The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1914-02-05
The OLDEST Iahabitant.

The Oldest inhabitant Is disguised
with this winter. It's different from
the winters, the Iowa winters, when
he was boy and young and used to
live out on the farm. He doesn't be-
lieve it's healthy. 'Tain't natural.
Also it's bad for crops. Crops need
a big fall of snow. He never knew
it to fail but what big crop of every
thing followed a heavy snowy winter
of leach old inhabitant will supply
such date as recurs to him).
That winter the snow came last OF
October and never went off the
ground till the middle of April. He
remembers that everybody husked
corn in bobsleds and had to leave the
down ears under three feet of snow.
He husked his all alone and finished
New Years day. Crust on the snow
that would hold up team and
good load OF corn. That was the win
ter that the man froze to death up
in the creek in the blizzard. The
prairie chickens used to come into
the barnyard and eat with the hens.
The roads were full and you couldn't
see fence nowhere. Used to drive
right over the fences straight to
town There Ky the big hill in that
cut he and his n"ie i.ncrs had to tun-
mel through the drifts end drove UNI
der that arChWay of SHOW clear up
to the last Of March. And there was
whaling crop. Seem: like the big
snow was as good as a spreadln, OF
manure. Everything vas big crop.
But they didn't get mach out OF it.
Prices was low
Huh! Only one zero day so far
this winter. You can't remember
the Cold New Years can you? Well
that was what the oldest inhabitant
calls cold weather. Cattle froze stand
ing still about the straw stacks. Hogs
froze to death in heaps where they
had piled up for warmth. Father
went out to do his chores and came
back in a minute or two with his
eyes frozen shut and had to thaw
them loose before he could open his
eyelids Folks got as far as the
barn and managed to feed stock
someway but nobody could stay out
side and live. The red hot stove
seemed to have no effect and they
crowded close to it, stayed up all
night and managed to stay alive.
There wasn't any hot air furnaces
then. A cookstove with wood. to
burn was the main heating appa-
ratus. Nobody had fur coats those
days. Overshoes were unknown.
Say, the young fellows of today
would freeze to death right on top
of the stove if they had to- stand
such weather as that was.
The oldest inhabitant wonders
what boy would think nowadays II
he started out to haul hogs to town
IL miles with the mercury at 40 be-
low in a thermometer that only reg
istered that low. Laws knows how
cold it actually was. The Oldest in
habitant doesn't He hauled hogs
that day. He wore cowhide boots
with two pairs OF wooden socks, had
common overcoat and tippet round
his neck and covered his hands with
pair OF those streaked wool nit
tens that grandmother used to make.
Didn't get very cold. Had to stomp
his feet but he was ready for the
oyster stew at the restaurant and
drove home conf table enough. They
had punk in 'em in them days. Was
MT water in their veins instid OF
blood.
So the Oldest inhabitant is not sat
isfied with the weather. 1t doesn't
seem natural to him. Still, let it be
remembered that the same o. l. had
arranged for a trip to Florida this
winter and spent last winter on the
west coast. The chances are that
twenty below would start him south
like a wild duck. But Gin those days
before the climate changed and win
ter was winter" -Marshalltown
Times Republican.