
As the days heightened into June
the vine grew larger and longer and
by the 4th of July it had crossed the
mighty St. Lawrence and twined it.
self around a flag pole on the Amer
lean side, from which Old Glory float
ed in grand defiance. The flag pole,
however, had been recently painted,
SO the vine, not desiring to soil its
pretty leaves. loosed its hold and
forthwith grew over a small range
of hills and into valley beyond,
where it proceeded to fulfill it's
pumpkin destiny.
A few weeks later the uncle
missed fine poland china SOW and
litter of eleven little porkers, and
after vainly searching the surround
ing country gave them up as lost,
strayed or stolen.
After resting himself for few
days, the uncle shouldered an axe
and crossing the river on the pump
kin vine, walked several miles to
the valley aforementioned an d
there discovered a pumpkin as large
as house yea, as three houses!!!
Returning home, the uncle called
together his neighbors and supply
| ing himself and them with saws.
axes. etc., not to mention dynamite,
returned to pumpkin valley, and
after much labor and one fatal acct
dent. succeeded in making hole in
the mammoth pumpkin. No sooner
was the opening made than u t
walked the lost SOW and pigs, now
full grown, who Immediately emitted
sundry squeals of delight and start
ed homeward, full tilt. 1t was later
learned that they had eaten their
way into the hollow vine. on the
Canadian side of the river, and had
thence walked along inside until
they came to the pumpkin and being
unable to find their way out had re-
manned there and lived on pumpkin
seeds for several months.
The uncle, not being a rich man.
was unable to pay the tariff on his
pumpkin and SO was forced TO leave
it where it lay, but before departing
for home, obtained the remaining
seed which the pigs had overlooked
and took it along as souvenir
The Uncle died that winter but
before passing away he gave the
pumpkin seed to his nephew the
man-with- the-key who in turn gave
it to farmer in this locality.
Upon planting it the farmer OBJ
tanned the same results as above
described with the exception tn a t
there were two pumpkins instead of
one.
He has retained one of them for
exhibition at the state fair next
year, but the other he donated to
the inmates of this institution and
there is enough of it, according to
the statement Of the steward, to
make pumpkin pies until next
spring.
Anyone doubling this pumpkin
story may have each and every
statement verified by applying to
the-man- ith-the-key, or to our We
racious steward.