Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1912-12-27
4 LETTER 70 Joe niece
His Poet Friend, Eugene Clay Fergu-
son Of illinois, Exchanges
Publications..

WIN your lines, more summer Days
to Love-" but ! am constrained to be-
lieve that your verses were nearer
perfect than pertinent. Now, keep
on your coat and don't get ruffled
while tell you something about ILL
nois, whose borders You have evident
ly never crossed Also, friend Joe, do
not try to make illinois" rhyme with
'joys," because II will not; but this
lapse is excusable In one so far away.
The writer's lines which you refer to
were written in July. Writing yours
In November you say, This time Of
year your pastures must be gray
Why, bless your heart, there is plenty
of good green grass right now, this
10th day of December, in our pas
lures, and any industrious COW can
get all the green grass she wants in
an hour and spend the rest Of the day
in meditation.
We have had no snow and our lawns
are green, although l notice you have
had some snow in Texas. Last week
the mercury stood as high as 20 sew
eral times. True, we have had many
frosts, but the grass is like the people
of hardy variety. We are likely
to have snow now any time, but we
are to the manor born do not care
a whoop for that, and the tinkle of
the sleigh bells is something not to
be forgotten by one from the North
land.
But presently the mercury will
saunter down below zero and remain
there few days, then indeed will the
ice thicken on pond and streamlet and
lake, and when the park wardens give
the word some moonlight night hun
dreds of young folks will swoop down
on the frozen lake at Miller's park,
clad in warm clothes, red caps and
sashes, and five hundred skaters will
cut figure Fights and curly-cues, the
initials of their partners, form chains,
all hands round with whoop and
laughter and song, until the warden
tells them it is time to go, when they
vanish as suddenly as they came.
know of no sight more exhiliarating
than these winter sports.
Now for some items that may or
may not be of some interest. Farm
land hereabouts sells for from 5000 to
5000 per acre and upwards. Two or
three years ago the value of products
raised in Mclean county, of which
Bloomington is the county seat, ac-
cording to the bureau of agriculture
at Washington, was $9,000,000, exc'u-
sive of mines. Count 'em, nine and
six naughts. This record made this
county not only the largest producer
in Illinois but in the United States,
according to the same authority.
| heard farmer say recently his
corn would yield 10 bushels per acre,
although rs is counted a good crop
The crop this year will run into sew
eral hundred million bushels. The APP
pie crop of Illinois would cover Brazos
all over--well, anyway Joe,
there is big crop. Captain Angus
tine told me last Sunday a friend of |
his had put $4,000 barrels of apples |
INTO cold storage from his orchard ! |
saw a farmer last week feeding about |
.wenty bushels of apples to his hogs |
But why not? Corn is worth 80 cents
/ bushel and apples 35 cents per 100
pounds, or 60 cents barrel. The
lbove are facts, but the following |
will not vouch for:
There be some who say that the
Harden of Eden was hereabouts. bets
zee: There were four rivers flowing
ut of Eden, the Euphrates, the Pison,
he Gihon and Heddekel. Not far
rom here there is a river flowing
orthward, one westward, one east
ard, one southwark, but that gossip
lg and loquacious serpent has disap-
cared, as has the tree that grew in
ne midst thereof. but the stump re-
lains and stands four blocks north
this scribe's domicile in old Judge
avis pasture. But do not take much
tock in this, friend Joe. | am in
lined to think the Garden of Eden is
thin us, that the old serpent is on
lty day and night, that we must not
stem to him, that the gobelins will :
1T us if we don't lookout.
Fifteen years residence in Texas ]
early gives person right to claim
me kinship. That's me. excuse the,
'ammar) l love Texas. When l
me down to Bryan my friends give n
e royal time. l want to come
rain some time, hoping they will
elcome me again. and if l can find q
me excuse / think I'll come again.
There is a small excuse down there
wv. Your friend,
E. c. Ferguson. S