Ashland weekly tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1919-1924, 1922-02-15
AUNT PONY

1t is remarkable how many curious
facts about this world and the world
to come you can learn from a real
native of the hills. These facts |
have never read in any encyclopaedia
! or heard discussed In science halls.
l wonder sometimes If we had not
better close our institutions of
learning, and send the students into
the wilds and let them get first
hand information.
Sometime ago, saw Aunt Pony
and she discoursed to me about sun
dry matters of interest, telling me
many things of which no scientist
had ever dreamed. Now, Aunt Pony
always has dinner ready at II
o'clock and I have a standing invi-
taton to dine with them. 1t was a
real dinner, too, not lunch" such as
the unfortunate city folk have, but
spare-ribs, venison, sweet potatoes,
hot rolls, wild honey.
One day as we sat at dinner, Aunt
Pony was telling me to be sure and
note the kind of weather we had the
first three days Of December. For" "
she said, these three days rule the
months Of December, January and
February. The first day shows the
kind of weather for December, the
second day indicates the kind Of
weather for January, and the third
is an exact copy of the weather in
February" Now, is not this a bit
Of information worth knowing? How
had l lived all these years without
observing these facts, and why had
the weather bureau at Washington
failed to enlighten us on so import
ant a matter? l will have no more
of their bulletins!
At last I know how to plan my
work for these three months. If the
afternoon of December first is
stormy, then I know that the last
half Of December will be cold, and
can prepare for such an emergency,
and II the forenoon of December
third is warm and bright, then I
know what kind of weather we will
have two months before the ground
hog has q chance to see his shadow.
After dinner, Aunt Pony took
her pipe from the mantle over the
great fireplace, crushed a bit of her
favorite brand of tobacco in the hol-
low of her hand, placed it in the
bowl Of her pipe, and sat down in
her rocker. Some things grow mel
low with age, but not so with Aunt
Pony's pipe. 1t has waxed strong
with the passing years. 1t can cas-
lily be found in the dark without the
aid Of radium button. Even should
1t be misplaced, its penetrating odor
reveals its location. 1t is a friend
that has never forsaken her, and has
solaced her in many disappointed
hour. Some seek comfort from
friends in times of sorrow; others
give way to grief, or maybe resort
to prayer But Aunt Pony draws
peace and abiding comfort from her
pipe.
Are there many acorns this fall"
l asked. I knew that Aunt Pony
had number of pigs running in the
woods, and that she depended on the
crop of acorns to furnish the feed
for the winters supply of pork.
mot many" she said. you know
it rained on the twenty-second day
OF June"
well, what has rain on the twen-
ty-second day of last June to do with
the crop Of acorns this fall?" l
asked. She paused to take one long
draught from her pipe before ans
wering. Then as the smoke cleared
away, she said: why, If 1t rains on
the twenty-second day of June there
will be no acorns that fall" Andy
expressed some doubt as to the ac-
curacy of this prediction, but Aunt
J Pony was very sure. Had she not